27 December 1944 Part 30

Continuation: 27 December; entries for 28 December 1944

19:10 — Alderney

The Artillery Group reported several distant detonations to the east-north-east.

Throughout the day individual unidentified aircraft, identified in some cases as Liberators, Wellingtons and Dakotas, were continually detected west and north of Alderney. They flew at low altitude and were engaged in search operations and sea reconnaissance.

The repeated detonations indicated increased enemy anti-submarine activity in the sea area, with its centre of gravity north of Cherbourg.

The General of the Luftwaffe reported that from 19:00 on 26 December until 03:00 on 27 December, the area north of the Casquets–Alderney–Cap de la Hague line, over a width of approximately 9 nautical miles, was searched by hostile aircraft using searchlights. This was clearly a planned enemy reconnaissance of the sea area against U-boats. [Illegible handwritten annotation.]

T-1022 Roll 2423, PG 37998, Commander of Sea Defences, Channel Islands. Source scan 0155 — original page 324