28 October 1942 Part 1

28 October 1942 Channel Islands Sea Defence diary

Weather: wind from 45°, 2 metres per second.

01:56: Batterie Elsass on Alderney fired a three-round fan of illumination shells on bearing 70° at a previously detected but unreported naval target, which had not answered a recognition challenge. No target could be seen in the illumination.

According to reports in the Sea Commander’s operations room, no German vessel could have been travelling in that direction at the stated time. At 00:15 a teletype had reported an air-sea rescue ship, towing a Fl.B. boat, sailing at 19:30 from Lézardrieux for Cherbourg at about seven knots. The report was forwarded to Harbour Commandant Alderney at 00:30 by teletype because radio and telephone links were out. This could not have been the rescue vessel: it should only reach the direction fired on at 04:00 and, at seven knots, could not be called a fast-moving target.

The diary criticised Artillery Commander Alderney’s measures. An unreported vessel failing to answer a recognition challenge should have been engaged with the available batteries. Illumination to establish firing data was unnecessary because radar had already supplied those data. Once detections stopped, firing was altogether pointless. [This is the contemporary command assessment.]

About 20:30: steamer La France rammed tug B 122 S. The tug cut its barge towline and beached itself in St Brelade’s Bay, Jersey. Its crew were rescued from shore by inflatable boat. The towed barges were recovered. Otherwise no special occurrences.

T-1022 Roll 2422, PG 37996, scans 0537.