28 January 1944 Part 1

28 January 1944 Channel Islands Sea Defence diary

Weather: wind from 270°, 7 metres per second. From 11:30 Anti-Aircraft Battery 4, at Guernsey's southern tip, sighted a man drifting in an inflatable dinghy on bearing 270°, distance 15 kilometres. Other island posts also sighted the dinghy, which drifted slowly westwards. British fighters circled above it throughout the day.

18:05 — The Harbour Protection Flotilla sent two FK boats to search. They returned at 22:25 after an unsuccessful search from grid square BF 2691, upper centre, to BF 2683, upper right.

18:35 — Guernsey radar set I out of action. 20:30 — Operational again.

Construction, Naval Artillery Battalion 604. Batterie Mirus: development of positions, camouflage, digging in anti-aircraft posts and further work on the emplacement and shelter for the 7.5-cm gun.

Batterie Steinbruch: development of searchlight position A, cable laying and wire obstacles. The gardening firm carried out levelling and planting.

Batterie Strassburg: the wire obstacle at the fire-control post was half completed. The Tobruk position at Mühlenbucht was developed. Construction began on splinter-proof shelters at the 7.5-cm gun and searchlight B. The camouflage firm carried out camouflage and painting.

Batterie Lothringen: the bunker for searchlight A was completed. Cables were laid from the fire-control post to the third and fourth anti-aircraft guns. Camouflage work. Cherbourg Artillery Arsenal transferred connections to the new switchboard in the new fire-control post.

Naval Artillery Battalion 605, Batterie Annes: Organisation Todt installed drainage at accommodation bunker I and began banking earth against it. Gun bunkers I, II and III, ammunition bunker II and the machinery bunker were connected to the network laid to fortress standards. The battery excavated a cable trench from the fire-control bunker and began a mortar position. Work continued on splinter-proof searchlight accommodation, camouflage and levelling within the battery.

Batterie Elsass: excavation for the mortar position was in progress. Alterations to the calculating room in the fire-control post were completed. A splinter-proof room was prepared for gas-protection equipment and strongpoint supplies. Work continued on wire obstacles and cover pits; guns were camouflaged. A splinter-proof position for the gate sentry was completed.

Artillery command post: Organisation Todt continued camouflage; the fortress telephone cable was led into the post. Naval radar: construction of protection around the equipment began. Naval Artillery Battalion 605 headquarters: development of infantry defences began; one machine-gun position was completed, and clearance work opened the field of fire.

Roll 2422, scans 0782–0783, original pages 6–7.