23 June 1944 Part 6

23 June 1944 Part 6 Command transfer and island resupply

Date note: 23 June 1944.

23 June 1944 continued

General continued

2. LXXIV Army Corps headquarters assumed command of the 319th Infantry Division on the islands on 21 June.

II SS Panzer Corps, for the present still subordinate to Chief Quartermaster West for supply, will become subordinate to Army headquarters on crossing the Army boundary. The corps brings its full initial ammunition allocation and five fuel consumption units.

3. Traffic on the Seine has begun. A liaison detachment is at Elbeuf. Fifteenth Army headquarters carries out unloading, and the troops must collect the supplies; they are to be directed there. Army Supply Office 655 at Dreux must handle transshipment to Sées. Two barges, one carrying fuel and one provisions, have already arrived.

4. The supply of Cherbourg, the islands and the other fortresses is particularly urgent. Therefore report:

a. What is Cherbourg now short of: ammunition, fuel, provisions, weapons, equipment and medical supplies? Reports, graded by urgency, must reach Qu 1 by 16:00.

b. What can be released from Brittany stocks to supply the islands so that they are brought up to the highest reserve level attainable? Deadline likewise 16:00.

c. Stockpiling in the other fortresses, especially Brest, must be carried out carefully and rapidly.

5. The transport problem causes the greatest concern. Railway connections in Brittany are serviceable, so lorry transport can be avoided and fuel saved. The following transshipment arrangements have been established and staffed:

a. St-Nazaire to St-Malo, for supplying the islands and Cherbourg.

b. St-Malo to Avranches, for supplying II Parachute Corps and LXXXIV Army Corps headquarters.

c. The sea route from the south and the railway can be used to build up the stocks again.

German Seventh Army Headquarters (AOK 7), NARA T-312 Roll 1571. Roll 1571 Jersey and Channel Islands English translations.docx, reference 21. Scan extracts: img048_10_18065_20070.jpg. Extract filenames identify the original image strip, section number and horizontal pixel boundaries; these are not archival frame numbers.