13 May 1944 Part 3

13 May 1944 Part 3 Fishing craft engage enemy motor torpedo boats north of Sark

Date note: 13 May 1944.

Seventh Army Headquarters. Ia No. 2538/44 Secret Command Matter.

Army headquarters, 13 May 1944. Fifteen copies; third copy. Ia daily report.

I. Report to Army Group B Headquarters

1. Enemy situation. Reconnaissance over the Orne estuary, Valognes and Brittany.

Strafing attacks: on a bus near Rostrenen, 38 km southwest of Guingamp, five French people killed and eighteen injured; on a truck near Huelgoat, one soldier wounded and the vehicle burnt out.

Bombing attacks: (a) LXXXIV Army Corps: on Hill 138 near Théville, Pointe du Hoc (12 km northwest of Trévières), resistance nests and mortar position 3/1260 near Asnelles, ridges north of Meuvaines, and Asnelles village. (b) LXXIV Army Corps: several fighter-bombers attacked Saint-Malo.

Other events: several fishing cutters engaged enemy motor torpedo boats north of the island of Sercq [Sark]. Three wounded.

2. Artillery Commander 474 moved to Tilly-sur-Seulles to command artillery in Coastal Defence Sectors H1 and H2.

3. Arrived: twenty-three trains of 91st Infantry Division; twenty-four trains of II Parachute Corps and 5th Parachute Division [second figure partly overwritten].

4. Coastal Defence Group Bricquebec, western Cotentin coast, taken over by 243rd Division.

II. Further reports

1. XXV Army Corps Headquarters. Eastern Battalion 633 (343rd Infantry Division) relieved by I Battalion, Grenadier Regiment 852, and moved into the latter’s accommodation.

Moves: (a) 353rd Infantry Division: headquarters, Grenadier Regiment 942, to Kerlo(h)ert [indistinct] (1.8 km west of Châteaulin); headquarters company to Creach-ar-Forest (1.6 km southwest of Châteaulin); 14th Company to Lestrelan (4 km northwest of Locronan); headquarters, Commander of Supply Troops 353, to Le Quélennec (2 km southeast of Saint-Thégonnec); 1st Motor Transport Company 353 to the area 2.5 km southwest of Saint-Thégonnec.

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(b) 265th Infantry Division: 2nd Squadron, Eastern Cavalry Battalion 281, to Quezain; 3rd Squadron to Quistidic; 4th Squadron to Meslan. 5th Company, Grenadier Regiment 896, to the woodland camp 1.8 km northeast of Plouhinec.

2. LXXIV Army Corps Headquarters. Eastern Battalion 602 moved into the area south of Guingamp. Accommodation: headquarters, Ploumagoar (2 km south of Guingamp); 1st Company, Coadout (5 km southwest); 2nd, Bourbriac (10 km southwest); 3rd, Saint-Péver (9.5 km southeast); 4th, Saint-Hernin [source reading uncertain] (3 km south of Guingamp).

3. LXXXIV Army Corps Headquarters. Accommodation of 243rd Infantry Division:

Divisional headquarters: Château Malassis (3 km southwest of Bricquebec).

Grenadier Regiment 920: headquarters, Étoupeville (1 km west of Pierreville); I Battalion headquarters, Ponte-Chaume [indistinct] (1 km southeast of Flottemanville [place indistinct]); II Battalion headquarters, Gouvre (1 km southwest of Saint-Germain-le-Gaillard [place indistinct]).

Grenadier Regiment 921: headquarters, Mauger (3 km east of Barneville); I Battalion headquarters, Organon [indistinct] (4 km northeast of Barneville); III Battalion headquarters, Champs Moquet (2 km southeast of Barneville).

Grenadier Regiment 922: headquarters, Baqu(e)ville [indistinct] (1 km west of Pierreville); II Battalion headquarters, Château au Roz (1 km southeast of Surtainville [indistinct]); III Battalion headquarters, Hamel Duval (3 km southeast of Surtainville).

Field Replacement Battalion 243 headquarters: Tréauville (2 km north of Les Pieux). Signals Battalion 243 headquarters: Le Haut du Neuf Clos (5 km northwest of Bricquebec).

Panzer Battalion 206: Galle (2 km south of Beaumont-Hague). Anti-Tank Battalion 243: La Commanderie (6 km west of Les Pieux).

Artillery Regiment 243: headquarters, Chambéry (3 km east of Les Pieux); II Battalion, Étainville (3 km north of Carteret); III Battalion, Caudard (4 km east of Pointe du Rozel).

Rocket-Launcher Regiment 101: headquarters, Helleville (6 km northwest of Flamanville); II Battalion headquarters, Quettetot (5 km northeast of Flamanville); III Battalion headquarters, Le Gardin (1 km south of Beaumont-Hague).

Machine-Gun Battalion 17 headquarters: Beaumont-Hague. Georgian Infantry Battalion 795 headquarters: Le Bigard (3 km northeast of Sainte-Croix-Hague).

4. 21st Panzer Division. Moved: headquarters, II Battalion, Panzergrenadier Regiment 192, to Le Mesnil; 5th Company to Mathieu; 8th Company to Cairon.

[Signature indistinct. This densely typed continuation is soft; uncertain small place names have been identified explicitly rather than silently supplied.]

German Seventh Army Headquarters (AOK 7), NARA T-312 Roll 1565. Roll 1565 Jersey and Channel Islands English translations.docx, reference 33. Scan extracts: img059_09_15734_17699.jpg, img059_10_17699_19674.jpg. Extract filenames identify the original image strip, section number and horizontal pixel boundaries; these are not archival frame numbers.