30 April 1941

April 1941 Higher Command LX island garrisons and battery readiness

Editorial note: Monthly report or annex; placed at the end of the reporting month because no single document date is supplied. Dates within the text retain their original meaning.

When Higher Command LX assumed command, the British Channel Islands were subordinate to 216th Division and occupied as follows:

Commander of the British Channel Islands: Oberst Graf von Schmettow, with headquarters in Saint Helier, Jersey.

Jersey: headquarters and three companies of I Battalion, Infantry Regiment 398; 14th Company, Infantry Regiment 398; headquarters and 1st and 2nd Companies, Pioneer Battalion 216; four French 7.5 cm field guns; and four French 15.5 cm guns.

Guernsey: Machine-Gun Battalion 16, comprising three machine-gun companies, one pioneer company and one anti-tank company; 1st, 2nd and 4th Companies, Infantry Regiment 398; four French 7.5 cm field guns; and four French 15.5 cm guns.

Sark: one section of Infantry Regiment 398.

Alderney: one platoon of Infantry Regiment 348. The island was directly subordinate to 216th Division.

Naval batteries were under construction: one 15 cm battery on Jersey, one 22 cm battery on Guernsey and one 17 cm battery on Alderney. They were expected to be ready to fire at the beginning of May.

On 16 April the Ia officers of 319th and 216th Divisions were ordered to attend a conference with the chief of the general staff to discuss the planned reorganisation on the islands. Jersey and Guernsey were each to be occupied by one battalion, reinforced by a light battery, from 319th Division. Once the units of 216th Division stationed on the islands had been relieved, the islands were to pass under 319th Division. The relieved elements of 216th Division were to be placed at their division’s disposal as divisional reserve.

On 15 April III Battalion, Infantry Regiment 584, arrived on Jersey, followed on 18 April by the headquarters of III Battalion, Artillery Regiment 319, with one battery. On 27 April I Battalion, Infantry Regiment 584, and one battery were shipped to Guernsey. This completed the relief of the units of 216th Division. At 0000 hours on 30 April, 319th Division assumed command of the islands except Alderney, which remained subordinate to 216th Division.

The staff artillery officer was sent to the islands from 18 to 22 April to clarify artillery matters.

On 22 April, 216th Division reported the 15 cm naval battery on Jersey ready to fire with one gun. On 24 April it reported the 17 cm naval battery on Alderney ready to fire with three guns.

On the afternoon of 5 April the chief of the general staff, accompanied by O 1, inspected the port of Granville. The port commander reported on the supply of the island garrisons and the very limited shipping space available.

T-314 Roll 1603, T314_Roll_1603_English_Translation.docx. Source PDF page 0009 | Original document page 3; Source PDF page 0010 | Original document page 4; Source PDF page 0011 | Original document page 5