26 November 1943 Part 3

26 November 1943 Channel Islands permanent construction progress during October 1943

Date note: Cover 26 November 1943; report status 1 November 1943.

[Scan 0972.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. 2041/43 secret command matter. 26 November 1943. 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 November 1943.

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: Chief of Army General Staff 26 November 1943, no. 4339/43; Operations Branch 27 November 1943, no. 12417/43.

[Scan 0973.jpg] Report on permanent construction progress on the Channel Islands (position 1 November 1943). 1. Details of construction status and progress during October are shown in the attached overview.

2. Further withdrawal of firms with approximately 2,000 men reduced the workforce very considerably during the reporting month. On 1 November 1943 a total of only 7,500 men remained available for fortification of the Channel Islands. Nevertheless, a satisfactory concrete output of 21,157 m³ was achieved. In permanent construction, 12 installations became operational and 8 were completed in structural shell during October.

Concrete output: Guernsey 6,812 m³; Jersey 8,203 m³; Alderney 3,815 m³; total 18,830 m³. Additional anti-tank walls etc.on all three islands 2,327 m³; overall 21,157 m³.

3. Rock-tunnel construction achieved 10,323 m³ of usable rock excavation, compared with 14,218 m³ in the preceding month.

4. Owing to the very strained materials and supply situation, only 2,823 tonnes of construction materials could be delivered to the islands in October. Total throughput in September had been 20,522 tonnes. Investigations into how deliveries can be increased are currently under way.

[Scan 0974.jpg] Page 2.5. A total 9,870 new mines were laid during the reporting month. Total laid as at 1 November 1943: Guernsey 33,893; Jersey 25,296; Sark 2,582; Alderney 7,112.

German Army High Command records, T-78 Roll 317. Supplied English translation T78_Roll_317_English_Translation.docx. Source images: 0972.jpg, 0973.jpg, 0974.jpg.