Good Morning
This weekend we will be busy getting sites ready for visitors and polishing up a new tour route. It feels like years since we did anything with you all and we are looking forward to meeting you again!
For volunteering at our sites for research and maintenance please contact us so we can come up with a rota and more details for you info@jerseywartours.com
80 years ago today in Jersey 19th February 1941
Today would be the 234th day of the Islands Occupation with 1,540 days remaining.
"Much activity among the troops. Practically the whole of the Air Force leaves. and many of the residences and hotels containing personnel are emptied; stores and equipment are also being taken away in small ships. Some of the men say they are going to Africa, but none of them appears to be very happy at the prospect of leaving Jersey. "
Leslie Sinel
Civilian working at the Evening Post (Jersey)
Further afield
19th February 1941
The commonwealth graves commission record 170 deaths this day 80 years ago, the average age was 32.
Atlantic
5During the week ended noon, Wednesday, the 19th February 1941, 842 ships, including 155 allied and 13 neutral, were convoyed, of which one was lost by enemy action. One battleship. 2 cruisers, 7 armed merchant cruisers, 35 destroyers and 39 sloops and corvettes were employed on escort duty. Imports into Great Britain by ships in convoy this week totalled 933,382 tons, twice as much as the amount imported last week. Twenty-eight tankers brought in 284,127 tons of oil compared with only 43,139 tons in the previous week. Cereals amounted to 144,478 tons as compared with 60,490 tons. Other food imports totalled 93,840 tons compared with 119,883 tons last week. Mineral imports totalled 250,255 tons, the corresponding figure last week being 164,208 tons. Timber amounted to 47,849 tons compared with only 4,000 tons last week. General cargoes and sundries totalled 112,833, more than twice the amount of the previous week. Many aeroplanes and a large number of lorries were also imported.
Luftwaffe Action
Lowestoft was unsuccessfully attacked at noon on the 19th, and during the evening the Royal Naval Hospital at Plymouth was hit and slightly damaged by a direct hit from a small bomb.
Occupation Focus
The cover of today's blog is the German Strongpoint Etacquerel . Stützpunkt St.P Etacquerel is found on the west of Jersey and Includes a"Hohlgangsanlage Tunnel" HO Etacquere. There are several key bunkers here; Jaegerstand SK Type casemate incorporating a 6-loopholed turret, a Type 670 casemate connected to a tunnel system, a SK searchlight shelter., 2 x shelters for heavy machine gun/mortar crews, a ringstand for APX-R turret. There is also a small emplacement for the twin MG34.
German Record Details
2 x 10,5 cm K331 (f) 2 x sMG34 (Sechssharter) 2 x sMG34 2 x 5cm Fest.Grw.210 (f) 1 x 3,7cm KwK 144 (f) mit MG 311 (f) 1 x Zwillingssockel.
Book Recommendation
The February book recommendation is "Six Days." The story centres around the paratroopers of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division and the brave citizens of the quiet French hamlet. The battle of Grainges maybe not be known as some of the invasion stories but this beautifully illustrated novel captures the true story.
Exploring bunkers Always get permission from the owner Take a torch, a spare and one more for luck Don't go alone & tell someone where you will be and for how long You will get dirty as most are often full of rubbish and may have been used as a public toilet Anything you find still belongs to the person that owns the property Unexploded ordnance is still found in Jersey if you see or find anything that looks like ordnance please call the bomb disposal officer on 01534 612 61
Sources of Information German Documents are housed at The National Archived in Washington or Archive in Kew UK T-78 Roll 317: OKH Coastal and Channel Defenses Files 1940-44 -
T-78 Roll 318: OKH Coastal and Channel Defenses Files 1941-43
T-315 Roll 1639: 216th Security Division War Diary
(Kriegstagebuch), Belgium, France & Russia 1939-42
T-1022 Roll 2423: Various War Diaries (Kriegstagebucher), Channel Islands 1941-44
Atlantic Wall Coastal Battery Lists: Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, & France 1944-45
T-312 Roll 1559: 7th Army War Diary (Kriegstagebuch), France 1941-43 & T-312 Roll 1558
T-315 Roll 1643: 216th Security Division War Diary
(Kriegstagebuch), Belgium, France & Russia 1939-41
T-311 Roll 16: Army Group D War Diary (Kriegstagebuch), Western Front Aug-Nov 1944 Operation Green Arrow - Occupation of the Channel Islands MOD 584 Allied Technical Intelligence Reports 1942-45 German Preparations for Invasion of the United Kingdom 1941-42 B-833, 319th Infantry Division (1941-45) German Seacoast Defenses, European Theatre - prepared by the Artillery Evaluation Board
BBC News & Archives
The Britannica Jersey Occupied by Michael Ginns - ISBN 978-1-905095-29-2 Operation Nestegg Plans Operation Hardtack Plans Operation Basalt Plans RAF Photos care of The National Collection of Aerial Photography
The National Archive of Newspapers Bundesarchiv - Multiple Photos - and Files A Map of slave labour camps. Kindly Provided by Emilio Pérez Photo's and information provided by fans Onsite visits & internet research
Cabinet Papers Second World War memoranda (cab 661- cab 665) After the Battle Multiple Magazines
CIOS Archive & Publications (become a member here)
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Jersey War Tours is Registered with the Jersey Financial Services Commission as a Non-Profit Organisation - NPO1207
Jargon Help
Widerstandsnest (WN) = Resistance Nest (RN) A small pocket of resistance would be made up of small groups of up to 10 men with light weapons. They would man Anti-tank weapons, an observation post or a field gun. Stützpunkt St.P = Strongpoint (STP) Next level up from an RN and consisted of several RN's. STP areas would have a combination of weapons and different branches of the military used. Examples of this can be found with Strongpoint Greve de Lecq and Strongpoint Corbiere Einsatzstellung = Operational Position or Action Post Smaller MG type position generally it was only maned during an alert Feldwache = Field Watch Early resistance nest
Jägerstand
Jäger Casemate was a special design and name for bunkers designed to hold a 10.5cm field gun
