The Road to Liberation - 17th April 1941

Good morning everyone.

Finally, a busy weekend of touring is ahead of us with both bunker exploring and coastal tours on a RIB. Give us a wave if you see us out and about.

Above is Staff Sergeant James Carroll, he is one of 10 that lost their lives after the German downing of a Douglas C-47 over Jersey in October 1944, we have recently updated some of the crew photos https://www.jerseybunkertours.com/c-47 lest we forget.

Today would be the 291st day of the Islands Occupation with 1,483 days remaining.

Very large quantities of military equipment arrive; included field kitchens and searchlight units, also a lot more cement, British planes fly low over the Island today.

The below photo was taken roughly 80 years ago and is of Mr Sinnatt standing in front of a German sign.

View along London's Oxford Street, after the bombing, on Thursday 17th April 1941

The commonwealth graves commission record 1,172 deaths this day 80 years ago, the average age was 37. 950 are civilians with the majority killed in the London area.

Luftwaffe Action

The bombing of London, England, which began on the previous date ended before dawn. Revenge for what Berlin said were RAF attacks on residential and cultural centres on April 9th and 10th, the German raids dropped hundreds of bombs over London, levelling whole streets and leaving a high number of dead and wounded as the result. The hardest hit were industrial sections of London, but numerous neighbourhoods were devastated by the almost continuous rain of bombs falling on the city from dusk to dawn. The Admiralty (now the Old Admiralty) building, Whitehall, was damaged by German aircraft. Bombers of KG 55 that attacked London, suffer a He 111 from 6 Staffel destroyed when it crashes at Chartres airfield on the return flight.

RAF Action

A large RAF bombing force struck Berlin in the heaviest raid to date. 118 aircraft were detailed to bomb the German capital. Of these were 50 Wellingtons (one lost), 39 Hampdens (two lost), 28 Whitleys (five lost) (all twin-engined aircraft) and one Stirling (first operation). Three of the Hampden Squadrons RAF Nos. 44, 50 and 83 sustained casualties which accounted for 50% of the total Hampdens involved. One aircraft of RAF No. 83 Squadron reported "target location obviously impossible. Bombs dropped on a large town estimated to have been in Ruhr district." Over Berlin, most crews found that thick haze and cloud made pinpointing the target difficult.

The April book recommendation is "Six Days." The story centres around the paratroopers of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division and the brave citizens of the quiet French hamlet. The battle of Grainges maybe not be known as some of the invasion stories but this beautifully illustrated novel captures the true story.

Exploring bunkers
  Always get permission from the owner
 Take a torch, a spare and one more for luck
 Don't go alone & tell someone where you will be and for how long
 You will get dirty as most are often full of rubbish and may have been used as a public toilet
 Anything you find still belongs to the person that owns the property
  Unexploded ordnance is still found in Jersey if you see or find anything that looks like ordnance please call the bomb disposal officer on 01534 612 61

Sources of Information
 German Documents are housed at The National Archived in Washington or Archive in Kew UK
 T-78 Roll 317: OKH Coastal and Channel Defenses Files 1940-44 -

T-78 Roll 318: OKH Coastal and Channel Defenses Files 1941-43

T-315 Roll 1639: 216th Security Division War Diary

(Kriegstagebuch), Belgium, France & Russia 1939-42 

T-1022 Roll 2423: Various War Diaries (Kriegstagebucher), Channel Islands 1941-44

Atlantic Wall Coastal Battery Lists: Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, & France 1944-45 

T-312 Roll 1559: 7th Army War Diary (Kriegstagebuch), France 1941-43 & T-312 Roll 1558

T-315 Roll 1643: 216th Security Division War Diary

(Kriegstagebuch), Belgium, France & Russia 1939-41 

T-311 Roll 16: Army Group D War Diary (Kriegstagebuch), Western Front Aug-Nov 1944 
 Operation Green Arrow - Occupation of the Channel Islands MOD 584
 Allied Technical Intelligence Reports 1942-45
 German Preparations for Invasion of the United Kingdom 1941-42
 B-833, 319th Infantry Division (1941-45)
 German Seacoast Defenses, European Theatre - prepared by the Artillery Evaluation Board

BBC News & Archives

The Britannica
 Jersey Occupied by Michael Ginns - ISBN 978-1-905095-29-2
 Operation Nestegg Plans
 Operation Hardtack Plans
 Operation Basalt Plans
 RAF Photos care of The National Collection of Aerial Photography

The National Archive of Newspapers
 Bundesarchiv - Multiple Photos - and Files
 A Map of slave labour camps. Kindly Provided by Emilio Pérez
 Photo's and information provided by fans
 Onsite visits & internet research

Cabinet Papers Second World War memoranda (cab 661- cab 665)
 After the Battle Multiple Magazines

The Bomber Command War Diaries: An Operational Reference Book, 1939-1945
 Jersey Heritage Archive

CIOS Archive & Publications (become a member here)

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

American Battle Monuments Commission

 If we have used any photos or information which you believe to posted without permission, please contact us at info@jerseywartours.com and we will resolve asap.

Jersey War Tours is Registered with the Jersey Financial Services Commission as a Non-Profit Organisation - NPO1207

Jargon Help

 Widerstandsnest (WN) = Resistance Nest (RN)
 A small pocket of resistance would be made up of small groups of up to 10 men with light weapons. They would man Anti-tank weapons, an observation post or a field gun.
 Stützpunkt St.P = Strongpoint (STP)
 The next level up from an RN and consisted of several RN's. STP areas would have a combination of weapons and different branches of the military used. Examples of this can be found with Strongpoint Greve de Lecq and Strongpoint Corbiere
 Einsatzstellung = Operational Position or Action Post
 Smaller MG type position generally it was only maned during an alert
 Feldwache = Field Watch
 Early resistance nest

Jägerstand

Jäger Casemate was a special design and name for bunkers designed to hold a 10.5cm field gun