28 March 1943

28 March 1943 Alarm and railway loading exercises Annex 106

Corps Headquarters, Ia 2604/43 (1301), secret, to Seventh Army. Reference: Basic Remarks 21. The following exercises were conducted.

Divisional-reserve alarm exercises. 319th Division, Jersey: Mobile Battalion 319 on 26 February, 1 March and 18 March; III/Grenadier Regiment 582 on 6 and 26 March. Guernsey: I/583 on 18 February; Mobile Battalion 450 on 20 February and 6 March; II/583 on 21 March. Alderney: reserve company, Regiment 584, on 28 February and 9 March. 709th Division: II/729 on 23 March with improvised motor loading and a short practice march. 716th Division: reinforced I/736, with reserve battery and Anti-Tank Company 716, on 17 March; reinforced II/726, with reserve battery and anti-tank platoon, on 27 March; both with loading and short practice marches.

Corps or Army reserves: I/Armoured Regiment 100 on 26 February; operational elements of Mobile Battalion 513 on 28 March with improvised motor loading and a short march; headquarters, headquarters battery and 3/Artillery Battalion 450 on 29 March with a short march.

Alarm exercises with loading in railway standby trains: one battery of Special-Purpose Artillery Regiment 621 on 22 March; Reconnaissance Squadron 84 on 23 March, with unloading on the open line; one battery of Regiment 621 on 24 March; Machine-Gun Battalion 17 on 26 March, with unloading on the open line. Loading exercises: reserve battalions of Regiment 729 on 15 February, Regiment 736 on 23 February and Regiment 726 on 27 February.

Experience: all alarm times prescribed by Commander-in-Chief West were bettered. Rail loading deadlines were met despite very close loading for combat transport. Further reductions should be possible because the troops gained considerable experience. Unloading on the open line took Reconnaissance Squadron 84 two hours thirty minutes and Machine-Gun Battalion 17 three hours forty-five minutes.

Standby infantry trains accommodated an infantry battalion at the authorised strength of a static division, plus five cars and sixteen lorries for ammunition, food and medical services. Skilful loading left one or two wagons for food, ammunition and fodder. The railway liaison officer’s report is enclosed.

Translation note: The report dated 28 March includes an exercise listed for 29 March; the dates are retained as in the source.

T-314 Roll 1604, T314_R1604_English_Translation.docx. 28 March 1943 | Source PDF pages 316–317. Selected island-related text; document or report date governs placement.