13 May 1942 Part 3

13 May 1942 Transfer of the coastal sector and island records to Seventh Army

Fifteenth Army Headquarters. Ia No. 039/42, Secret Command Matter / Chiefs Only. Army headquarters, 13 May 1942.
Restricted. Secret Command Matter. Chiefs only; to be conveyed only by an officer. Thirteen copies; copy 13.
Reference: Commander-in-Chief West / Army Group D, Ia No. 74/42, Secret Command Matter / Chiefs Only, dated 11 May 1942, held only at Army Headquarters.
Subject: division into sectors for coastal defence.
To Higher Command LX. For information: Seventh Army Headquarters.
1. At 12.00 hours on 21 May 1942, Higher Command LX, together with its subordinate divisions, will leave the Army area and come under the command of Seventh Army Headquarters, whose headquarters will initially be at Angers.
2. The new army boundary with Seventh Army Headquarters, from 12.00 hours on 21 May 1942, will follow the existing corps boundary between Higher Commands XXXII and LX, and then the former army boundary between Fifteenth and First Armies.
3. Separate instructions will govern the signals network, engineer matters and supply installations, as well as camouflage, counter-intelligence work, ideological welfare, etc. Principle: permanent local installations of every kind will remain in the area in which they are currently situated; the same applies to supply goods.
4. In accordance with the orders previously issued by Army Group D and Fifteenth Army Headquarters concerning the employment of forces, the following will remain at the disposal of Fifteenth Army Headquarters until further notice, even after Higher Command LX leaves the Army area:
a) The corps reserve of Higher Command LX, for employment in the Calais sector.
b) One reinforced regiment of 7th Flieger Division as corps reserve for Higher Command XXXII in the event of an enemy attack against the Channel coast.
c) 7th Flieger Division for employment in the Army area under contingencies “Netherlands” and “Channel Coast”.
d) The infantry-gun platoon from 319th Infantry Division already detached to the company commanders’ school at Sissonne, and the machine-gun and anti-tank platoon[s] already detached to the officer-candidate courses at Beverloo.
e) The instructors and the detailed NCOs and men from the area of Higher Command LX assigned to the company commanders’ school at Sissonne or the officer-candidate courses at Beverloo.
f) The officers, NCOs, etc., from the area of Higher Command LX detailed as students to courses currently being conducted by the Army, such as the company commanders’ school at Sissonne and gas-protection courses, until those courses are completed.
No new detachments to Army courses will take place from 21 May 1942, apart from participants in the eleventh course at the company commanders’ school at Sissonne.
5. The forces, etc., listed under 4 a–c will remain with Fifteenth Army Headquarters until replacements can be provided from the Army’s own forces. Seventh Army Headquarters and Higher Command LX will be informed in good time.
6. Higher Command LX will prepare all documents required to brief Seventh Army Headquarters on the corps area so that Seventh Army Headquarters can take over the area at 12.00 hours on 21 May. It will report its departure from the Army area by teleprinter to Fifteenth and Seventh Army Headquarters.
7. Additional instruction for the sections of Fifteenth Army Headquarters: documents held by the sections which directly concern the area of Higher Command LX, especially the Channel Islands, must be prepared for transfer to Seventh Army Headquarters sufficiently early for delivery to take place against receipt at the exchange point on 21 May. Report on this to Section Ia by midday on 20 May. A nil return is required.
The Commander-in-Chief. [Signature not securely legible.]
Distribution: Higher Command LX, copy 1; Seventh Army Headquarters for information, copy 2; Higher Command XXXVII, copy 3; Higher Command XXXII, copy 4. Internally: Army Pioneer Commander, copy 5; Army Signals Commander, copy 6; senior medical officer, copy 7; Ic, copy 8; Senior Quartermaster, copy 9; IIa/b, copy 10; authorised transport officer, copy 11; Ia draft, copy 12; war diary, copy 13.

Editorial note: Complete two-page order. Some type is faint. The date in paragraph 2 is read with paragraph 1 as 21 May. The number of detached machine-gun/anti-tank platoons in paragraph 4 d is grammatically abbreviated in the original.

Date distinction: this is the order dated 13 May; the transfer was scheduled for 1200 on 21 May 1942. The scheduled implementation is not counted here as a second completed event.

German Fifteenth Army Headquarters (AOK 15), NARA T-312 Roll 504. Supplied translation: Roll 504 Jersey and Channel Islands English translations.docx. Source microfilm strip references: 065.jpg, horizontal pixels 3977–5189 and 5189–6185; original pages 1–2. Original strip pixel ranges retained because individual frame digits are uncertain.