9 July 1941 Part 3

9 July 1941 Request for permanent fortress signals staff and cable units

[Scan 1175.jpg] Commander-in-Chief West, Army Group D headquarters, Ia/Signals Commander, Branch I, file 47 p 72 no. 529/41, top secret. Headquarters, 9 July 1941. Second of six copies. To Army High Command/Army General Staff/Organization Branch; for information Operations Branch, Chief of Army Signals, and Chief of Army Armaments and Commander of the Replacement Army/In 7. [Receipt stamp 13 July; handwritten processing notes partly unclear.]

Commander-in-Chief West requests assignment of a fortress signals staff with a fortress cable-construction platoon and a fortress cable-switching platoon for the British Channel Islands. It is further requested that the signals detachment for the Channel Islands, meanwhile formed from units of Higher Command LX with a strength of one officer, ten NCOs and fifty-four men, be placed on an authorized establishment, so that the units can receive replacements through normal replacement channels.

Justification: this unit is required to construct, operate and maintain the communications network, including the artillery fire-control network, for the fortifications to be developed with permanent local establishments under Army High Command/Operations Branch IIa no. 1101/41, top secret, of 13 June 1941, paragraph 1e. Existing signals forces in the command area are unsuitable in strength and equipment.

The intention is also to subordinate the signals detachment to the fortress signals staff and to make that staff available to the projected Commandant of the Channel Islands Fortifications, previously Commander of the British Channel Islands, as the signals unit for the overhead and underground network. Commander-in-Chief West; for Army Group headquarters, Chief of the General Staff [signature unclear].

German Army High Command records, T-78 Roll 317. Supplied English translation T78_Roll_317_English_Translation.docx. Source images: 1175.jpg.