1 May 1942 Part 4

1 May 1942 Channel Islands fortification progress mines searchlights and supply

Date note: Placed at the stated effective date, 1 May 1942. The report is designated 1 June 1942 and accompanies the covering letter of 14 May. It describes work during April, including Mirus test firing on 13 April; these retrospective details are not separate new engagements.

Enclosure 1

Secret command matter

Report accompanying the construction progress report of 1 June 1942

Reference: OKH, Army General Staff, Operations Branch / General of Artillery / General of Engineers and Fortresses (L I), No. 1049/41, secret command matter, dated 2 December 1941.

Subject: Permanent fortification of the Channel Islands.

1. The overall state of reinforced field and permanent construction under the first construction programme as at 1 May 1942 is shown collectively on the maps in Enclosures 2, 3 and 4.

2. Field fortifications

(a) All-round defence in the interior of the island—batteries, reserves and accommodation—was further strengthened by constructing numerous open machine gun positions.

(b) The fifth and sixth guns of the heavy anti-aircraft batteries have arrived and are ready to fire. Work on the positions continued.

(c) Numbers of mines laid: Guernsey, 9,297; Alderney, 843; Jersey, 6,554; Sark, 939, with laying completed. Total, 17,633.

Some minefields again had to be lifted to permit construction work; some planned fields will no longer be laid.

3. Reinforced field construction

(a) Inadequate fuel allocations frequently necessitate new installations of reinforced field construction in place of permanent construction, even if this ultimately entails additional expenditure of building materials and labour.

(b) The intermediate and rear strongpoints intended for the deployment of reinforcements—report of 1 May, paragraph 3(e)—have been entered on the maps in Enclosures 2, 3 and 4. Their locations generally correspond to those of the permanent installations envisaged for later construction in the overall plan. Construction has begun.

(c) Work on the provisional emplacements for anti-tank weapons—10.5 cm gun 331(f) on a pivot mounting and 4.7 cm anti-tank gun (t)—has begun on all three islands. The weapons are expected to arrive during May.

(d) Fifteen 60 cm searchlights have been installed on Guernsey, twelve on Jersey and seven on Alderney. Construction of shelters for crews and equipment has begun.

(e) Completed during the reporting month: 78 infantry installations, 37 artillery installations and 10 anti-aircraft installations, total 125.

4. Permanent construction

(a) For details of the state and progress of permanent construction, see the tables in Enclosures 5(a) and 5(b).

The first gun of the heavy Mirus battery fired its first functioning test rounds on 13 April. The barrel for the second gun has arrived at the construction site.

(b) The quantity of supplies transported by sea for construction purposes in April was approximately 42,000 tonnes, compared with 32,000 tonnes in March. The increase is attributable to temporarily lower losses of availability through repairs and to an increase in the turnaround rate to 1.8 voyages per month, calculated as the average for all three departure ports: St Malo, Granville and Cherbourg.

(c) The number of Organisation Todt workers employed on the islands is 11,800. The decline is mainly due to the call-up of German workers. For the time being, further workers have not been brought in because of the fuel situation. Organisation Todt workers are also employed on reinforced field construction.

German Seventh Army records, T-312 Roll 1547, 28680/21, Army Engineer Commander. Supplied translation T312 Roll 1547 English translation DRAFT.docx. Local source scans: 0018.jpg, 0019.jpg, 0020.jpg.