3 April 1943 Part 1

3 April 1943 Channel Islands Sea Defence diary

Weather: wind 270°, 5 m/sec. From 01:33 to 02:00, several enemy aircraft were detected in grid square B.F. 3541/44. They were suspected of dropping aerial mines. At 01:55, an aircraft dropped a flare.

Batterie Mirus: soakaways were constructed at Nos. 2, 3 and 4 guns for drainage from the cable shafts. At No. 1 gun, drainage work on the cable shaft was complete except for the soakaway. Excavation for the third anti-aircraft position began, and the reinforcement for the base of the second anti-aircraft position was complete. Organisation Todt employed numerous labour columns on the embankments at Nos. 2 and 3 guns and at the fire-control post. Battery personnel continued road construction and, as far as camouflage paint was available, painted the gun pits and gun entrances.

Batterie Strasbourg: installation work at the new fire-control post continued. Ammunition routes from the ammunition bunkers to the guns were improved. Additional water tanks were installed to strengthen the battery's water supply.

Batterie Steinbruch: work from the preceding week continued; pouring could not proceed because of the shortage of cement.

Batterie Lothringen: excavation for the fire-control post continued. The bunker for searchlight crew B had been stripped of its shuttering and the shelter bunker for the searchlight B generator was shuttered. Battery personnel continued improving the all-round wire obstacle, completed several machine-gun nests and worked on aircraft-cover trenches at the guns. Internal fitting-out of the decontamination barrack continued.

Naval Artillery Battalion 605 — Batterie Annes: no changes from the preceding week.

T-1022 Roll 2422, PG 37997, scans 0617–0618.