Victory, Patrick Michael (Oral history)

British officer served with Royal Artillery Headquarters, 1st Commonwealth Div in Korea, 1951-1953

REEL 1 Aspects of military service, 1940-1945: reasons for joining 5th Regt, Royal Horse Artillery, 1940; background to service with 7th Armoured Div in North Africa, Italy and North West Europe, 1942-1945; formation of Royal Artillery Headquarters, Woolwich, 4/1951. Aspects of voyage aboard HMT Empire Orwell from GB to Korea, 1950: training; use of liaison officers; organisation of unit; lack of counter-bombardment and counter-mortar fire; conditions on board ship. Recollections of operations with Headquarters Royal Artillery, 1st Commonwealth Div in Korea, 1951-1953: arrival in Pusan, 5/1951; arrival of vehicles; unit communications; signal exercises; use of one command net for communication; command structure; communication links for ordering and requesting fire; opinion of Brigadier William Pike. REEL 2 Continues: opinion of artillery's role during Operation Commando, 10/1951; types of barrage employed; use of smoke and star shells; Chinese tactics; opinion of troops of South Korean Capital Division; relations with US Artillery; contrast in British and American use of artillery; problems in using meteor telegram; support for US 24th Infantry Div; opinion of New Zealand and Canadian artillery contingents. REEL 3 Continues: attachment of South African and Australian officers to headquarters; contrast in attitudes of British and other Commonwealth contingents especially Australian regiments; effect of weather conditions on gun positions; question of use of animal transport; use of Korean porters; opinion of Royal Army Service Corps, Ammunition Coy; question of state of health in Korea; construction of observation posts; incident of observation officer holding off Chinese; composition of 29th British Infantry Bde; use of armoured regiments as close liaison; use of Bofors anti-aircraft guns; coping with cold. REEL 4 Continues: question of need for sleep; command post and use of firing map; defensive fire tasks; close support to British troops on The Hook, 11/1952 and during Operation Commando, 10/1951; use of apparatus correction dial sight; construction of equipment by Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers; aspects of the Battle of The Hook, 11/1952 including attack on 1st Bn Black Watch, artillery tactics employed against Chinese mass attacks and repeat of tactics to support 1st Bn Duke of Wellington's Regt, 5/1953; movement of artillery in Korea; 45th Field Regt Royal Artillery's role during the Battle of the Imjin River, 4/1951; employing interlocking arcs of fire; standing patrols; opinion of batman; daily routine in and out of battle; story relating to service in Normandy, 1944; reaction to effects of artillery. REEL 5 Continues: use of 4.2 Inch Mortar; development of light (mortar) battery into light regiment; Operation Minden and move onto Kansas Line, 2/1953 including introduction of active artillery policy; problems of spotting targets by night; maintenance of guns; calculating holdings of ammunition in theatre; prematures; preparations for Operation Commando, 10/1951; evacuation of casualties and opinion of Indian Field Ambulance; reasons for patrols in no-man's-land; nature of patrols; Chinese patrols; incident when 1st Bn Royal Norfolk Regt patrol was ambushed and saved by artillery observation post officer. REEL 6 Continues: question of shortage of manpower in division; problems of providing reinforcements; quality of gunners; formation of Commonwealth Artillery Training Centre; composition of gun crews; discipline in division; esprit de corps; nature of defensive actions, 11/1951; role of divisional artillery during defensive actions, 11/1951; Chinese artillery tactics; evolving counter-bombardment tactics, 1951-1952; methods of spotting Chinese artillery positions; opinion of Chinese use of artillery and tactics. REEL 7 Continues: work of 1903 Air Observation Post Flight, RAF; decorations awarded to 1903 Air Observation Post Flight, RAF; introduction of Light Liaison Flight; nature of air strikes; United Nations' air forces use of delayed action bombs and napalm; reaction to flying on air strike; contrast between artillery bombardment and air strikes; Chinese counter-bombardments; nature of Chinese artillery; use of harassing fire; change in artillery unit's rest and recreation routine; 1952; establishment of leave centre at Kimpo Peninsula; leave in Japan including trip to shipyards in Kure and opinion of Tokyo; effect of leave; attitude towards Communism; British troops attitude to war. REEL 8 Continues: contact with home; supply of literature; continuation and in-service training; lecturing incoming troops on troopship from Hong Kong to Korea; question of military and personal lessons learnt during Korean War.