30 August 1942 Part 5

30 August 1942 Zeitzler’s proposals for Channel Islands supply and command

[Scan 1040.jpg] Chief of General Staff, Army Group D. Headquarters, 30 August 1942. Secret command matter. Ib no. 937/42. Dear Heusinger, The day of Dieppe has delayed the letter concerning the Channel Islands again a little. I am sorry, but you will understand. Enclosed is my view on island supply, which essentially accords with your ideas. Now to the other questions you raised:

1. “Commandant of the British Channel Island”. This title is wrong. I propose changing it to “Commander Jersey”. He has proved himself very well and rendered good service. He is indispensable. 2. Conversion of 319th Infantry Division into a “fortress division”. For the present I am entirely against that. The division is proud of its name and number. It would regard a fortress division as second class. Thus I see no advantage whatever, particularly since the establishment will remain the same for now. We are already putting surplus elements such as horses to useful employment elsewhere. Therefore I also ask that nothing be changed for the time being. 3. Headquarters 319th Division must remain on Guernsey. Commander Jersey is on Jersey. So I shall stop now. You will have other things to do. Very warm greetings and Heil Hitler, ever yours, [Zeitzler signature]. [Final handwritten note partly unclear.]

[Scan 1041.jpg] Secret command matter. Enclosure to Commander-in-Chief West/Ib no. 937/42; enclosure to Operations Branch (IIa) no. 20573/42. Reorganisation of supply of the Channel Islands. Intention. I. Organisation. Mainland: Quartermaster section for island supply at Granville (divisional Ib supply officer with specialist officers). Subordinate to it: Armed Forces Supply Office Saint-Malo (principal supply of materials for island fortification), with branch offices Granville and Cherbourg, all of which must remain. Islands: an “island Ib” with specialist officers joins each island commander’s staff as the supply agency for that island. Divisional supply commander’s staff will be used for this purpose.

II. Supply troops. Mainland: one divisional provisioning office; one reduced veterinary company 319; two horse-drawn transport columns of 30 tonnes each [annotations: 2nd and 3rd/319]; one supply company permanently provided by Army Command [1st/559]. Islands: one bakery company 319; one butcher company 319; one medical company 319; one field hospital, for which an authorised establishment must be created; one ambulance platoon 319; seven motor transport columns of 30 tonnes each (English vehicles) [annotation: establishment required]; one supply company 319; two Landesschützen companies for guarding depots, currently subordinate to Field Commandant’s Office 515; one field-gendarmerie detachment 319; one field post office 319.

[Scan 1042.jpg] Released: elements of the veterinary company; one motor transport column (30 tonnes); three horse-drawn transport columns [4th, 5th, 6th/319]; the four columns provisionally formed from infantry and artillery horses. All columns will be used to transport fortification materials. Already employed elsewhere since early July: 1,754 horses with harness and 440 horse attendants with 23rd Infantry Division for artillery draught teams; 352 horses with harness and 176 attendants with Army Group Felber for the artillery field NCO school at Autun; remaining teams for transporting fortification materials on the mainland.

III. Miscellaneous. Examination is still under way of whether, and to what extent, military administration (Field Commandant’s Office 515), with elements of its own personnel, can be taken over by the island commandants themselves, to avoid unnecessary duplication under the islands’ special conditions.

German Army High Command records, T-78 Roll 317. Supplied English translation T78_Roll_317_English_Translation.docx. Source images: 1040.jpg, 1041.jpg, 1042.jpg.