The Road to Liberation - 24th February 1941

Good Evening

We aim to blog every day and share what happened in Jersey 80 years ago. We plan to include a brief further afield post on what was happening this day in the second world war, an update on what we are up to and highlight some of the Occupations sites here and in Normandy. We named this project "The Road to Liberation". This project will run-up to the 80th Liberation celebrations in 2025.

Jump to cover photo details here

Today would be the 239th day of the Islands Occupation with 1,535 days remaining.

Very few entries in local diaries today.

The commonwealth graves commission record 411 deaths this day 80 years ago, the average age was 24.

RAF Action

Overnight, the German-held port of Brest, France, is bombed by 57 Avro Manchesters of RAF Bomber Command 207 Squadron from Waddington, Lincolnshire. This is the operational debut of the Manchester, the forerunner to the better-known Avro Lancaster.

Atlantic

300 miles south of Iceland, German submarine U-107 sank British ship HMS “Manistee”, killing the entire crew of 141, after a chase since the previous day. German submarines U-95 and U-96 and Italian submarine “Bianchi” attacked convoy OB-288 (now dispersed and unescorted), which HMS “Manistee” was a part of, sinking 7 merchant ships before dawn. Most crews drown, although all 41 men from SS “Waynegate” take to the lifeboats and are picked up by Free French destroyer “Léopard”. In the same area, U-97 sinks 3 British steamers in convoy OB-289 (most crews rescued by corvette HMS “Petunia”) and damages Norwegian tanker “G.C. Brøvig”, which loses its bow but is towed to Stornoway by HMS “Petunia”.

The cover of today's blog is of the German Resistance Nest Fort Henry which is found on the East coast of Jersey.

 Weapons and Equipment

One light Machine Gun 34
 Two light Machine Gun 34’s (also with heavy machine Gun mounts)
 Three heavy Machine Gun 34’s [six-loophole turret for heavy MG’s]
 Two 5cm French mortars
 Two 10.5cm French guns (casemated)
 Two medium flamethrowers
 Eight defence flamethrowers
 Two 30cm searchlights
 One 40cm searchlight
 One 60cm searchlight

Book Recommendation

The February 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)
 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