10 July 1942

10 July 1942 St Malo convoy diary

St Malo: moderate to fresh N–NW breeze, visibility five to eight nautical miles, calm sea. Night convoys and patrol occupation completed without special events. 05:00 Guernsey: V 711/724/M 1205 arrive with convoy from Alderney. 05:20 Guernsey: V 713/729 arrive with convoy. 05:40 St Malo: V 203/204 arrive with convoy. Harbour Commandant Granville reports that two more vessels for Jersey–Guernsey will join the intended convoy; its leader, V 206’s commander, is informed. I intend to exchange V 713/729 and V 711/724, assigning the former the Guernsey–Alderney troop convoy and the latter with M 1205 the Guernsey–St Malo troop convoy.

Because of planned battery firing at St Malo, departure of V 206/M 4611 is brought forward from 15:00 to 14:30 in agreement with the harbour commandant, but the lock is not ready. Remark: the organisation of St Malo’s lock service repeatedly proves unreliable. Today the inner barrier could not be opened in time because a tug crew had gone ashore to eat. The lockmaster is insufficiently energetic and resourceful, and cannot communicate even adequately with the French lock personnel. 15:15 St Malo: V 206/M 4611 sail for Granville. Harbour Commandant Granville is notified that they will arrive half an hour later than promised.

16:30: I radio all subordinate boats to remain at immediate readiness in Channel Islands harbours from 22:00 until daylight. Remark: the general situation makes enemy landing attempts or airborne operations appear possible; current weather and visibility would not be unfavourable to such an operation. 16:45: a teletype from the Channel Islands Harbour Protection Flotilla states that its boats will reinforce night patrol positions.

Situation: V 202/208 at Brummer overnight, then Alderney–Cherbourg with convoy not yet known; V 711/704/M 1205 [704 typed; surrounding entries give 724] finish Georgi convoy to Guernsey, then ready for Minotaure troop convoy to St Malo overnight; V 206/M 4611 ready St Malo, then alone to Granville, taking Claus Wilhelm, Paul et Janine, Nestor and Rabat to Jersey and Bordsee and Comptoir 51 to Guernsey; V 203/204 finish Ad. le Prince convoy to St Malo, then ready; V 713/729 finish RO 45, RO 8, Minotaure and Holstein convoy to Guernsey, then ready for Georgi troop convoy to Alderney overnight; M 4605/4604/4601 ready St Malo; V 209 minor repairs St Malo. Escorted tonnage 4,800 GRT.

Intentions for 11 July: V 202/208 at Bremse overnight, then ready Cherbourg; V 711/724/M 1205 finish Minotaure convoy to St Malo, then ready; V 206/M 4611 ready Guernsey; V 203/204 ready St Malo; V 713/729 finish Georgi convoy to Alderney, then possible convoy to Cherbourg; M 4605/4604/4601 ready St Malo; V 209 minor repairs. St Malo Roads unoccupied because of night-firing exercises.

Transmission of the 16:30 radio order proves very difficult. The 2nd Patrol Flotilla radio-duty boat cannot get through, even after repetition. At 19:00 I have it transmitted on the harbour-protection wavelength, also without success. 21:00 St Malo: the encrypted groups are sent by teletype to Naval Signals Officer Cherbourg. Small errors in the radio message cause further delay; it is finally transmitted at 22:04. Remark: atmospheric interference apparently caused the difficulty. Cherbourg heard the time group of the very first transmission but nothing more. No militarily undesirable consequences resulted because this was only a precautionary readiness order and it still reached the boats approximately at the intended starting time.

18:00 Alderney: V 202/208 sail with convoy for Cherbourg. 19:00 Granville: V 206/M 4611 start with convoy for Jersey–Guernsey; strong wind makes progress very slow. 20:30 Cherbourg: V 202/208 arrive with convoy. 23:00 Guernsey: V 711/724/M 1205 sail with Minotaure for St Malo. 23:00 Cherbourg: V 202/208 sail for Caruso. 23:30 Jersey: V 206/M 4611 release the day convoy to enter harbour. Signed Dr Diederichs.

T-1022 Roll 2423, PG 38000, scans 0403–0404.