30 June 1944 Part 6

30 June 1944 Part 6 Request to retain the Naval Commandant Channel Islands

Date note: 30 June 1944.

Secret. Seventh Army Headquarters, Ia. 30 June [1944; date amended by hand].

To Army Group B Headquarters.

Army Headquarters forwards, with its support, the following request from LXXIV Army Corps:

“Subject: change of Naval Commandant Channel Islands.

The 319th Infantry Division reports an intended change of Naval Commandant Channel Islands. Corps Headquarters urgently requests that the present Naval Commandant be retained for the following reasons:

1. The responsibilities require a long familiarisation period. As the Naval Commandant alone is responsible for engaging sea targets throughout the three island fortresses, the post requires exact knowledge of the particularly difficult local combat conditions and of cooperation with the other services.

2. The present Naval Commandant, with many years’ experience as a coastal artillery officer, maintains the best working relations with the division. He is also employed as deputy fortress commandant of Guernsey.

3. Changing the Naval Commandant in the present situation would considerably impair the Channel Islands’ readiness for defence, particularly since the proposed new Naval Commandant is not a naval artillery officer and, without knowledge of the circumstances, cannot be employed as deputy fortress commandant.”

Seventh Army Headquarters, Ia No. 1931/44 Secret.

After dispatch: Ia/war diary; O1.

German Seventh Army Headquarters (AOK 7), NARA T-312 Roll 1565. Roll 1565 Jersey and Channel Islands English translations.docx, reference 70. Scan extracts: img120_10_17990_19997.jpg, img120_11_19997_22038.jpg. Extract filenames identify the original image strip, section number and horizontal pixel boundaries; these are not archival frame numbers.