Croft, Noel Andrew Cotton (Oral history)

British officer served in Military Intelligence Research in Norway, 1940; officer served with Auxiliary Units, Home Guard in GB, 1940; Military Attaché in Sweden, 1941-1942; served with Special Operations Executive in Mediterranean and France, 1943-1944

REEL 1 Background in GB, Greenland, Norway and Finland and Germany, 1932-1940: involvement in British Trans-Greenland Expedition 1933-1934; learning of languages in Greenland; periods on Spitzbergen Island, Norway and Lapland, Finland and languages learned; period as student in Hamburg, Germany, 1932-1933. Aspects of period as officer with Military Intelligence Research in Norway, 1940: background to joining Military Intelligence Research in GB; arrival in Oslo; watching the landing of German Army troops; discussion with Norwegian sailors in Bergen; activities in Consulate Shipping Advisor's office; British agents captured; escape from Norway; return to Norway; formation of Independent Companies and activities against German Army; reflections on Norwegian Campaign. Recollections of period as officer with Auxiliary Units, Home Guard in GB, 1940-1941: posting to Essex and organisation of patrols; civilian help received; formation of Auxiliary Units; recruitment of patrol leaders; weapons in unit including storage; supply situation; hideouts created; mistakes made in newspaper reports on Auxiliary Units; further details of patrol organisation. REEL 2 Continues: need to keep low profile; contact with Peter Fleming and other Auxiliary Unit staff; desire to leave post as invasion threat lessened; opinion of patrol's chances after an invasion; comparison of Auxiliary Units with French Resistance; exercises; co-operation with British Army and Home Guard; degree of contact with Auxiliary Units after leaving; work advising Admiralty on Combined Operations; opinion of early plans for Normandy invasion. Aspects of operations as officer with Special Operations Executive in Mediterranean, 1943-1944: training of Special Operations Executive and Secret Intelligence Service personnel in Mediterranean; submarine operations to Portofino, Italy; details of missions involved with from Corsica; opinion of Lieutenant Paddy Davies. Aspects of operations as officer with Special Operations Executive in France, 1944: parachute drop; role and activities in France; liberation of Montpellier; opinion of Jedburgh Missions. REEL 3 Continues: problems with Maquis intelligence; method of gaining own intelligence; details of Special Operations Executive Massingham Mission in French Algeria; arrival and events in Montpellier following liberation; story of inspection by French general; Allied invasion of Southern France, 8/1944; handover to United States Army; action in Rhone Valley; information given to Maquis further north from Montpellier. Aspects of period as Military Attaché in Sweden, 1941-1942; story of Malcolm Munter's escape from Norway; details of work as Military Attaché including capture of German Air Force briefcases on train in Norway.