The Man Who Never Was • Appendix II

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This webpage reproduces an appendix to
The Man Who Never Was
by Ewen Montagu
published by J. B. Lippincott Company
Philadelphia and New York,
1954

The text is in the public domain.

This page has been carefully proofread
and I believe it to be free of errors.
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p157 Appendix II

Reg. No. Naval War Staff 1 17 189/43. Most Secret.

Distribution: Copy No.	1. Chief Naval War Staff
	2. Naval War Staff
	3. 1a
	4. 1 ops
	5. 1 m
	6. Naval War Staff qu A
	7. " " " " "
	8. 1 f
	9. 1 b
	File 13.

Teleprint MBBZ 02175 of 14.6.43 23.34.

Most immediate GWASL 02633 14.6 2130.

To Supreme Command of the Navy, Naval War Staff.

Also for: General Staff of the Army, Inspector-General of Armoured Troops, Supreme Command of the Navy (Naval War Staff, C.‑in‑C. South, Home Staff, Overseas Branch).

Most Secret

(A) The Fuehrer has issued the following orders for the reinforcement of Sardinia and Sicily.

p158 (1) Measures to be taken by the Army General Staff:

(i) Every island to be provided with a Fortress Infantry Regiment to the strength of one regimental staff with an H. Q. Coy. and 4 battalions. — 3 March Battalions of the June draft to Italy may be used if necessary. In this connection the Fuehrer stressed especially the need to be strongly equipped with local weapons suitable for defence against armour and land attack. For this purpose recourse can even be had to French 2.5 and 3.7 centimetre anti‑tank guns with stick grenades.

The regiments must be ready to move by 28.6.43. If it is not possible to procure the anti‑tank guns needed for Sicily by this time the remaining anti‑tank guns must be sent on by 20.7 at the latest.

(ii) Sardinia to be provided with a Fortress Artillery Abteilung for coastal defence.

Equipment —	2 batteries of 17‑cm. guns.
	1 battery of 10‑cm. guns
(The latter are available from C.‑in‑C. South.)
To be prepared to depart as soon as possible.

(iii) The Sardinia detachment to be provided with 1 anti‑tank coy. with 12 anti‑tank guns for each regiment.

Every lorried infantry coy. of the Sicily detachment to be equipped with 2 anti‑tank guns. If heavy and medium anti‑tank guns are not at first available, recourse must be had to light anti‑tank guns firing stick p159 grenades. The anti‑tank coys. should however be equipped with heavy and medium anti‑tank guns.

(iv) The Sardinia Armoured Coy. to be expanded to an armoured Abteilung with at least 50 tanks (of which at least 25 will be Mark IV) by supplying the necessary units and weapons. To be prepared to move off as soon as possible.

(v) The setting up of an armoured coy. of 20 tanks Mark IV for the 215th Armoured Abteilung in Sicily. (This coy. to be transferred to compensate for the Tiger coy. which was handed over to the Hermann Goering Division.) To be prepared to move off by 15.7.43.

(vi) Several W/T detachments to reinforce the Signals Coy. of the Sardinia Command.

(2) The Supreme Command of the Navy is to form a coastal artillery Abteilung from 3 newly-commissioned batteries and is to transfer them to C.‑in‑C. South for establish to Sicily on call.

(3) C.‑in‑C. South's other requirements must be given lower priority unless a special order to the contrary is given.

(B) (1) The Army General Staff will report to the Supreme Command of the Allied Forces/Operations Staff of the Armed Forces:

(i) The proposed equipment of the Fortress Regiments with anti‑tank guns (statement of calibre) p160 and other heavy weapons (including rifle-grenade apparatus).

(ii) Details of the distribution of the anti‑tank guns according to calibre amongst the other newly-created units and reinforcements required.

(iii) The times at which the individual reinforcements will be ready to move off (to be reported also to Home Staff [Overseas Branch]).

(2) The Supreme Command of the Armed Forces will report to Operations Staff of the Armed Forces and Home Staff (Overseas Branch) when the coastal artillery Abteilungen are ready to move off.

(3) Home Staff (Overseas Branch) will be responsible for the rapid passage of these reinforcements.

(Signed) Keitel,
Supreme Command of Armed Forces /
Operations Staff of the Armed Forces.
Op. No. 002820. Most Secret.

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Many thanks to my late friend
Chelsea Carr Rectanus of Heirloom Books
for the generous loan of this book that enabled me to put it online.

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