understatement

[nigelweysom]

When the news that Paris had fallen to the Germans in June of 1940 the population of Guernsey began to consider evacuation , among those islanders who were considering leaving the island were men of the local police force, the island police chief was trying to convince them that it was their duty to stay , and to this end the force was assembled and Ambrose Sherwill the Attorney General addressed them, saying "should the Germans come what they will do is have a look around and see that there is nothing here for them and go off again " this became somewhat of an understatement ,as what really happened was that just after 8.30pm on the 30th of June 1940 five Junkers troop carriers landed at Guernsey airport ,that the total number of German troops in the island rose to 10,980, and that they stayed until May the 9th 1945,
Nigel

information taken from
I BEG TO REPORT
policing in Guernsey During The German Occupation
by William M Bell