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Brief Summary of Case 627
Case 627 is one of the most comprehensive Operation Felix files. It is an Army Group D (Intelligence Branch, Ic) appendix volume containing planning documents, reconnaissance reports, artillery fire plans, communications schemes, supply studies, movement schedules, and intelligence material relating to the proposed German assault on Gibraltar in late 1940.
Main Themes
- Deployment of the Assault Force
The file details how XXXIX Army Corps (Group Kübler) would move from France through Spain to the Gibraltar area. It organizes the force into multiple march groups (A-K) and specifies road routes, rail transport, billeting areas, staging areas, and movement timetables.
The planned force included approximately:
- 47,500 personnel
- 1,700 horses and pack animals
- 12,550 vehicles of all types
assigned to the Gibraltar operation.
- Intelligence and Reconnaissance
The volume inventories the intelligence available to German planners, including:
- Gibraltar fortress studies,
- agent reports,
- Abwehr evaluations,
- aerial photographs,
- stereoscopic imagery,
- telephoto photography,
- maps and terrain studies,
- weather and tide information,
- Spanish and Portuguese military assessments.
A major conclusion was that German intelligence believed it had a reasonably accurate picture of Gibraltar's defences, except for the eastern face of the Rock and portions of the tunnel system.
- Artillery Siege Plan
A substantial portion of the file consists of detailed artillery planning.
German artillery was divided into:
- North Group
- West Group
- Coastal Defence South
- Coastal Defence East
with specific firing sectors assigned to regiments and battalions.
Target maps identified objectives numbered 600-659, including:
- Land Port,
- Castle Walls,
- Casemate Barracks,
- King's Bastion,
- galleries and tunnel entrances,
- observation posts,
- artillery batteries,
- anti-aircraft positions,
- harbour installations,
- power stations,
- communication centres.
Artillery preparation was planned to begin days before the attack and then progress through:
- Counter-battery fire,
- Destruction of defensive positions,
- Suppression of anti-aircraft guns,
- Breaching obstacles,
- Moving barrages advancing in 200-metre bounds ahead of the infantry assault.
Examples of artillery-planning documents include:
- Coordination with the Luftwaffe
The file records discussions with Air Corps VIII, which expected to employ roughly 800 aircraft. Planned missions included:
- attacks on the British fleet,
- air strikes on Gibraltar,
- smoke-screen operations,
- suppression of anti-aircraft defences,
- destruction of fortress installations,
- aerial reconnaissance and photography.
German commanders requested smoke screens over the North Mole and support for the assault-boat attacks.
- Communications Network
Extensive planning was conducted for telephone, teleprinter, and radio networks linking:
- OKH,
- Biarritz,
- Hendaye,
- Madrid,
- Valladolid,
- Cáceres,
- Seville,
- the Gibraltar operational area.
Separate tactical communications systems were designed for:
- artillery groups,
- division headquarters,
- Corps headquarters,
- Luftwaffe liaison elements.
- Logistics and Supply
The file contains detailed planning for:
- fuel,
- rations,
- ammunition,
- hospitals,
- workshops,
- repair facilities,
- transport columns,
- railway unloading sites,
- ammunition depots.
Supply support points were planned at:
- Valladolid
- Garrovillas
- Seville
before supplies were concentrated in southern Spain for the attack.
Large ammunition stockpiles were planned for the assault artillery, coastal artillery, and the 1st Mountain Division.
- Spanish Cooperation
Included is Canaris's November 1940 report describing discussions with Spanish authorities regarding:
- reconnaissance personnel,
- labour forces,
- security measures,
- transport,
- hospital trains,
- intelligence concealment,
- protection of supply routes.
Spanish officials repeatedly warned that secrecy would be difficult and expressed concerns about Britain's likely reaction and Spain's weak economic position.
Final Assessment
Case 627 is essentially the master planning and coordination file for Operation Felix. It combines intelligence, reconnaissance, artillery-fire plans, communications systems, movement schedules, logistics, air support arrangements, and Spanish cooperation into a single operational package. Taken together with Cases 217, 239, 338, and 626, it provides one of the clearest surviving pictures of how Germany intended to move forces into Spain, assemble around Gibraltar, bombard the fortress, and support the final assault.
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