14 May 1943

14 May 1943 Channel Islands Sea Defence diary

Weather: wind 90°, 2 m/sec. At 20:30, approximately twenty British fighters approached from the north and strafed the harbour-protection boats FK 56, FK 11, FK 13 and FO 04 [as typed] in St Peter Port roadstead. The boats and the anti-aircraft weapons of Batterie Strasbourg returned fire.

Hits were observed on one aircraft; at 20:57 it crashed burning into the sea on a bearing of 165°, at a distance of 80–100 hectometres from Batterie Strasbourg. Casualties among the boat crews were 5 dead and 14 seriously or slightly wounded. The boats and their weapons were damaged.

Ammunition expenditure: FO 04, 135 rounds 2-cm; FK 56, 30 rounds 13.2-mm; FK 11, 15 rounds 2-cm and 250 machine-gun rounds; FK 13, 30 rounds 2-cm and 30 rounds 13.2-mm; FK 18, 105 rounds 2-cm; Batterie Strasbourg, 391 rounds 2-cm.

Three anti-aircraft guns at Batterie Strasbourg suffered ammunition stoppages in which the primers were not struck. The Naval Artillery Equipment Service on Guernsey was informed. The Luftwaffe anti-aircraft crew at Bréhon Tower was also strafed, suffering one man killed and one wounded.

At 20:50, FK 09 and FK 20, en route from Alderney to Guernsey in grid square B.F. 3945 lower left, were attacked by the same British formation. There were no casualties or damage, and no success by the defensive fire was observed. Ammunition expenditure: FK 20, 170 rounds 2-cm; FK 09, 110 rounds 2-cm.

At 20:55, Les Hanois lighthouse reported that an enemy fighter formation had dropped objects which did not detonate in grid square B.F. 2695 upper left.

Night of 14–15 May, retrospectively entered under 11 May: M 4602, M 4605 and M 4607, lying in St Helier, searched the suspected area on route Ida 3–Ida 4 without result. The proposed closure was therefore abandoned.

T-1022 Roll 2422, PG 37997, scans 0634–0635.