6 August 1942 Part 1

St Malo Convoy Control Office 6 August 1942

Weather: Wind about N, light to moderate breeze; clear to cloudy; visibility about 10 nautical miles, coastal haze in the morning; calm to slightly disturbed sea.

0100 — St Malo. T 10/14 sailed for manoeuvring exercises and for Guernsey.

0300 — Jersey. V 209/11 release part of the convoy off the harbour and continue to Guernsey.

0335 — Guernsey. V 712/08 sailed for Alderney with a convoy.

0530 — Guernsey. V 209/11 arrived with a convoy.

0630 — Alderney. V 712/08 arrived from Guernsey with a convoy.

0830 — Guernsey. V 213/08 sailed for St Malo with a convoy.

The following convoy requests have been received:

1. Alderney–Cherbourg.

2. Cherbourg–Alderney.

3. Very slow combined convoy Alderney–Guernsey.

4. Night troop convoy Rob. Müller 8, Guernsey–Alderney.

5. Combined convoy Granville–Jersey–Guernsey.

6. Transfer of the steamer Gironde from Morlaix to Cherbourg, ordered by the 3rd Security Division.

7. Day convoy RO 45, Guernsey–St Malo.

For these tasks I allocate, with corresponding orders:

1. V 712/08.

2. V 712/08.

3. V 712/08, with orders not to leave Alderney for Guernsey before 2200, so that this four-knot (!) convoy proceeds exclusively in darkness. [The source uses “4 sm (!)”; here it denotes convoy speed.]

4. V 209/11.

5. M 4601/11, which first proceed to Granville without a convoy and from there conduct the combined convoy to Jersey–Guernsey.

6. I first send M 4605/04 to Morlaix without a convoy, and divide the convoy passage into stages: night of 7/8 August, Morlaix–Lézardrieux; night of 8/9 August, Lézardrieux–Guernsey. The 3rd Security Division receives a corresponding report of intentions. The Harbour Commandant Morlaix is asked to have Gironde ready for sea for the evening preceding the night of 7/8 August.

7. V 213/08.

1205 — Jersey. M 4611/01 sailed for Granville with a convoy.

1300 — St Malo. M 4605/04 sailed for Morlaix without a convoy.

1300 — Alderney. V 712/08 sailed for Cherbourg with a convoy.

The following situation and intentions were reported to the 3rd Security Division:

A. Situation on 6 August 1942

1. V 712/08: night troop convoy Guernsey–Alderney with Georgi and Cigale. Alderney–Cherbourg with Georgi. Cherbourg–Alderney with a combined convoy. Night convoy of 6/7 August with Nordfel [spelling as visible; compare “Nordfels” on the following page], Corona, Heinrich and Chiemsee to Guernsey.

2. V 711/24: St Malo, at readiness.

3. V 209/11: completion of the night troop convoy of 5/6 August, St Malo–Jersey–Guernsey. Ready for the night troop convoy of 6/7 August, Guernsey–Alderney, with Rob. Müller 8.

4. V 213/08: Guernsey–Jersey with RO 45; continuing to St Malo with RO 45, Maas and a tug [“Schl.” followed by a handwritten name not confidently read], then at readiness.

5. M 4605/04: passage St Malo–Morlaix.

6. M 46011/01 [as typed]: Jersey–Granville with H S 216, Helma, Rheinland and Compt. 51/66; then from Granville with Tourane and Pondicherry for Jersey, and Bizon and Diamant for Guernsey.

7. V 206: docking for cleaning of the hull bottom.

8. T 14/10: night passage with manoeuvring exercises, St Malo–Guernsey.

Tonnage escorted: 13,300 gross register tons [reading from a darkened line].

B. Intentions for 7 August 1942

1. V 712/08: completion of the night troop convoy of 6/7 August, Alderney–Guernsey. Immediately back via Alderney to Cherbourg.

2. V 711/24/213/08: St Malo, at readiness.

3. V 209/11: completion of the night troop convoy of 6/7 August, Guernsey–Alderney; continuing to Cherbourg for the convoy Cherbourg–Guernsey.

4. M 4605/04: continuation of passage St Malo–Morlaix; during the night of 7/8 August, Morlaix–Lézardrieux with the pilot steamer Gironde.

5. 4611/01 [M omitted in this line]: Guernsey, at readiness.

6. V 206: St Malo, dock.

1500 — Granville roads. M 4611/01 arrived with a convoy; sailed again with a new convoy for Jersey–Guernsey.

1530 — St Malo. V 213/08 arrived from Guernsey with a convoy.

1545 — Cherbourg. V 712/08 arrived from Alderney with a convoy.

1900 — Cherbourg. V 712/08 sailed for Alderney with a convoy.

1910 — Jersey. M 4611/01 arrived from Granville with a convoy; continued to Guernsey with the remainder of the convoy.

2140 — Alderney. V 712/08 arrived from Cherbourg with a convoy.

2200 — Guernsey. M 4611/01 arrived with a convoy from Jersey/Granville.

2215 — Alderney. V 712/08 sailed for Guernsey with a convoy.

Signed: Dr Diederichs.

T-1022 Roll 2423. Corrected translation from the original scan images.
scan 0439, original page 9, and scan 0441, original pages 10–11. These pages are repeated in scans 0440 and 0442 respectively.