14 February 1944 Part 3

14 February 1944 Channel Islands construction progress during January 1944

Date note: Cover 14 February 1944; report status 1 February 1944.

[Scan 0984.jpg] Army High Command/Army General Staff/General of Engineers and Fortifications attached to Chief of Army General Staff[earlier heading: Commander-in-Chief Army], BranchL (IIW), Channel IslandsA. No. 342/44 secret command matter. 14 February 1944. Four copies; copy 3. To Armed Forces High Command/Operations Staff/Operations, with one additional copy (copies 1 and 2).

References: 1. Armed Forces High Command/Operations Staff/BranchL (IOp) no. 441760/41 secret chiefs’ matter, 20 October 1941; 2. Army High Command/Army General Staff/General of Engineers and Fortifications (LIIW) no. 6075/42 secret, 15 October 1942.

Subject: Fortification of the English Channel Islands. Two enclosures. Enclosed, in accordance with reference 1, item 5, is a report on the state of permanent fortification of the Channel Islands as at 1 February 1944.

By order: [signature unclear]. After dispatch: Adjutant to Chief of Army General Staff (copy 3), with request to forward to Operations Branch (II). By order: [signature unclear]. Receipt: 15 February 1944; Operations Branch no. 1598/44.

[Scan 0982.jpg] Report on permanent construction progress on the Channel Islands (position 1 February 1944). 1. Details of construction status and progress during January appear in the attached table.

2. Compared with the preceding month the workforce on the Channel Islands increased by approximately 300, leaving 4,500 workers available for further construction on 1 February. January concrete output on all three islands was 4,687 m³, compared with 5,039 m³ in December. Thus 484,000 m³ of concrete have so far been placed in permanent construction on the Channel Islands. (Total output on the Atlantic Wall excluding the Channel Islands: approximately 6,100, 000 m³.) Seven permanent installations became operational and four were completed in structural shell in January. Concrete output: Guernsey 1,905 m³; Jersey 930 m³; Alderney 1,100 m³; subtotal 3,935 m³. Additional anti-tank walls, ring stands, captured tank turrets, etc. on all three islands: 752 m³. Total 4,687 m³.

3. In tunnel construction, great emphasis again remained on completing the installations already begun. Monthly output was 1,296 m³ of usable rock excavation. Total output on the Channel Islands is 244,000 m³ of usable rock excavation (Atlantic Wall excluding the Channel Islands: 255,000 m³ so far).

[Scan 0983.jpg] 4. Total construction-material throughput in January was 1,539 tonnes. 5. During the reporting month 744 new mines were laid. Total laid on 1 February 1944: Guernsey 38,066; Sark 2,600; Jersey 30,363; Alderney 11,320.

German Army High Command records, T-78 Roll 317. Supplied English translation T78_Roll_317_English_Translation.docx. Source images: 0982.jpg, 0983.jpg, 0984.jpg.