26 August 1942 Part 2

26 August 1942 — 3rd Security Division: review of the St Malo diary

Secret command matter. To Commander of Security Forces West, copy to St Malo Convoy Control Office. Subject: St Malo Convoy Control Office war diary, 16–31 July 1942. No previous correspondence; three enclosures. One copy of the diary for the period is submitted.

Pages 6–7, 18 July, 16:45–23:45: reference is made to V 204’s commander’s combat report and the assessments of the 3rd Security Division and commander of the 2nd Outpost Flotilla, forwarded under G 4881 of 7 August 1942. V 204 shot down six Spitfires and V 209 another one, according to this review. Their performance and the crews’ conduct were exemplary. [These are later German claims; they differ from the contemporary diary’s initial totals.]

Page 11, 21 July, 03:20: the Maas captain’s disobedience is described in detail in V 711’s war diary, forwarded with 3rd Security Division G 5374 of 26 August. The Convoy Control Office is to report whether action was taken against him.

Page 20, 26 July, 04:15–06:45: V 712’s commander’s combat report establishes that the radio message “four enemy destroyers off Cherbourg” came from its partner V 708 and referred to the four gunboats.

Pages 24–26, 28 July: for the V 202/03 engagement, see the combat report forwarded with G 5234 of 19 August, with the assessments of the 3rd Security Division and commander of the 2nd Outpost Flotilla; also the division commander’s short teletype report of 1 August, attached in copy.

Page 29, 30 July, 09:50: Positions Carmen and Caruso will remain unoccupied until further notice. The new arrangement effective at 12:00 on 1 August applies only to outpost positions off the northern Brittany coast, not those off Cotentin. Signed: Hans Hartmann.

T-1022 Roll 2423, scans 0429–0430, review pages 1–2.