20 February 1943

20 February 1943 Channel Islands Sea Defence diary

No special occurrences.

Mirus battery: construction work assigned to Organisation Todt could not continue because all workers had been withdrawn. Quarantine imposed on individual Organisation Todt camps following cases of typhus had not yet been lifted. Using its own personnel, the battery poured the base slab for the first 7.5-cm gun position and excavated the emplacement for the second. A clerical barrack, including rooms for the battery sergeant-major and battery commander, was erected and occupied within the battery area. Work continued on the mess barrack and on a footpath from the fire-control post to No. 3 gun. Wire obstacles, including gates across roads through the battery area, were continued and strengthened.

Strasbourg battery: withdrawal of all Organisation Todt workers halted the major new construction. Battery personnel continued building splinter trenches and additional machine-gun positions for close defence. The gun embankments were strengthened at every gun, and new camouflage was completed for all six anti-aircraft guns. A building was repaired to accommodate a measuring detachment. The shelter at one Oerlikon gun was completed and occupied.

Steinbruch battery: all new construction assigned to Organisation Todt remained suspended because its workers were unavailable. The battery carried out minor repairs.

Naval Artillery Battalion 605 — West battery: Organisation Todt continued removing shuttering from the fire-control post and transporting the armoured cupolas. Drainage was laid at ammunition replenishment bunker II; otherwise there were no changes. No change was recorded in work undertaken by battery personnel.

T-1022 Roll 2422, PG 37997, scans 0600–0601.