1 August 1942 Part 4

1 August 1942 Channel Islands Sea Defence diary

SECRET war diary of the Commander of Sea Defence, Channel Islands, 1–15 August 1942; enclosure to Sea Commander G 685. Weather: wind from 45°, 1 metre per second.

10:00–12:00: all four guns of Batterie Strassburg were fired again for checking. Guns and ammunition were ready for action except for ignition cartridges, which had been inadequately protected against weather during long storage in captured packaging. The ignition cartridges, an elongated and springy firing lanyard, and the obturator-component nut worn by drill were the causes of the failures. Defects were being remedied in agreement with the Naval Artillery Arsenal. Ammunition expenditure: four long shells with large charges, four short shells with large charges and four short shells with small charges. Otherwise no special occurrences.

Construction, Naval Artillery Battalion 604 — Batterie Mirus. Nos. 1 and 2 guns: both ready for action under power; further building and machinery work on ammunition and crew bunkers and pipework for heating and ventilation continued. The bore-clearing compressor at No. 2 gun was tested. Backfilling continued. No. 3 gun: machinery installed in the bunker; fuel and oil connections being assembled; removal of formwork at crew bunkers continued. No. 4 gun: turret cabling begun; reinforcement of the front surrounding wall started, and bunker concreting continued.

Fire-control post: preparations for fitting the armoured cupola and ten-metre rangefinder were complete. A further twenty-five shells and five hundred cartridge charges were delivered.

Batterie Steinbruch: preparations for concreting at the guns; reinforcement and formwork completed at No. 1; excavation continued at Nos. 2, 3 and 4.

Naval Artillery Battalion 605 — Batterie West. Fire-control post: excavation continued. Turret 1: base laid and shuttering begun; accommodation barrack completed and occupied. Turret 2: work not continued; erection of the accommodation barrack begun. Turret 3: working base with drainage channels laid; excavation of accommodation bunker and barrack continued. Turret 4: further shuttering and reinforcement at the circular platform. Machinery bunker: excavation continued; excavation of an ammunition bunker began.

T-1022 Roll 2422, PG 37996, scan 0478–0480.