23 June 1944 Part 5

23 June 1944 Part 5 Conflicting supply priorities

Date note: 23 June 1944.

23 June 1944 continued

General continued

2. Qu 1 reports that, at present, building up island reserves is taking precedence over Cherbourg.

3. Qu 1 proposes bringing weapons from the south by a weapons-and-equipment train to save motor-column capacity.

4. Chief Quartermaster West announces the arrival of one provisions barge, one tanker, one fuel train and one ammunition train.

Discussion between Qu 1 and Ib of Army Group B, Major Bokesparre:

1. Transporting 200 aircraft machine guns 151 with ammunition requires 175 tonnes of transport capacity, which the Army does not have available. Qu 1 proposes bringing a weapons-and-equipment train from the south.

2. Items in short supply for the fortress and the rest of the front: 2 cm anti-aircraft ammunition and Faustpatrone anti-tank weapons.

Weapons and anti-gas equipment are being sent to Brest for submarine transport from Brest to Cherbourg.

Commander Army Supply Troops 592 reports Motor Transport Company 1127, with 90 tonnes, ready at Sablé-sur-Sarthe, 35 kilometres southwest of Le Mans.

Fuel requested by II Parachute Corps can be allocated only after the new allocation arrives.

The St-Malo armed-forces supply staff asks whether island stockpiling or Cherbourg stockpiling takes priority. Answer: supplying Cherbourg is the more urgent task.

The Chief Quartermaster requests fuel and light field howitzers from Chief Quartermaster West, Colonel of the General Staff Eckstein.

Qu 1 conference with the following discussion points:

1. Situation briefing: the battle for Cherbourg currently dominates the situation. The enemy has succeeded in infiltrating with tanks and infantry in the west and east of the land front. General von Schlieben has already had to employ emergency units.

[Continued in reference 21.]

German Seventh Army Headquarters (AOK 7), NARA T-312 Roll 1571. Roll 1571 Jersey and Channel Islands English translations.docx, reference 20. Scan extracts: img048_09_16058_18065.jpg. Extract filenames identify the original image strip, section number and horizontal pixel boundaries; these are not archival frame numbers.