4 February 1942 Part 1

4 February 1942 St Malo convoy diary

Jersey’s harbour commandant independently retained V 208/V 212 for a convoy assigned to V 206/V 213, disrupting the programme. Guernsey’s escort requests, sent on 3 February at 11:15 and 22:10, arrived only at 08:30 on 4 February, after about 21 and over ten hours.

11:30: the 3rd Security Division’s G 1822 reported the loss of two coasters on the Alderney–Cherbourg route. Nothing had previously been known here. Enquiries, reported in G 364, found that M 4005/M 4008 waited off Alderney for 1½ hours after escorting Helma, then sailed to Cherbourg without the coasters. Cherbourg’s sea transport officer subsequently sent the two coasters out, citing a Naval Commander’s order allowing two vessels to sail without escort. It remained unclear whether enemy naval forces as well as German batteries had fired on them. Searches for the coasters in distress had so far failed. Independent sailing orders and unescorted movements should be prohibited unless expressly authorised for the individual case.

Incoming island teletypes took ten hours or more; outgoing messages could wait three hours before transmission. Wireless had so far been avoided for escort orders and should remain exceptional to preserve radio silence, requiring better land communications.

Situation: V 208/V 212 at 10:00 from Jersey with Nordplein, five barges and two tugs to St Malo. V 206/V 213 at 07:45 from Guernsey with H 45, Derfflinger and Karel to St Malo. M 4005/M 4008 at Cherbourg; M 4000/M 4006/M 4007 Guernsey–Jersey with Holland and Comptoir. V 205 coaling; V 1705 entered St Malo at 11:00. Escorted tonnage: 6,475 GRT.

Intention for 5 February: V 208/V 212 replenishment and sea-damage repair; V 206/V 213 replenishment and rest at St Malo. M 4005/M 4008 at Cherbourg for a possible 5/6 February Alderney convoy. M 4000/M 4007/M 4006 Jersey–Granville with Holland, Comptoir and Le Prince; M 4000/M 4006 back with Claus Wilhelm for Jersey and Favorit for Guernsey. M 4007 Granville–St Malo for repair; V 1705/V 205 ready there.

20:00: after V 208/V 212 returned, it was established that Jersey had retained them contrary to their repair and replenishment orders. Missing teletypes led Jersey and Guernsey harbour commandants to make independent dispositions, disregarding commanders’ objections. I ultimately had to sanction their actions by order. Priority G 357 instructed Granville, Jersey, Guernsey and Cherbourg: do not interfere with convoy orders; request escorts in good time; identify troop transports; report added vessels by name and tonnage; allow no unescorted departures. At 22:30 Captain von Mangoldt of Security West called about searches for the missing coasters.

T-1022 Roll 2423, PG 38000, scans 0247–0248.