31 July 1941

July 1941 Construction forces coastal batteries and anti aircraft deployment

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.

To provide field-type cover for the island garrisons as soon as possible, giving protection from splinters during air attack and artillery fire from sea or land forces and creating ground obstacles against enemy landings, and to reconnoitre, prepare and carry out the later permanent fortification of the Channel Islands, the Inspector of Western Fortifications and construction forces was placed at Higher Command LX’s disposal under Commander-in-Chief West order Army Group Command A Section T/Ia/General of Engineers No. 144/41 Secret Command Matter of 22 June 1941. During July he moved his headquarters to Guernsey.

The following construction troops arrived at the same time. On Guernsey: Fortress Pioneer Staff 19, Sector Groups I/19 and II/19, and Fortress Construction Battalion 152. On Jersey: Fortress Pioneer Staff 14, Sector Group II/14 and Construction Battalion 158. On Alderney: Sector Group I/14.

Saint-Malo was selected as the shipping port for the reinforcement artillery because Granville’s loading facilities were inadequate. To supervise the rapid and orderly transfer of staffs and batteries to the islands, the Higher Command’s staff artillery officer was temporarily stationed at Saint-Malo.

During July the following Army coastal-artillery staffs and batteries were shipped to the islands: Army Coastal Artillery Staff 727 to Guernsey and Staff 728 to Jersey; Army Coastal Batteries 461, equipped with 15 cm Kanone 18, to Alderney; 462 and 463, also with 15 cm Kanone 18, to Guernsey; Batteries 464, 465 and 466, equipped with 21 cm Mörser 18, to Guernsey; and Batteries 467, 468 and 469, equipped with 21 cm Mörser 18, to Jersey.

Army Coastal Battery 470, equipped with captured French 22 cm guns, went to Jersey. Batteries 471 and 472, with the same equipment, went to Guernsey.

At the end of the month Batteries 461-469 were ready to fire. Batteries 470-472 had arrived with personnel only, because alterations to their guns in Germany had not yet been completed.

By the end of the month Infantry Regiment 584 on Guernsey and Infantry Regiment 582 on Jersey had each received the following fixed armament: eighteen light mortars, eighteen heavy mortars, six light infantry guns and nine anti-tank guns.

Courier and command traffic to the islands suffered severely from the inadequacy of the boats provided by the Navy. These could sail only at low speed, five to seven kilometres per hour, and in calm seas. Three boats were available and a fourth had been promised.

At the end of July the following flak headquarters and batteries were deployed on the islands and ready to fire. On Guernsey: headquarters Flak Detachment 124; 2nd and 3rd Batteries, Flak Detachment 124, each with 8.8 cm guns; and 4th and 5th Batteries with 3.7 cm guns.

On Jersey: headquarters Reserve Flak Detachment 911; 1st Battery, Flak Detachment 124, with 8.8 cm guns; and 2nd Battery, Reserve Flak Detachment 911, with 2 cm guns. The latter was still arriving and was expected to be ready to fire at the beginning of August.

On Alderney: 1st Battery, Reserve Flak Detachment 496, with 8.8 cm guns, and two platoons of 3rd Battery, Reserve Flak Detachment 731, with 2 cm guns.

The 1st Battery, Reserve Flak Detachment 911, with 3.7 cm guns, was approaching Granville to protect the harbour and was expected to become operational at the beginning of August.

During July the stockpiling of the islands was brought almost to completion, apart from small shortages of special ammunition and equipment. Army Headquarters supplied additional personnel to administer the various depots, and the necessary establishments for the supply districts were requested.

The holdings of fixed weapons and equipment were further increased. In addition to batteries, motor vehicles and bicycles, these included assault boats, life-jackets and engineer equipment. Only 1.6 consumption allocations of fuel were issued for July, which restricted training. The army motor-transport officer, Colonel Gutknecht, carried out a several-day inspection of motorised units; the general result was satisfactory. He also spent several days on the islands discussing the basis for a motor-vehicle establishment for the island garrisons. The very difficult arrangements were reflected in an establishment request submitted to Army Headquarters.

Corps disposition map for July 1941, showing the Channel Islands and the mainland sectors of 319th, 83rd, 323rd, 716th and 216th Infantry Divisions. Source PDF page 0119.

T-314 Roll 1603, T314_Roll_1603_English_Translation.docx. Source PDF page 0022 | Original document page 1; Source PDF page 0023 | Original document page 2; Source PDF page 0024 | Original document page 3; Source PDF page 0025 | Original document page 4; Source PDF page 0114 | Annex 3 to the activity report of Higher Command XXXXIII Army Corps for July 1941; Source PDF page 0119 | Annex to the activity report of Higher Command XXXXIII Army Corps for July 1941