12 January 1943 Part 7

12 January 1943 Part 7 Responsibilities of the Jersey commander

Seventh Army Headquarters, Operations Section, No. 125/43, Secret Command Matter. Army Headquarters, 12 January 1943. To Headquarters LXXXIV Army Corps. Subject: Position of the Commander Jersey.

The increasingly strong emphasis placed by the Führer and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces in recent months, in accordance with developments in the situation, on the responsibility of the commander of a fortified place for the unconditional defence of the area entrusted to him prompts me to specify in detail the extent to which the troops, supply troops and supply installations of 319th Infantry Division deployed on Jersey are subordinate to the island commander.

1. The commander on Jersey is subordinate to the commander of 319th Infantry Division. He is responsible to him for the defence of Jersey and the preparations for it, and therefore for the training, deployment and supply of the troops, supply troops and supply installations on the island.

2. All troops, supply troops and supply installations deployed on Jersey are accordingly placed under him for training, deployment and supply in accordance with the Führer and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, OKW/WFSt/Operations Section No. 001031/42, Secret Command Matter, of 23 March 1942, Directive No. 40. The special duties of the Navy and Luftwaffe under Section IV of Directive No. 40 remain unaffected.

3. For troop administration, the chain of command prescribed in the order of battle remains in force for troops, supply troops and supply installations. The respective specialist superiors, the divisional administrative officer, divisional medical officer and divisional veterinary officer, are responsible for specialist orders in their fields. Orders issued by the division on troop administration or specialist matters which affect the training, combat effectiveness or supply of troops and other establishments on Jersey are to be brought to the Jersey commander’s attention. Where necessary, his opinion is to be obtained.

4. In disciplinary matters, the commander on Jersey is granted the powers of an Armed Forces garrison commander, with the disciplinary punishment powers of a brigade commander.

5. Jurisdiction over the Army and accompanying Armed Forces personnel is exercised by the divisional commander. The Luftwaffe and Navy have their own jurisdiction. The civilian population comes under the court of the field commandant’s office. The commander on Jersey is to be informed of important cases.

6. The field commandant’s office works according to instructions received through its own chain of command. The commander Jersey must assert the requirements of the island’s defence within the orders issued by the division. In the event of fighting, combat requirements take precedence over everything else. The field commandant’s office is then bound, for the area of Jersey, by the orders of the commander Jersey.

7. The commander of 319th Division bears the designation Commander of the Channel Islands. The designation of the commander appointed on Jersey is Commander Jersey.

8. These arrangements take effect on 20 January 1943. Their implementation is to be reported.

The Commander-in-Chief.

Distribution: LXXXIV Army Corps, with two additional copies; Commander-in-Chief West; Seventh Army Operations Section, Senior Quartermaster, Personnel Section and War Diary.

Editorial note: The brief diary notice on PDF page 294 and the full order on pages 797–799 have been combined here. Wehrmachtgefolge denotes personnel accompanying the armed forces, not the general civilian population.

German Army, Seventh Army Headquarters (AOK 7), NARA T-312 Roll 1553. T312_R1553_Channel_Islands_English_Translation.docx, translated entry 60. Original source T312-1553.pdf, PDF pages 294, 797, 798, 799. PDF pages count from the first page and are not original folio or microfilm frame numbers.