27 May 1944 Part 2

27 May 1944 Channel Islands Sea Defence diary

Weather: wind from 202°, 4 metres per second. 17:00: approximately twenty-four enemy Typhoons attacked the Rungeturm and Luftwaffe radar equipment at Fort George, Guernsey. Aircraft also strafed several harbour-protection boats in St Peter Port. Until 17:12 Strassburg's anti-aircraft weapons and harbour-protection boats in harbour fired on the attacking aircraft: Strassburg bearing 60°, range 2,000 metres, altitude 1,200 metres; passing aircraft bearings 50°–230°.

Damage: a few minor perforations on FK 04; one soldier very slightly injured on FK 13. Luftwaffe equipment put out of operation only briefly by numerous small bombs and strafing. Luftwaffe personnel losses: four killed, two seriously and two lightly wounded. No hits on enemy aircraft observed. Ammunition expenditure: Strassburg, 932 rounds of 2-cm and 150 machine-gun rounds; harbour-protection flotilla, 845 rounds of 2-cm and 210 rounds of 13.2-mm and 15-mm ammunition combined.

Construction, Naval Artillery Battalion 604, Batterie Mirus: transformer station, anti-aircraft-landing stakes near the airfield, camouflage of No. 4 gun and Rebeplatz [uncertain place-name], and barrage-fire fixtures at all anti-aircraft positions continued. Water pipe at Düsseldorf anti-aircraft position complete; camouflage of searchlight Gotenhafen. Two 7.5-cm embrasured positions and Rötenstein searchlight garage suspended for lack of cement.

Batterie Steinbruch: electrical and telephone cabling, dummy position, wire obstacles and strengthening of infantry positions continued. Work on 7.62-cm positions, searchlight B shelters and anti-aircraft positions 5 and 6 suspended for lack of cement.

Batterie Lothringen: earth removal before the old fire-control post, battery camouflage, roofing and relocation of shelter holes continued. Electrical cable laid from E-bunker to the new fire-control post. Work on the 7.5-cm position suspended for lack of cement.

Batterie Strassburg: second 7.5-cm position, Brown House demolition, alternative 7.5/7.62-cm position and infantry-position development and camouflage continued. New shelter holes; searchlight B camouflage complete; searchlight A shelter complete except camouflage. Dummy position continued. Embrasured positions for two 7.5-cm guns and two shelters remain suspended for lack of cement.

Naval Artillery Battalion 605, Batterie Annes: levelling and camouflage intensified; dummy position begun. Batterie Elsass: Organisation Todt built the fire-control post. Battery laid dummy minefields; wire obstacles and anti-aircraft-position camouflage; shelter holes camouflaged; searchlight Bruno position at J.-Burg and Anton position at Einsiedlerschloss constructed [source place-names retained].

Batterie Rosenfeste: Organisation Todt built a bridge and poured a retaining wall at No. 1 gun; cartridge-case shafts at Nos. 1 and 3 guns; camouflage and earth banking; painting in gun bunkers complete. Battery built a personnel bunker, worked on a new accommodation barrack and fitted out the provisional fire-control post. Artillery command post: levelling and masonry before its entrance.

Naval radar: excavation and earth banking at splinter protection. Battalion headquarters: infantry-defence installation developed; communication trenches camouflaged.

Roll 2422, scans 0843–0845, original pages 55–57.