5 September 1943

5 September 1943 Coastal artillery command arrangements

Top secret. Corps headquarters, 5 September 1943. The Commander-in-Chief West order of 25 July is forwarded with these additions.

Attention is drawn to the new definition of the coastal foreground. Smoke must always be expected during landing attempts; recheck the designation of firing grids. No regrouping of already deployed, installed coastal batteries is to take place. Corps artillery commanders must promptly contact reconnaissance staffs to ensure the Army’s artillery requirements are fully met in coastal-artillery construction. Because divisional artillery is weak, insist that engagement of targets on the coast and inland is assured in every case.

For readiness reasons retain the present artillery organization. In 709th and 716th Divisions, the commanders of Coastal Artillery Regiments 644 and 645 act as artillery commanders; in this capacity, all divisional artillery suitable for naval targets is under them for that task. 319th Division must arrange its artillery organization with the Naval Commander Channel Islands to suit the islands’ particular conditions and report to the corps.

When the enemy is landing or has landed, the coastal-sector or coastal-group commander must direct the employment of all artillery. His orders then also apply to coastal artillery and naval antiaircraft guns. Whether the situation at sea permits coastal artillery to engage land targets depends on the overall situation in the relevant sector or group. The division/sector commander or regiment/coastal-group commander, including the Cherbourg commandant, decides whether suitable coastal artillery is used against the landing or landed enemy; in some circumstances corps headquarters decides. When directly threatened, coastal-artillery officers and junior commanders must act independently according to the situation. The Commanding General.

T-314 Roll 1604, T314_R1604_English_Translation.docx. 5 September 1943 | Source PDF pages 891–892. Selected island-related text; document or report date governs placement.