15 October 1943 Part 5

15 October 1943 St Ouen’s Bay coastal guns and fire control

Editorial note: Extract from the report dated 17 October 1943 on the Commander-in-Chief’s tour of 13–16 October (Roll 1558 scan 1068, Operations No. 5213/43 secret). Placed here under the inspection date. Imported from the supplied English translation; its uncertain readings are retained.

Corbière resistance nest. Armament: two 10.5 cm guns on pivot mounts in casemates; six-embrasure turret under construction. Heavy weapons screened on the seaward side. Antitank wall almost completely continuous.

L’Oeillère resistance nest, drive past. Armament: one 10.5 cm gun on pivot mount and one 4.7 cm antitank gun. Carrière resistance nest, drive past: one 10.5 cm gun in casemate, under construction. Düne, “Dune”, resistance nest, drive past: one 4.7 cm antitank gun coupled with machine gun in casemate.

Command post, Army Coastal Artillery Battalion 440. View over St Ouen’s Bay. The bay is secured by ten strongpoints and resistance nests with overlapping flanking fire from eight guns and eight antitank guns in permanent casemates and 35 machine guns, some in Tobruks. Colonel Ziegler, commander of Artillery Regiment 319, explained the various concentrations, including harbour barrage fire, ten batteries and six antiaircraft batteries. The Commander-in-Chief proposed defensive flamethrowers to protect the harbour.

The concentration “Flunder”, “Flounder”, when fired was very effective and close to the main line of resistance. The antiaircraft batteries’ fire was particularly well placed. Participants: five divisional and Army coastal batteries and six antiaircraft batteries.

High Tower resistance nest. Major Gebhard, commander of Machine-Gun Battalion 16, again explained St Ouen’s Bay’s defence and employment of the second line: eight permanently occupied resistance nests, four batteries developed as resistance nests and two blocking positions in preparation. Marking the second line with smoke was very effective.

T-312 Roll 1558, scans 1079–1080. Extract from T-312_Roll_1558_Master_English_Translation.docx.