3 May 1944 Part 2

3 May 1944 Part 2 Exercise Maikäfer scenario including attacks on Jersey Guernsey and Alderney

Date note: 3 May 1944.

Top Secret Command Matter. Annex 5 to Seventh Army Headquarters, Army Signals Officer/Ia No. 2375/44, 3 May 1944. Hypothetical sequence of events. [This is an exercise scenario for 15–16 May, not an account of actual attacks. The two parallel columns, situation and control instructions, are translated below.]

Enemy situation, 15 May 1944. In Brittany, secondary landing with Brest as the principal objective; landings on both sides of and south of the Loire. In the afternoon, main enemy landing against Normandy.

From 04:30: repeated ship detections in the Channel and naval engagements; see naval situation, paragraph VII.

I. Initial situation, 15 May.

From 06:00: surprise attack against northern and western Brittany and on both sides of the Loire, supported by strong enemy naval artillery. Air attacks against artillery positions, headquarters and, later, reserves. Parachute landings around Mont-Saint-Michel and Ménez Hom, east of Douarnenez Bay and west of Quimper.

Enemy forces in the first wave:

(a) Brittany, main attack: Morlaix Bay, one division with tanks; Goulven Bay, one division with tanks; Guisény Bay, Aber Wrac’h and Aber Benoît, together one division with tanks; Crozon and Douarnenez Bay, one to two divisions with tanks; Île d’Ouessant, one brigade. These are British forces.

(b) Loire estuary and Atlantic coast: Le Croisic, one American division with tanks; Belle-Île, one American brigade; Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef Bay, Bay of Bourgneuf and Noirmoutier, one American division. Further landings in the bay on both sides of Saint-Gilles-sur-Vie and southwards. Commando operation against the La Rochelle area.

(c) Parachute landings from 07:00: Mont-Saint-Michel area, one British airborne division; Ménez Hom, one British airborne brigade; east of Douarnenez Bay, one British airborne brigade; west of Quimper, one British airborne brigade.

Control instructions: at 05:30, control officers with Army Headquarters B and S, II Parachute Corps, the Coastal Fortress Commander and subordinate coastal commands [some abbreviations faint] inform their headquarters: “Alert stage II.” From 06:30, control officer at Army Headquarters B to operations staff: “21st Panzer Division: prepare for the Brest contingency. Report march readiness and intended march routes.” Control officer to Army Headquarters B operations staff: “Army Headquarters requires a report on Nantes’ readiness for defence.”

Remarks: only insofar as exercise direction intends this course of play. Further injects by control officers at Army, corps and division according to the exercise situation and course. Control officers may introduce injects within the situation, informing exercise direction. Injects and descriptions for Commandant Nantes are to come through the XXV Army Corps control officer.

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(d) Further landings and commando operations: Saint-Brieuc Bay and a commando operation against Île de Bréhat, elements of an American division [number faint].

(e) Normandy, 06:00. Continuing air attacks on battery positions, strongpoints and resistance nests, chiefly on both sides of the Seine estuary, north of Caen and on the eastern and northern Cotentin coasts; also on headquarters and traffic junctions. Commando operations under smoke cover against coastal batteries on Guernsey and Jersey, chiefly on northern Guernsey and southern Jersey. Fighting ends by midday.

II. Development in Brittany by 14:00 on 15 May. Isolated small bridgeheads on both sides of Saint-Brieuc Bay, in Goulven Bay, Anse de Dinan, Île d’Ouessant, Douarnenez, La Turballe and on both sides of Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef.

III. Main landing in Normandy. From 14:00, attack with exceptionally strong air support, including phosphorus drops, and extensive smoke. Main efforts: on both sides of the Seine estuary, two divisions with tanks; both sides of the Orne estuary, one division; Courseulles and Port-en-Bessin, one to two divisions with tanks; Cotentin east coast, one division with tanks; northwest of Cherbourg, one brigade; Vauville Bay and southwards, one division with tanks; Alderney, one brigade. From 16:00, attack on both sides of Portbail, one division. All shown as British forces.

Parachute landings from 14:00: Montivilliers, one airborne brigade, clarified during the afternoon as a dummy landing; northeast of Caen, Carpiquet airfield, La Pernelle heights, Théville airfield and south of Montebourg, one airborne brigade each. From 15:00: Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte, one airborne brigade. British forces.

Control instructions: 10:00, to Army Headquarters B operations staff, “Set 21st Panzer Division in motion towards Saint-Lô.” Radio station remains at its location. At 14:00, “Halt 21st Panzer Division; orders follow.” Note for direction: the main landing in Normandy is played in the afternoon; in reality it would probably occur in the morning. At 14:30, instruct Army Headquarters B to place 12th SS Panzer Division under LXXXIV Army Corps and employ it towards Caen [part of the line faint]. At 15:00, 17th Luftwaffe Field Division control officer to Ia Seventh Army: “The airborne landing at Montivilliers has proved to be a dummy landing.” At 15:00, to Army Headquarters S operations staff and Commandant Lorient: “[Name unclear] takes over defence of the fortress as battle commandant.” Combat descriptions through the 265th Infantry Division control officer.

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IV. Development by 22:00 on 15 May.

(a) Normandy. Enemy gains bridgeheads at and north of Octeville, Ouistreham, Courseulles, Vauville, Surtainville, both sides of Cap de Carteret and south of Portbail. Airborne forces attack towards the coast and commanding heights. Fighting for Carpiquet and Théville airfields. Air attacks continue, including attacks on coastal batteries and individual resistance nests on the large Channel Islands.

(b) Brittany. At 14:30, enemy bridgeheads in Saint-Brieuc and Goulven bays eliminated. At 16:00, commando operation on Île de Bréhat; fighting on the island ends by evening. By 22:00, larger bridgehead in Guisény Bay; Anse de Dinan bridgehead expanded; fighting on the Quélern line. Frequent air attacks on the main battle area, batteries and supply installations of Brest fortress. Larger bridgehead in Douarnenez Bay, linked with airborne landings as far as Plouéven and Plonévez-Porzay and south of Saint-Nic. Enemy takes Ménez Hom and attacks southwestwards from there. Tanks employed by the airborne enemy at Mont-Saint-Michel; renewed airborne landings. Quimper airfield taken; attack on Quimper. Enemy landing on Belle-Île. La Turballe bridgehead expanded towards Guérande. Bridgeheads on both sides of Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef joined; enemy advancing southeastwards. Large bridgehead east of Saint-Jean-de-Monts. Fighting continues in the other bridgeheads and airborne landing areas.

Control instructions: 15:30, to Army Headquarters B operations staff, “Bring 21st Panzer Division to LXXXIV Army Corps towards Saint-Lô. Corps to report intended employment.” At 16:00, “Main enemy attack in Normandy and Channel approaches. Brittany apparently a subsidiary operation. LXXIV Army Corps is released for Normandy. Hand existing sector to XXV Army Corps. Move immediately towards the Vire. Further orders from Army Headquarters, to which corps will be subordinated. Report handover and departure.” Addition: XXV Army Corps changes location and takes over the sector in accordance with the preliminary order, Seventh Army Ia No. 2357/44 Top Secret Command Matter, 2 May 1944 [number faint]. At 16:00, “LXXIV Army Corps will be deployed between LXXXVI and LXXXIV Army Corps. It receives 716th and 352nd Infantry Divisions and 12th SS Panzer Division.” At 16:00, “XXV Army Corps changes location into the former LXXIV Army Corps sector. Report takeover. 275th Infantry Division becomes directly subordinate to Army Headquarters S.”

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V. Resistance situation, civilian population and security area. From 05:00 on 15 May into the night, numerous attacks in Brittany. Unrest in Rennes, Nantes and Saint-Brieuc, with attacks on prisons, repeater and telephone exchanges and individual headquarters. Attacks and demonstrations in Le Mans. Residents report a large resistance group forming around Sablé-sur-Sarthe. Strong group northeast of Quimper advancing against Quimper. Strikes interrupt water and electricity in various towns. All railways paralysed by strike. Numerous cable sabotages; PTT network down in many places.

VI. Air situation. Enemy air superiority through frequent fighter sweeps. Attacks as described in paragraph I. Our fighters clear the main points for limited periods to permit attack-aircraft, fighter-bomber and close-support operations. Operational and tactical reconnaissance feasible at night and dawn, by day only under fighter protection. Support coastal defence within available strength.

VII. Naval situation. At 04:30, destroyer and torpedo-boat half-flotilla reports contact west of Ouessant with enemy fleet units on a southwesterly course: four light Dido-class cruisers and numerous destroyers. Larger ships identified, details obscured by fog. Our units attacked by enemy destroyers. At 05:00, a submarine 25 nautical miles west of Île de Sein reports a force heading south: two battleships, two aircraft carriers, two light cruisers, eighteen troop transports and several destroyers. At 05:20, a minesweeping group reports enemy formations passing southwestwards 17 nautical miles west of Belle-Île: two battleships and several transports made out; further details impossible owing to poor visibility. Further reports according to commanding admirals Atlantic and Channel coasts. Reports of approaching enemy ships with tanks through our motor torpedo boats and detection equipment from about 10:00 on 15 May.

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VIII. Supply situation, 15 May.

(a) Army. Supply for the first days of fighting assured. Food stocks have fallen to forty daily rations because of prolonged railway crisis. At 10:00 air attack on Army Ammunition Depot Manfred; twenty percent lost. During 15 May, severe shortage of anti-aircraft ammunition of all calibres. Sabotage attacks on supply depots and installations. Railway crisis and heavy ammunition expenditure.

(b) Luftwaffe and Navy: according to their own statements.

IX. Development during the night of 15–16 May. Naval artillery bombardment chiefly ahead of the bridgeheads. Air attacks on road junctions, headquarters and supply installations. Renewed commando operations against the large Channel Islands. Special operations against the Luftwaffe detection installation at Cap Fréhel and the coastal battery at Paimpol. Commando operations against Île de Groix and Île d’Yeu, targeting coastal batteries. Fighting at the bridgeheads continues.

At 04:30, further landings while still dark: both sides of Houlgate, parts of one division; Courseulles-sur-Mer, further waves of one to two divisions; Vierville and westwards, parts of one division; both sides of Barfleur, second wave of one division; south of Flamanville, further waves of one division; Camaret Bay, further waves of one division; south of the Vilaine estuary, further waves of one division.

Control instruction to Army Headquarters B operations staff: “Deploy Blocking Formation 700 in Normandy.”

16 May. I. Development until morning. From 05:30, renewed landings on both sides of Le Croisic and Pornic. At 05:00, parachute landings north of Nantes.

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At 06:00, stronger resistance groups immediately northwest of Pontivy, south of Baud and north and south of Blain. During the morning, fighting continues at the bridgeheads. Our successes depend on countermeasures. Enemy can expand the bridgehead at and south of Pornic and advance with tanks towards Chéméré. Fighting in Quimper against resistance groups and at its western edge against parachute troops. Le Mans–Laval road interrupted by roadblocks and resistance groups west of Longnes.

II. Development by the afternoon of 16 May. Enemy continues attacks at landing and penetration points and in rear battle areas, gaining some ground or being repulsed according to countermeasures. New landings successful at Vierville, Barfleur and Camaret Bay. Enemy gains some ground towards Châteaulin. Heavy fighting for Quimper. Airfield occupied by enemy, with numerous enemy aircraft there. Enemy tanks advance south of Lac de Grand-Lieu towards Nantes. Enemy bridgeheads at Saint-Jean-de-Monts expand, with tanks advancing towards Challans.

III. Naval, air and supply situations: according to the control officers’ own statements. Exercise expected to end at 17:00.

Control instruction at 13:00 to Commandant Nantes: “The parachute landings north of Nantes have proved to be dummy landings.”

German Seventh Army Headquarters (AOK 7), NARA T-312 Roll 1565. Roll 1565 Jersey and Channel Islands English translations.docx, reference 28. Scan extracts: img051_10_18317_21317.jpg, img051_11_20817_22545.jpg, img052_01_0_3786.jpg, img052_02_3786_7581.jpg, img052_03_7581_10581.jpg, img052_04_10081_11384.jpg, img052_05_11384_15182.jpg, img052_06_15182_18182.jpg, img052_07_17682_19412.jpg. Extract filenames identify the original image strip, section number and horizontal pixel boundaries; these are not archival frame numbers.