alderney has been nicknamed "the island of silence", because little is known about what occurred there during the occupation. the rest of the island was heavily fortified, mainly through the slave labour of the camp inmates. the german officer left in charge of the facilities, commandant oberst schwalm, burned the camps to the ground and destroyed all records connected with their use before the island was liberated by british forces on 16 may 1945. the german garrison on alderney surrendered a week after the other channel islands, and was one of the last garrisons to surrender in europe. the population were unable to start returning until december 1945.