4 September 1942

4 September 1942 St Malo diary divisional review

3rd Security Division — 4 September 1942. Secret. Reference G 5587, AIV/Le.

To: Commander, Security Forces West (two copies). For information: St Malo Convoy Control Office.

Subject: War diary of the St Malo Convoy Control Office, 1–15 August 1942. Previous correspondence: none. Enclosures: one.

The enclosed war diary of the St Malo Convoy Control Office for the period 1–15 August 1942 is submitted in a single copy.

Comments on original page 2, 1 August 1942, 1045 and 1840: Commander, Security Forces West (BSW) had expressly ordered that positions Carmen and Caruso were no longer to be occupied until further notice.

Comments on original page 8, 4 August at 2130 and 5 August at 0200: Units which do not belong to the BSW force, including torpedo boats and motor torpedo boats, must also announce their intentions sufficiently early for the necessary protective measures to be taken and the individual boats informed in good time.

Comments on original page 21, 13 August 1942, 0930 remark: A request to establish a teleprinter station at Lézardrieux has been submitted to BSW. If use of Lézardrieux harbour continues, a Harbour Commandant will also have to be appointed there.

Comments on original page 24, 14 August 1942, 0350: The appearance of British motor torpedo boats at night between Guernsey and Jersey calls for the greatest caution with night troop convoys. When the weather does not permit motor torpedo boat operations, the existing method of running night troop convoys may be retained. Otherwise, stronger protection is considered necessary.

Because the shortage of escort vessels generally makes it impossible to increase the night escort to four boats for one troop transport, as the Commander of the 2nd Patrol Boat Flotilla proposes for consideration, only his preferred alternative remains: daytime convoy with improved fighter cover.

In this case, direct fighter escort will generally not be available. When fighters are held on standby, even if stationed on Jersey, they will usually arrive only after the enemy aircraft have departed. The escort boats must therefore have strong defensive capabilities of their own: quadruple 2-cm mountings, fully automatic single 3.7-cm anti-aircraft guns, gun shields and bridge armour. Above all, the troop transports must have adequately protected accommodation for the troops.

Comments on original page 26, 15 August 1942, 0048: It was subsequently reported that HS 191 had run aground and sunk as a result of navigational error.

Signed: Hans Hartmann.

Administrative endorsements: Handwritten enclosure references include BSW secret-command reference 3479 and Naval Group Command West reference 4307/42. A further stamp records enclosure 1 to 1/Skl 25456 [number partly uncertain], secret-command matter. Other routing marks and the handwritten date in the upper endorsement are not securely legible.

T-1022 Roll 2423, scan 0451 right-hand page and scan 0452 right-hand page (page 2). Scan 0452 left-hand page is a blank reverse with show-through. The letter is dated 4 September 1942 and reviews the St Malo diary for 1–15 August; it is placed here under its own date.