28 November 1942

28 November 1942 Channel Islands Sea Defence diary

Weather: wind from 80°, 3–4 metres per second.

[The date is mistyped “28.10.42” in this November diary; placed on 28 November by the surrounding entries.] 09:00 entry: “Threatened danger” until 17:30 by order of 319th Infantry Division. Alert Level I continued for all artillery.

No. 2 gun of Batterie Steinbruch unready because of a leaking air cylinder. FK 08 and FK 22 destroyed two mines off Alderney, expending 500 rounds of 2-cm ammunition and 1,000 machine-gun rounds. The high expenditure was caused by the sea conditions.

Construction, Naval Artillery Battalion 604 — Batterie Mirus: interior work progressed slowly owing to material procurement difficulties and a shortage of skilled labour. Backfilling at the gun emplacements also progressed slowly. Otherwise no changes.

Batterie Strassburg: lower platform of temporary fire-control post complete and operational, with parallax computer and bearing pedestal installed. Upper platform to be finished in the following week; after the concrete set, the rangefinder, still on the lattice mast, could be installed on the new temporary post in the middle of the week after that. Rear retaining wall for main control post poured, formwork removed and earth backfilled behind it.

Batterie Steinbruch: shuttering begun for upper storey of main control post. Pouring of No. 4 gun’s accommodation bunker could begin in the following week. Working base laid at No. 3; excavation progressing at the other two accommodation bunkers.

Signed Steinbach.

T-1022 Roll 2422, PG 37996, scans 0557–0558.