18 October 1942

18 October 1942 Protection and reporting of offshore naval posts

The order describes garrisons on offshore islands essential to coastal navigation as mostly inadequate. The navy alone is responsible where islands serve only lighthouses, naval outposts or ship reporting. Two naval companies on the French mainland and further naval manpower are to provide adequate guards. Strength and armament must reflect size, strategic importance, landing possibilities and population; even small lighthouse rocks need enough men to rotate night sentries without exhaustion.

Engineer protection must include wiring and mining landing places with controlled passages, removing fixed lighthouse ladders or trapping their use, and independent alarms such as tripwires. Army engineers are to assist through local naval and land commands. Where an island also has an army strongpoint, the sector divisional commander and island commander are responsible for the entire island, including naval posts. Returns must specify officers, NCOs, men, weapons, ammunition, engineer defences and responsible commanders, followed by completion reports.

Army requires these details by 09:00 on 23 October for mixed posts such as Sark, excluding the major islands Alderney, Guernsey and Jersey and wholly naval Atlantic islands. Corresponding returns are required for Les Casquets, Bréhat and Batz; army garrisons there are intended to remain only until naval relief.

T-314 Roll 1603, expanded reading edition T314_R1603_English_Translation.docx. 18 October 1942 | Source PDF pages 529–531. Supplement to material retained from earlier editions.