5 March 1944

5 March 1944 Channel Islands Sea Defence diary

No special occurrences. Construction work follows.

Naval Artillery Battalion 604, Batterie Mirus: the battery continued camouflage at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 guns and work on armour plates at Nos. 1, 2 and 4 guns; splinter-protection trenches at the service building, the Hamburg and Essen anti-aircraft positions, searchlight Langenberg and the Würzburg installation. Fitting equipment for “Epa” and “Seipa” [source abbreviations retained]. Work on searchlight generating-set shelters, 7.5-cm gun shelters and embrasured positions stopped for lack of cement.

Batterie Steinbruch: earth banking and wire obstacles at anti-aircraft position 4. Concrete could not be poured for generating-set shelters for searchlights A and B owing to lack of cement. Camouflage mesh complete at No. 3 gun and half complete at No. 4. The camouflage firm spray-painted the galley, communal barrack and office/accommodation barrack; gardening work on earth banking and levelling.

Batterie Strassburg: shuttering for searchlight A's generating-set shelter complete. Work on that shelter and the second 7.5-cm gun shelter stopped for lack of cement. Earth banking and camouflage of the first 7.5-cm bunker and generating-set bunker B. Wire obstacles at the fire-control strongpoint continued; demolition of the Brown House begun. The camouflage firm continued work.

Batterie Lothringen: work continued on the shelter for generating set A and the 7.5-cm gun, the new fire-control post and camouflage; alarm lights fitted to the wire obstacles. The Naval Artillery Arsenal worked on ventilation of the new fire-control post and the metre-elevation arc (Metererhöhungsbogen) for No. 2 gun.

Naval Artillery Battalion 605, Batterie Annes: Organisation Todt's electrical trenches refilled; concentration-camp prisoners then assigned elsewhere. The Siemens fitter and two French auxiliary workers withdrawn by the engineer staff because work had progressed as far as possible without further material. Painting continued in bunker 3 and began in bunker 4. Camouflage of the fire-control post complete; work continued at the battery centre and in front of Nos. 2 and 3 guns.

The battery continued excavation at searchlight Bruno. Ninety railway sleepers still required, expected in approximately fourteen days. Communication trench from the fire-control accommodation bunker to the fire-control post continued. A makeshift ammunition shelter built for the second anti-aircraft machine gun. Levelling and camouflage continued.

Batterie Elsass: wire obstacles continued; air-raid shelter complete; reserve fire-control post continued. Artillery command post: Organisation Todt electrical installation; two partitions in the readiness and wireless rooms; earth banking and insulation. Naval radar: splinter protection under construction. Naval Artillery Battalion 605 headquarters: further development of infantry-defence installations.

Roll 2422, scans 0801–0803, original pages 20–22.