13 August 1942 Part 1

St Malo Convoy Control Office 13 August 1942

Weather: W, moderate to fresh breeze; fair to cloudy with isolated showers; visibility 20–30 nautical miles; coastal haze in the morning; slightly to moderately disturbed sea.

0240 — Jersey: V 213/08 arrived with La France and H 49 from Malo; continued escort to Guernsey.

0425 — Guernsey: V 213/08 arrived with Minotaure from Malo.

0615 — Malo: V 206/M 1201 sailed without convoy for Granville, with the Flotilla Commander aboard.

0820 — Granville: V 206/M 1201 arrived in the roadstead.

0840–0847 — Granville: Air-raid alarm on both boats; unidentified aircraft disappeared into the clouds.

0930 — Granville: V 206/M 1201 continued with a combined convoy to Jersey–Guernsey.

Remark: Assembly of the convoy was very slow. Two vessels returned to harbour because of the weather.

Convoy requests: (1) Day convoy Cherbourg–Alderney and return. (2) Night troop convoy Alderney–Guernsey with Georgi. (3) Night troop convoy with Minotaure, Guernsey–Malo. (4) Night troop convoy with La France and H 49, Jersey–Malo. (5) Day convoy with the tug Loriot and barge H 274 PM. (6) Combined convoy Granville–Jersey–Guernsey.

I assign: For (1), UJ 1411/04. For (2), UJ 1411/04 after completing (1). For (3), V 707/29, ordered to proceed from Lézardrieux to Guernsey. For (4), V 707/29 while passing during task (3). For (5), V 213/08. For (6), V 206/M 1201, proceeding without convoy from Malo to Granville for this purpose. I embark in V 206.

Remark: Poor communications with Lézardrieux are proving a hindrance. Teletype connection is available only through the Luftwaffe network. The absence of a Harbour Commandant is particularly noticeable in telephone communications. In view of Lézardrieux's increasing importance, establishing a harbour command there would be very useful. [Adjacent handwritten marginal annotation partly illegible.]

1150 — St Helier: Before the eastern entrance I release the vessels destined for Jersey and continue with Rabet [name uncertain] and Gabes.

Remark: The continued use of French crews on some vessels employed in Channel Islands traffic, especially motor lighters, makes issuing orders and controlling convoys very difficult. It has already been noted that French crews also present a danger to the secrecy of convoy operations, including courses, assembly points, formations and similar matters.

1315 — Lézardrieux: It is reported that V 729's machinery has become unserviceable and that the ordered departure from Lézardrieux for Guernsey could not be carried out. I therefore order convoy task (5) postponed; otherwise the troop convoy under (3) and (4) would have had to be cancelled.

1400–1402 — At sea: Air-raid alarm aboard V 206/M 1201: two aircraft to starboard; ES recognition signal not answered.

At sea, continued: Renewed air-raid alarm. Five aircraft approach from the starboard quarter; two fighters approach the boat. On the ES signal, two fighters turn sharply away. The aircraft identified as a bomber returns the ES signal.

Remark: After arrival in Guernsey it emerges that this was an aircraft carrying a general, escorted by four fighters. I had not been informed that this group was to be expected. Although opening fire had already been ordered, no fire was opened because the aircraft, flying quite low, were recognised as our own at the last moment.

1400 — Cherbourg: The Sea Transport Office at Cherbourg requests and receives agreement for UJ 1411/04 to proceed immediately to Alderney for the urgently required evacuation of seriously ill patients from Alderney to Cherbourg. The air-sea rescue boats had declined to undertake such a task, allegedly being responsible only for the consequences of acts of war at sea. [The handwritten insertion here is not securely legible.]

1450 — Malo: I arrange with the 7th Patrol Boat Flotilla to exchange the unserviceable V 729 for V 704. Section 707/04 receives a telephone order to proceed to Guernsey.

Report to the 3rd Security Division — A. Correction to the situation report of 12 August 1942: Item (1): without Loriot and H 274 PM because of the weather. Item (7): Gironde 1 escorted directly from Guernsey to Cherbourg.

B. Situation on 13 August 1942:

1. V 712/08: readiness at Malo for escorting Loriot, H 274 PM and H 20 from Malo to Lézardrieux and subsequently convoy 3291 westwards.

2. V 213/08: completion of the night troop convoy Malo–Jersey–Guernsey with H 49, Minotaure and La France. Later, night troop convoy of 13/14 August to Malo with Minotaure from Guernsey and H 49 and La France from Jersey.

3. V 209/11: readiness at Malo.

4. UJ 1411/04: Cherbourg–Alderney with convoy, returning with seriously ill patients; later Cherbourg–Alderney, followed by the night troop convoy of 13/14 August from Alderney to Guernsey with Georgi.

5. V 206/M 1201: with the Flotilla Commander aboard, without convoy from Malo to Granville; then Granville–Jersey–Guernsey with a combined convoy.

6. V 707/04: Lézardrieux; after exchanging V 729 for V 704 owing to unserviceable machinery, passage to Guernsey.

7. M 4611/01/05/04: at the disposal of the officer-cadet course of the 12th Minesweeping Flotilla. Escorted tonnage: 9,700 GRT.

C. Intentions for 14 August 1942:

1. V 712/08: readiness at Malo for convoy 3291 westwards.

2. V 213/08: completion of the night troop convoy of 13/14 August, Guernsey–Jersey–Malo; readiness.

3. V 209/11: Malo–Jersey–Guernsey with a combined convoy; then back to Jersey for the night troop convoy of 14/15 August, Jersey–Guernsey.

4. UJ 1411/04: completion of the night troop convoy of 13/14 August, Alderney–Guernsey; then without convoy back to Alderney for the day convoy Alderney–Cherbourg. [“V 206/M 1201” is handwritten in the adjacent margin; its precise attachment to the intentions list is unclear.]

5. V 707/04: Guernsey–Malo with the tug Loriot and H 274 PM, weather permitting.

6. M 4611/01/05/04: at the disposal of the officer-cadet course of the 12th Minesweeping Flotilla.

1525 — Guernsey: I release the convoy.

1500 — Cherbourg: UJ 1411/04 sailed with convoy for Alderney. [This line follows 1525 in the source.]

1535 — Guernsey: V 206/M 1201 secured at the cross pier.

1730 — Alderney: UJ 1411/04 arrived with convoy from Cherbourg.

1820 — Malo: M 4611/01/04/05 returned from a training voyage for the officer-cadet course.

1820 — Alderney: UJ 1411/04 sailed for Cherbourg. [“Guernsey” is struck through and replaced by “Cherbourg”.]

2020 — Cherbourg: UJ 1411/04 arrived from Alderney.

2130 — Cherbourg: UJ 1411/04 sailed with convoy for Alderney.

2145 — Guernsey: I learn of the 3rd Security Division's order requiring two sections at Cherbourg from 14 August for a four-day task. I designate V 707/04, which have already been ordered to proceed to Cherbourg instead of Guernsey, and V 213/08. I take over the Guernsey–Jersey–Malo night convoy with V 206/M 1201 and order readiness for sea at 2400.

2300 — Lézardrieux: V 707/04 sailed for Cherbourg.

2400 — Guernsey: V 206/M 1201 sailed with Minotaure for Jersey (troop convoy).

Signed: Dr Diederichs.

T-1022 Roll 2423, scan 0447, original page 21, and scan 0448, original pages 22–23 (through the signature before 14 August). St Malo Convoy Control Office war diary. The diary's first-person voice and sequence of reports are retained.