31 December 1943

31 December 1943 Channel Islands Sea Defence diary

Weather: wind from 300°, 7 m/sec. From 15:37 to 15:46 the anti-aircraft weapons of Batterie Steinbruch and Naval Radar Station II engaged a hostile Fortress II aircraft flying from west to east. Hits were observed and there was no enemy counter-action. Ammunition expenditure: Batterie Steinbruch, 212 rounds of 2-cm ammunition; Naval Radar Station II, sixty rounds of 2-cm ammunition.

The aircraft struck the water in Anker Bay and immediately sank. Its crew took to dinghies. Two harbour-protection boats from St Peter Port recovered eleven members of the shot-down aircraft's crew, described as Americans, at the north-east corner of Guernsey. They were handed over to the Luftwaffe. After dark, Army units recovered three further crew members from rocks off Guernsey's north-east corner.

That evening the Commanding Admiral expressed his appreciation to Naval Radar Station II for its part in shooting down the aircraft.

Translator’s note: the crew-recovery figures—eleven and three further men—are retained as stated in this diary; they have not been reconciled with independent aircraft-loss records.

T-1022 Roll 2422, scans 0743.