2 October 1941 Part 5

2 October 1941 Order to reinforce the Channel Islands with annotated draft

Editorial note: Other copies or associated sheets are cited together; repeated text is counted once.

[Scan 1148.jpg] Telegram to Commander-in-Chief West, first copy. Army High Command, Army General Staff, Operations Branch IIa no. 1558/41, top secret, 2 October 1941. Commanders only; convey only by officer. Ninth of nine copies. Transmission reference KR (A) 427.

I. During a briefing by the Army Commander-in-Chief, the Führer stated that he too considered a British landing in France with strong forces unlikely, but regarded further attempts at disruption as possible. In particular, he considers enemy operations against the Channel Islands possible, aimed at recovering possession of the islands and demonstrating willingness to help Russia by tying down German forces. Bold enemy action must be expected. Moonless nights and periods of bad weather may favour such operations. The Führer has therefore ordered a further strengthening of the islands’ defences.

II. Under Armed Forces High Command/Operations Staff/Branch L I op no. 002246/41, top secret, all units of every armed service deployed on the British Channel Islands are subordinated to their commander, the commander of the 319th Infantry Division. He is thus responsible for the overall defence.

III. Army High Command orders the following in detail: 1) Infantry forces are to be strengthened beyond their existing level to ensure a) adequate coastal defence and b) sufficient forces for counterattacks against an enemy who has landed. 2) The fifteen self-propelled 4.7 cm antitank guns (Renault 35) and twenty-five to thirty 5 cm antitank guns made available under Army High Command, Army General Staff, Organization Branch III, nos. 8302/41 and 8336/41, secret, are to be deployed on the islands.

[Scan 1149.jpg] 3) Attention is again drawn to extensive mining of all possible landing places. Any requests for mines are to be directed to Army High Command, Army General Staff, Quartermaster-General. 4) A particularly energetic commander is to be appointed for each individual island. 5) Commander-in-Chief West is to report his intentions under items 1–4 as soon as possible. This does not affect the report on the islands’ current state of defence requested under Army High Command, Operations Branch IIa no. 37976/41, top secret, of 30 September 1941.

After dispatch: Adjutant to the Army Commander-in-Chief, second copy; Adjutant to the Chief of the Army General Staff, third; Senior Quartermaster I, fourth; Organization Branch, fifth; Quartermaster-General, sixth, with a request to inform the Military Commander in France; Operations Branch Ia war diary, seventh; Operations Branch III, eighth; Operations Branch IIa, ninth. By order; draft signed Halder. Certified correct: [signature unclear], Major on the General Staff.

The transmitted copy records dispatch on 2 October at 21:45 and closing transmission at 22:45. [Scans 1150–1151.jpg]

Army High Command, Army General Staff, Operations Branch IIa; document number left blank. Handwritten distribution includes Adjutant to the Army Commander-in-Chief, Organization Branch, Quartermaster-General with a request to inform the Military Commander in France, and Operations Branch Ia (war diary), III and IIa. A handwritten insertion orders subordination of the other armed services under no. 002246/41, as in section II above. [Other handwritten initials and routing abbreviations are not securely legible. The two-page draft is reproduced to preserve its revisions.]

Original source image 1153.jpg — T-78 Roll 317. Order to reinforce the Channel Islands with annotated draft.

Original source image 1154.jpg — T-78 Roll 317. Order to reinforce the Channel Islands with annotated draft.

German Army High Command records, T-78 Roll 317. Supplied English translation T78_Roll_317_English_Translation.docx. Source images: 1148.jpg, 1149.jpg, 1150.jpg, 1151.jpg, 1153.jpg, 1154.jpg, 1146.jpg, 1147.jpg.