2 August 1942 Part 1

St Malo Convoy Control Office 2 August 1942

Weather: Light winds from N–NW; early haze, ground fog; visibility 8–5 nautical miles; very calm to calm sea.

St Malo. All convoy traffic during the night of 1/2 August is suspended.

0328. A KrFT message [abbreviation retained] is received from the Sea Commandant Normandy reporting a naval engagement off Cherbourg since 0245.

0915. A KrFT message from M.N.O. Cherbourg reports that minesweepers were attacked by enemy gunboats while entering Cherbourg.

The following convoy tasks have been received:

1. Night troop convoy with Holland from Guernsey to St Malo.

2. Night troop convoy with Maas and Georgi from Guernsey to Alderney.

3. Day convoy Cherbourg–Alderney and return.

I issue the following orders:

1. M 1210/06 and V 209 are to carry out the convoy cancelled during the previous night. [The source reads M 1210/06 here; elsewhere it reads M 1201/06.]

2. I cancel this task because, owing to the suspension of convoy traffic during the night of 1/2 August, no boats are in position.

3. The convoys will be conducted by V 712/08.

The following situation and intentions were reported to the 3rd Security Division:

Situation on 2 August 1942

1. V 712/08: combined convoy Cherbourg–Alderney, then combined convoy back to Cherbourg.

2. V 711/24/206/08/13 and M 4601/04/05: St Malo, at readiness.

3. V 211: St Malo, AKB [abbreviation retained].

4. M 1201/06 and V 209: Guernsey, ready for the night troop convoy of 2/3 August, Guernsey–St Malo, with Holland, Nordplein and Rob. Müller 8.

Tonnage escorted: 4,100 gross register tons.

Intentions for 3 August 1942

1. V 712/08: Cherbourg, ready for the night troop convoy of 3/4 August, Cherbourg–Guernsey.

2. V 206 and M 4601/04/05: St Malo, at readiness.

3. V 711/24: St Malo, ready for the night troop convoy of 3/4 August, St Malo–Guernsey.

4. V 213/08: St Malo–Jersey with Kochelsee [name reading provisional], three tugs and a barge; Jersey–Guernsey with a possible convoy. Night troop convoy of 3/4 August, Guernsey–Alderney, with Maas and Georgi. [“Jersey” is supplied by a handwritten insertion in the route.]

5. M 1201/06/209 [identifier string as written]: completion of the night troop convoy of 2/3 August, Guernsey–St Malo; then the minesweepers at the disposal of 12. MS., V 209 fitting out.

1700 — Cherbourg. V 712/08 sailed for Alderney with a convoy.

1930 — Alderney. V 712/08 arrived from Cherbourg with a convoy.

2020 — St Malo. Two teletypes from the 3rd Torpedo-Boat Flotilla are received concerning arrival at St Malo on 3 August at about 0030, passage through the locks, pilots and allocation of berths.

2100. A teletype from the commander of the 3rd Torpedo-Boat Flotilla is received with intentions for the passage Lézardrieux–St Malo. I report by radio that there is no possibility of an encounter [with other movements].

2200 — Alderney. V 712/08 sailed for Cherbourg with a convoy.

2230 — Lézardrieux. T 10/14/13 sailed for St Malo.

2240 — Guernsey. M 1201/06 and V 209 sailed for St Malo with a convoy.

2255 — St Malo [handwritten time]. BSW Gkdos 4590 is received concerning T 4's passage from Cherbourg to St Malo. As decisions and orders depend upon preliminary decisions by other authorities, I take no action for the time being.

Signed: Dr Diederichs.

T-1022 Roll 2423. Corrected translation from the original scan images.
scan 0437, original pages 4–5.