21 May 1944 Part 3

21 May 1944 Channel Islands construction progress during April 1944

Date note: Cover 21 May 1944; report status 1 May 1944.

[Scan 0996.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. 1056/44 secret command matter. 21 May 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 May 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: 22 May 1944, no. 1039; Operations Branch 23 May, no. 5226/44.

[Scan 0997.jpg] Report on permanent construction progress on the Channel Islands (position 1 May 1944). 1. Details of construction status and progress during April appear in the attached table.

2. The total construction workforce employed on the Channel Islands in April was approximately 3,800. During the reporting month total concrete output on all three islands was 3,579 m³ against 2,540 m³ in March. Twenty-six permanent structures became operational in April (including seven casemates for anti-tank guns and guns, and six gun positions for 8.8 cm anti-aircraft guns); nine structures were completed in structural shell. In “field construction in concrete”, the following installations were operational as at 1 May 1944: gun platforms 233; provisionally installed Czech anti-tank guns 16; French mortars 62; captured tank turrets 121. Concrete output: Guernsey 690 m³; Jersey 650 m³; Alderney 2,239 m³; total 3,579 m³.

3. During the reporting month, work in rock-tunnel construction was confined [Scan 0998.jpg] to completion of installations already begun (interior fittings and remaining work). Output therefore amounted to only 837 m³ of usable rock excavation. 4. Total construction-material throughput during April was approximately 4,000 tonnes against 9,000 tonnes in March.

5. During the reporting month a total of 18,329 new mines were laid on all three islands. Total laid on 1 May 1944 was accordingly: Guernsey 54,161; Sark 4,565; Jersey 38,963; Alderney 16,540.

German Army High Command records, T-78 Roll 317. Supplied English translation T78_Roll_317_English_Translation.docx. Source images: 0996.jpg, 0997.jpg, 0998.jpg.