Richardson, Charles Leslie (Oral history)

British officer served with Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners in India, 1931-1938; served as instructor with Staff College, Haifa, Palestine, 1941; staff officer served with Headquarters, Special Operations Executive in Cairo, Egypt, 9/1941-7/1942; staff officer served with Headquarters, Eighth Army in North Africa and Sicily, Italy, 7/1942-8/1943; staff officer served as Deputy Chief of Staff, United States Fifth Army in Italy, 9/1943-5/1944

REEL 1 Aspects period as officer with Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners in India, 1931-1938: attractions of service in India; work as garrison engineer at Nasirabad, Rajputana Agency; duties and leisure activities during period in charge of Chitral Detachment; initial contact with Brigadier Eric Dorman-Smith at Simla, 1936. Aspects of period as instructor with Staff College, Haifa, Palestine, 5/1941-9/1941: how Brigadier Eric Dorman-Smith asked for him to become instructor; story of how Brigadier Dorman-Smith was removed from staff role with Eighth Army and subsequent career. Recollections of period as staff officer with Headquarters, Eighth Army in North Africa, 7/1942-5/1943: posting to headquarters, 1/1942; orders to acquire General Willoughby Norrie's plan to defend El Alamein Line; atmosphere at Tactical Headquarters, Eighth Army during Axis advance, 7/1942-8/1942. REEL 2 Continues: question of misunderstanding that there was a first Battle of El Alamein; fate of Green Howards during improvised counter-attacks, 1942; visit by Prime Minister Winston Churchill; arrival of General Bernard Montgomery and effect of his initial speech, 8/1942; comparison between state of morale at Tactical Headquarters, Eighth Army and in units; General Bernard Montgomery's public relations organisation; mustering of troops for Battle of Alam el Halfa, 8/1942; prior knowledge of German plans for attack at Alam el Halfa; reaction to failure to follow up Battle of Alam el Halfa with counter-attack; interpretation of General Bernard Montgomery's phrase 'stage managing'; his role during deception plan Operation Baytown prior to Battle of El Alamein. REEL 3 Continues: description of Operation Baytown; importance of security during Operation Baytown; disruptive effects of desert storm during Operation Baytown; his ideas for pursuit of retreating Axis forces after Battle of El Alamein. Aspects of period as staff officer with Headquarters, Special Operations Executive in Cairo, Egypt, 9/1941-7/1942: background to appointment as G1 (Operations); drops of agents from submarines on occupied coasts; his dissatisfaction with methods of receiving signals from Yugoslavia; dispatching agents behind Axis lines in Libya. REEL 4 Continues: plan to attack defences of Tobruk, Libya using German/Austrian Jewish troops serving with British forces. Recollections of period as Deputy Chief of Staff with Headquarters, United States Fifth Army in Italy, 9/1943-5/1944: his meeting with General George S Patton; pre-Salerno landing conferences and how General Mark Clark conducted proceedings; his visit to Salerno beach-head and how he was marooned in Salerno Bay, 9/1943; return ashore with headquarters at Salerno; how General Mark Clark rallied his retreating troops at Salerno; Royal Navy bombardment at Salerno; opinion of role of Royal Navy and American airborne forces at Salerno; his meeting with General Harold Alexander on his arrival at Salerno, 9/1943; political pressure during planning prior to landings at Anzio, 1944. REEL 5 Continues: situation for Allied command at Anzio; overall summary of work with United States Fifth Army. Aspects of period as staff officer with Headquarters, Eighth Army in North Africa and Sicily, Italy, 1/1942-8/1943: pursuit of the Deutsches Afrika Korps after the Battle of El Alamein; alacrity with which General Bernard Montgomery moved to relieve pressure on the United States Army at Kasserine, Tunisia, 2/1943; work as acting Chief of Staff, Eighth Army during final battle in Tunisia, 5/1943; co-operation from Royal Navy for landings on Sicily, Italy 7/1943; reasons for pace at which General Bernard Montgomery conducted campaign on Sicily, Italy, 7/1943.