Vaux, Peter Alfred Lincoln (Oral history)

British officer served with 4th Royal Tank Regt in GB and North Africa, 1940-1941; served as staff officer with Headquarters, 7th Armoured Division, 10/1941-9/1942, with Headquarters, 13th Corps in North Africa, 9/1942-12/1942; served as staff officer with General Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, 1943; student at Haifa Staff College in Haifa, Palestine, 1943-1944; served as brigade-major with 7th Armoured Bde in Italy, 1944

REEL 1 Recollections of period as officer with Reconnaissance Troop, Headquarters Squadron, 4th Royal Tank Regt in GB, 1940-1941: reassembling of unit with Matilda Mark 2 tanks at Tweseldown, 6/1940; billeting in East Grinstead area; railway transportation for tanks; integration of drafts to unit; anti- invasion exercises; defence tactics practised; effect of Matilda tank crossing railway; use of Light Tank Mark 6 C for reconnaissance; methods of navigating and communicating; reconnaissance and recognition training; method of observing potential targets; use of sketches; method of containing German invasion. REEL 2 Continues: degree of intelligence about potential German invasion; establishment of 1st Army Tank Bde; training with Home Guard; occasion when Home Guard dug up civilian's garden. Recollections of voyage from GB to Egypt aboard City of London, 1940-1941: embarking at Liverpool, 12/1940; rations available to officers and men; loss of cookhouse on deck during Atlantic storm; casualties during collision with Elizabethville; scattering of convoy after sighting of Admiral Hipper, 25/12/1940; breakdown of ship; lack of defensive armament aboard City of London; layout of convoy; training and duties as assistant adjutant; methods of relaxation; relations with New Zealand artillery personnel; memories of bumboatmen in Freetown; discipline aboard including court martial. REEL 3 Continues: Aspects of period as officer with 4th Royal Tank Regt in Egypt, 1941: initial impressions of Egypt, 2/1941; kitting out with Middle Eastern kit; fitness training; situation in Mediterranean, early 1941; sources of information; intelligence briefings at General Headquarters, Cairo; methods of navigating in desert using compasses; tactics employed; recreational facilities in Canal Zone; problems with flies; state of unit's health; character of rations and water supply; desert sores and jaundice; degree of knowledge of Italian and German forces; effects of Axis air superiority; tank tactics prior to arrival of Germans; state of unit's tanks on arrival; entraining for Mersa Matruh. Recollections of operations as officer with Reconnaissance Troop, Headquarters Sqdn, 4th Royal Tank Regt in North Africa, 1941: degree of warning on impending action. REEL 4 Continues: assembling near Mersa Matruh; leading regiment through sandstorm; unit deployment; observing German tanks from wadi; camouflaging vehicles; orders to attack Halfaya Pass and Sollum; sight of unit attack; observing German tanks moving on the horizon; contact with Senussi; formation of C Sqdn during attack; start line; line of infantry advance; effectiveness of German anti-tank weapons against Matildas; character of tank stowage; German equipment captured; impressions of German POWs; capture of Fort Capuzzo; loss of unit tank to German anti-tank fire; sight of unlaid mines at Halfaya Pass; unit casualties; lack of protective headgear worn in action. REEL 5 Continues: role of German tanks near Fort Capuzzo; withdrawal of Coldstream Guards at Fort Capuzzo; reasons for not entering fort; effects of German 50mm Anti-Tank gun on Matildas; effects of sand on tank guns; defect in 15mm Besa machine gun; living in crews; daily routine; cooking arrangements and rations; bartering with Arabs; water supply; personal hygiene; water discipline; effect of heat inside tanks; clothing and footwear worn; effects of shortage of sleep; deployment in leaguers overnight. REEL 6 Continues: usual location of line of observation; question of tactical bounds; use of Bren Gun Carriers; German reoccupation of Fort Capuzzo and Halfaya Pass; withdrawal under-fire at Halfaya Pass. Recollections of Operation Battleaxe with Reconnaissance Troop, Headquarters Sqdn, 4th Royal Tank Regt in North Africa, 6/1941: reforming of unit; character of attack on defences of Halfaya Pass; destruction of C Sqdn by German artillery; unit casualties in minefield; capture of German anti-tank mines; effect of German anti-tank screen on A Sqdn; reinforcing of A Sqdn with B Sqdn; his reconnaissance role during battle; limited vision on battlefield; lack of artillery support; attack on Fort Capuzzo area; strength of unit during operation; role of German anti-tank guns at Halfaya Pass; experiences of unit squadron in East Africa. REEL 7 Continues: rates of tank breakdown; orders to withdraw; use of petrol and anti-tank mines to destroy broken down tanks under German shell-fire; story of German tank which followed his tank and its aftermath; question of British strength during Operation Battleaxe; opinion of General Archibald Wavell; impact on morale of failure of operation; briefing procedure for Operation Battleaxe; unit objectives during operation; commanding officer's style of briefing; his own troop briefing and extent of soldier's curiosity; leave in Alexandria; rotation of crews. Recollections of period as staff officer with Headquarters, 7th Armoured Div in North Africa, 10/1941-9/1942: joining headquarters near Mersa Matruh, 10/1941; character of headquarters; use of armoured command vehicles; role monitoring battle and locating Axis formations; communications. REEL 8 Continues: line parties at divisional headquarters; communications with brigade headquarters; messing facilities; use of map boards including security measures; overrunning of headquarters during Battle of Gazala, 5/1942; escape from German armoured cars; documents destroyed during Battle of Gazala; method of keeping war diaries; signal logs; radio watch during night; drill for action in event of attack on headquarters; character of withdrawal during Battle of Gazala, 5/1942; disguising of Armoured Command Vehicles as soft skin lorries; security measures in leaguer; air defence measures; making contact with corp headquarters and his role commanding division; escape of General Messenry and his staff; divisional, corp and brigade communication problems. REEL 9 Continues: role as divisional intelligence officer during Operation Crusader, 9/1941; character of German's counter attack; story of capture of German POW; importance of information gained from POWs; tricking German staff officer into giving information; handling Italian POWs; efforts to take POWs before El Alamein; German officer tricked into identifying his unit; sources of intelligence and intelligence summaries; information gained from Ultra; role updating Axis Order of Battle; intercepting wireless transmissions; producing appreciations from German point of view; concern about myth of Rommel; German use of tanks and anti-tank screens; use of RAF tactical reconnaissance; relations with RAF; field security section; evening order groups; assessment of Axis casualties; value of reports from brigade headquarters. REEL 10 Continues: situation reports; procedures for armoured car reconnaissance; question of overall quality of intelligence picture; problems caused by highly mobile armoured operations; visit to New Zealanders near Sidi Rezegh; daily routine including pre-dawn move, use of morse, importance of negative reports, increased activity towards evening and procedure for evening orders; length of day; personal staff; character of maps used; use of dummy map to deceive Germans at Alam Halfa; night movements; use of despatch riders; role of Field Security Section; capture and interrogation of Arab spy; use of Arab spies; degree of liaison with Long Range Desert Group and Special Air Service. Recollections of operations as staff officer with Headquarters, 13th Corps in North Africa, 9/1942-12/1942: reasons for posting. REEL 11 Continues: intelligence prior to Battle of El Alamein; use of sandtable model for briefing to corps by General Montgomery; General Brian Horrock's demand for after dinner entertainment; capture of German paratrooper, Major Burkhardt after El Alamein; problems for non-motorised Italian troops after El Alamein; information gleaned from Major Burkhardt and recovery of specialist equipment; attempt to use German recoilless rifle; quality of information received from POWs; procedures for interrogating POWs; accommodation at corps headquarters; daily routine at headquarters; opinion of General Brian Horrocks; quality of intelligence during Battle of El Alamein. REEL 12 Continues: contracting jaundice. Aspects of period as staff officer with Armoured Fighting Vehicles Branch, General Headquarters, Middle East Forces in Cairo, 1943: duties training reinforcements and equipment; changes in tactics; daily routine and accommodation; personnel in branch; requests from GB; recreation in Cairo; recovery from jaundice. Period as student at Haifa Staff College in Palestine, 1943-1944: methods of instruction; character of students; occasion when he misplaced his identity card; lack of serious threat from insurgents; visits to Syria and Lebanon; opinion of course. Recollections of operations as brigade major with 7th Armoured Bde in Italy, 3/1944-9/1944: joining unit c3/1944; composition of brigade; character of brigade commander; reasons for sacking of brigade commander during attack on Coriano Ridge on Gothic Line. REEL 13 Continues: aftermath of action at Coriano Ridge; prior recollections of Greek Brigade's mutiny in Alexandria prior to move to Italy including cause of mutiny and ending of mutiny; organisation of brigade headquarters; strength of independent brigade; role as brigade- major; brigade commander's style of command; character of morning prayers; tactical headquarters; landing at Taranto; taking over tanks from 23rd Armoured Bde; terrain and weather on arrival in front-line; condition of roads; living conditions; contact with Italian civilians. REEL 14 Continues: role of independent brigade; attitude to detaching regiments to other brigades; effects of terrain on operations; effects of demolition of bridges and mines; German use of armour and anti-tank weapons; river crossings and bridging operations; essential to complete bridges overnight; move to Bracciano; training with Duplex Drive tanks and amphibious vehicles; movement across Italian peninsula; written and verbal orders; exercises for breakthrough; communication problems; brigade nets; logistic arrangements; use of infantry in half tracks; air support; nature of the 'bomb line'; lack of German Air Force activity; character of German artillery fire; occasion when tactical headquarters was badly shelled; attempts of spot German observation posts; artillery support from self propelled guns. REEL 15 Continues: use of divisional and corps artillery; story of reconnaissance troop of 2nd Royal Tank Regt contact with US troops during capture of Rome, 6/1944; troop's nickname for brigadier; quality of intelligence; security measures; crowded nature of radio airwaves; problems of operating radios in Italy; use of liaison officer and personal visits to units; German morale; condition of German POWs; wounding by German shell-fire near San Marino; medical treatment received for wounds in San Marino; condition of his wounded driver; medical treatment at Advanced Dressing Station; death of wounded German POW during night; character of German POWs; method of moving armour through mountains; role of Churchill tanks in mountains.