Did you know the Germans "stealth patched" a medieval castle on the Channel Islands?

In software slang, a "stealth patch" is the remotely triggered update of a program which the program's owner isn't notified about. In World War II, the German forces occupying the Channel Islands, the only part of the British Isles to fall to Germany, performed such a stealth patch on a local medieval castle.

Mont Orgueil, also known as Gorey Castle of lé Vièr Châté in Jèrriais, the traditional language of the Isle of Jersey, is a medieval fortress overlooking the village of Gorey on the east coast of Jersey. It was built sometime between 1204 and 1212, and served as the island's primary defense for 400 years until it fell into ruin by the end of the 17th century. It later received some repairs, was handed over to the people of Jersey by the Crown in 1907, and turned into a museum in 1929.

When Nazi Germany occupied the Channel Islands, they raised a system of fortifications to prevent the British from recapturing them, and the process involved putting old forts to good use. The traditional Gardien (keeper) of the castle and his family were evicted, troops, including elements of a coastal artillery regiment, moved in. A makeshift bunker was built inside the castle that served as a headquarters, and three range-finding positions were erected on top of the castle to direct fire against potential Allied naval attackers.

The Germans, however, didn't want the British to discover the changes, and built the towers so they would blend in with the old architecture, at least when seen from the air. We're not sure whether the British knew about the changes, but now you have a chance to judge the quality of the stealthy German construction from up close on our new Channel Islands tours!

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