In more recent history, during the Second World War, the Channel Islands were occupied by the German army for 5 years. It had been decided by Winston Churchill that the Islands should be left undefended as they were not strategically important for Britain and virtually impossible to defend. In June 1940, 30,000 people were evacuated from the Channel Islands as the German forces advanced through France. On 1 July, Jersey surrendered to the German forces. While the Island’s Government was allowed to stay, it retained only limited power.