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1 May 1942 Part 6

Summary

Alderney fortifications batteries and tunnel plan.

Location Details

Alderney; Elsass

Diary Entry

1 May 1942 Alderney fortifications batteries and tunnel plan

Date note: Map state dated 1 May 1942, in the construction progress report designated 1 June 1942. Planned, under-construction and completed works are distinguished in the original; planned installations are not evidence that construction was completed.

Alderney

Fortress Engineer Commander XIV. Sheet 3. Secret command matter.

Construction progress report of 1 June 1942, showing the state on 1 May 1942.

Tunnel installations — installation number and future purpose:

Ho1, ammunition and provisions depot; Ho2, ammunition depot; Ho3, island hospital; Ho4, bakery and provisions depot; Ho5, fuel depot and power station; Ho6, ammunition depot; Ho7, ammunition depot; Ho8, butcher facility and provisions depot; Ho9, anti-aircraft ammunition depot.

Additional note: Army coastal battery 8, four 15 cm guns 16, is combined in the eastern position. The existing reinforced field installations for two guns of each partial battery are included in the permanent construction of naval battery 2, West.

Naval battery 1 is a planned medium naval battery, four 15 cm rapid-fire guns, at the position currently occupied by naval battery Elsass, four 17 cm naval guns. Naval battery 2, West, is a medium naval battery of four 15 cm rapid-fire guns. Other labels include Army coastal battery East, 461, four 15 cm guns 16; old Army coastal battery position without guns; airfield; ammunition depots and extensions.

Key to symbols

Permanent construction: installations authorised for completion by 1 May 1943; installations to be erected by Organisation Todt are designated in the following manner: infantry, W; artillery, A; etc. [Small introductory wording partly indistinct.]

Reinforced field construction is shown with thinner lines to distinguish it from permanent construction. The columns distinguish planned, under construction and completed installations. The numbers attached to anti-aircraft symbols indicate the number of installed guns.

Infantry installations; artillery installations, with M.B. meaning naval battery and H.K.B. Army coastal battery; tunnel installations; anti-tank walls; naval direction-finding posts; fire-control posts; anti-aircraft artillery, including 2 cm, quadruple 2 cm, 3.7 cm and heavy weapons; battalion headquarters; regimental headquarters; command posts; air raid protection installation; signals installation; fuel installation; electricity installation; minefields.

Tactical symbols: divisional commander; brigade commander and infantry commander; artillery commander; artillery battalion commander; regimental commander; battalion commander. Artillery symbols include 21 cm mortar, 22 cm French gun, 15.5 cm gun, 15 cm gun and 7.5 cm French gun; light, medium and heavy naval batteries. Map symbols distinguish an existing anti-tank wall and a cliff coast with specially designated paths.

Abbreviations used on the map: Stp., strongpoint; Zw.Anl., intermediate installation; Rückw.Anl., rear installation; Battr., battery; Kan., gun; Mörser, mortar; Flak, anti-aircraft artillery; Flugplatz, airfield; Hafen, harbour; Mu.Lager, ammunition depot; Erweiterung, extension; später, later; z.Zt., at present; ohne Geschütze, without guns. Place names and unit numbers remain as printed.

Note: Because the personnel units of the Army coastal batteries and divisional artillery have changed, and will continue to change, owing to the rotation of reliefs with Alderney, the batteries are given fixed geographical names on the construction maps. Unit numbers from the previous report are still included in brackets for comparison.

Original source image 0022.jpg — T-312 Roll 1547. Alderney fortifications batteries and tunnel plan.

Source of Information 

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: 0022.jpg.

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