Stefan Herdt

Who is Stefan Herdt?

Oberleutnant Stefan Herdt was German Representative in Sark from July 4, 1940 to 1942, and commander of the German garrison.

He took office the day after the German occupation, deposing Sibyl Hathaway. During his tenure, Operation Basalt took place, in which three prisoners were killed by British commandos, in one case because the prisoner began shouting to alert nearby German soldiers, and in the other cases the prisoners were killed while attempting to escape during an attack by German forces. Nazi propaganda obscured the details of the event and portrayed it as the execution of prisoners. Reportedly Herdt was to face a court martial but for the reaction by Hitler to the deaths. The raid prompted Hitler to issue an order calling for all British commandos to be summarily executed.