31 May 1942 Part 7

May 1942 Seventh Army takes over the island fortification programme

Date note: Monthly report; placed at the last calendar day of May. The subsequent 10 August report is a cross-reference, not the date of the May events.

On 20 May, Seventh Army Headquarters takes over the Normandy sector and hands over the territories south of the Loire to First Army. This changes the construction situation very considerably. Comparisons with the previous area are no longer possible.

The Channel Islands of Alderney, Guernsey, Sark and Jersey are naturally of particular importance. An overall plan of 998 fortress-type installations is taken over for these islands, to be completed by 1 May 1943.

Of approximately 65,000 Organisation Todt workers, some 12,000 are employed on the Atlantic islands during the reporting month.

Of the planned 998 installations, 111 were completed during the reporting month.

Annex B1 contains the construction progress report of 1 June 1942, showing the state of fortification of the Channel Islands on 1 May 1942.

The tactical and technical design for the permanent fortification of the Channel Islands—319th Infantry Division Ia staff, No. 20/42, dated 1 February 1942; Fortress Engineer Commander [Roman numeral unclear], Ia, file reference A7, No. 80/42, secret command matter—was handed over by Fifteenth Army Headquarters to Seventh Army Headquarters.

The report to Army Group, with comments on the individual questions, is contained in Annex A1: Seventh Army Headquarters, Ia / Army Engineer Commander, No. 465/42, secret command matter, dated 10 August 1942.

German Seventh Army records, T-312 Roll 1547, 28680/21, Army Engineer Commander. Supplied translation T312 Roll 1547 English translation DRAFT.docx. Local source scans: 0026.jpg, 0027.jpg.