17 May 1943

17 May 1943 Enemy intelligence 1 15 May 1943 Appendix 1

On 14 May at 20:35, about twenty aircraft attacked four naval boats lying off Guernsey at low altitude. One aircraft was shot down. Five dead and seventeen wounded; machinery damaged on two boats; all guns on one boat and a 2-cm gun on another put out of action. At 21:30, twelve twin-engined Whirlwinds and several four-engined bombers attacked Cherbourg docks, dropping sixteen smaller-calibre bombs. No casualties; lock gates at Dock II and quays damaged. One aircraft probably shot down. On 15 May at 07:25, four aircraft strafed a naval boat at anchor off Jersey’s east coast. One wounded; slight damage.

No sabotage occurred during the reporting period. Other matters: Private First Class Christoph Heswig, Grenadier Regiment 584 [surname slightly indistinct], was shot from behind by a French civilian near Carentan on 4 May at about 12:30. Following an unsuccessful operation, he died on 6 May in the Saint-Lô field hospital. The perpetrator escaped. During the night of 9–10 May, an armed robbery took place at the Farchalle bar in Carentan; the proprietor and two other named people were shot [personal names indistinct]. For corps headquarters, the Chief of the General Staff.

Translation note: The source image is included because several names and naval abbreviations are faint. This bulletin gives dates and details that differ from some preliminary daily reports.

T-314 Roll 1604, T314_R1604_English_Translation.docx. 17 May 1943 | Source PDF pages 556. Selected island-related text; document or report date governs placement.