German Naval Signals Headquarters

Useful Information

Location:	St Jacques, St Peter Port, GY1 1SN. St. Jacques, near St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands. Next door to La Collinette Hotel. (49.461064, -2.546351)
Open:	Mid-MAR to OCT daily 10:30-15. Closed 06-MAY. [2023]
Fee:	Adults GBP 4, Children (7-18) GBP 1.50, Children (0-6) free, Students GBP 1.50. [2023]
Classification:	World War II Bunker
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	German Naval Signals Headquarters, St Jacques, St Peter Port, GY1 1SN, Tel: +44-1481-226518. E-mail: Guernsey Museums & Galleries, Candie Gardens, St Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 1UG, Tel: +44-1481-226518. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Autumn 1943	work on the bunker began.
01-FEB-1944	the Seeko-Ki Bunker was operative.

Description

In the summer of 1942 the Headquarters of the German Naval Commander Channel Islands (Seeko-Ki) were established in Guernsey at the hotels La Collinette and La Porte Hotel. But as the radio communications were a vital part of all operations, the decision was taken to build permanent bunkers in the grounds of La Collinette Hotel. Work began in the Autumn of 1943 and the bunker was operative on 01-FEB-1944.

The bunker consists of two parts, the part which was built first is the so called M.N.O. Bunker. M.N.O. is the German abbreviation of Marine Nachrichten Offizier (Naval Signals Officer). The commander of the Signals Headquarters was Oberleutnant Willi Hagedorn. Seeko-Ki, the second part of the bunker, is linked by a short tunnel and was completed later, also a detached generator bunker.

The Headquarters handled all the important radio signals traffic for the German forces in the Channel Islands. They received and transmitted messages which were encrypted using Enigma enciphering machines. The callsign of the station was "Flu". The most important time of this installation was after the Allied landings in Normandy. However, at this time the Enigma encryption was already deciphered and the Germans gave important details of their strategy to the British Secret Service, which they believed to be absolutely secure.

Today the bunker is a museum which is completely equipped with radio, Enigma machines, two rare Siemens 12 rotor Geheimschreiber machines. But there are also a fully equipped bedroom, bath and toilet, which gives some idea how the Germans lived here.