29 December 1941

29 December 1941 Meeting on Channel Islands construction and vulnerability of coastal batteries

[Scan 1068.jpg] Operations Branch (V). Secret. File note: Channel Islands. 29 December 1941. On 21 December a meeting about Channel Islands construction was held at the General of Engineers and Fortifications attached to Commander-in-Chief Army with a representative of the Inspector of Land Fortifications attached to Commander-in-Chief West, Major Bechthold. The following were discussed:

1. The demand for emplacing a heavy battery on Alderney is accepted. It is to be clarified whether a battery released on Guernsey after emplacement of the very heavy naval battery could be moved to Alderney. Inspector of Land Fortifications attached to Commander-in-Chief West will examine this. Operations Branch (V) will pursue the question. 2. The Inspector is asked to examine whether and which guns become surplus after permanent emplacement of the planned heavy batteries. What further use is planned for these guns? Employment on Sark, Chausey, Alderney, or in coastal defence?

3. Airfield protection is not included on the submitted maps. Major Bechthold stressed that protection by light anti-aircraft guns would remain as hitherto. 4. The proposed employment of flanking guns on the islands (enclosure 4) is approved in broad outline. However, General of Engineers and Fortifications and Operations Branch point out that at least some flanking-gun fire must reach the beach in front of the sea wall, because in a landing the enemy is weakest there. 319th Division’s concerns about endangering the sea wall by friendly fire are not fully accepted.

5. The Guernsey and Jersey deployment maps show an increase in coastal strongpoints, but still lack depth and dispersal into many small installations. At particularly threatened Vazon Bay the rear infantry strongpoint is too far from the coast (1,200 metres). Commander-in-Chief West has already pointed out these defects.

[Scan 1069.jpg] 6. It is pointed out that positions of batteries intended for permanent emplacement occupy the islands’ most exposed points and are thus particularly vulnerable to enemy raids. Naval-artillery experts consider that equally effective sites cannot be found inland, and preparatory work is already far advanced. Moving the firing positions is therefore out of the question. Nevertheless every measure must be taken to protect these batteries against surprise attacks. Present protection by a few mines and weak infantry strongpoints is insufficient. Gun crews must be fully equipped and trained to defend their positions. Our own operations against Ösel and Dagö and British raids on Norwegian coastal batteries provide warnings of how easily coastal batteries can be put out of action by surprise raids before they fire.

German Army High Command records, T-78 Roll 317. Supplied English translation T78_Roll_317_English_Translation.docx. Source images: 1068.jpg, 1069.jpg.