Description
Object description
British NCO served with 46th Bn Royal Tank Regt, 23rd Armoured Bde in North Africa and Sicily, Italy, 7/1942-7/1943; trooper served with S Patrol, No 1 Demolition Squadron, Popski's Private Army in Italy, Austria and Yugoslavia, 12/1943-9/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of operations as trooper with S Patrol, No 1 Demolition Squadron, Popski's Private Army in Italy, 12/1943-5/1945: enlistment in 46th Royal Tank Regt, Territorial Army, in Liverpool, GB, 1938; reasons for wanting to volunteer for No 1 Demolition Squadron Popski's Private Army after receiving treatment for burns in Sicilian Campaign; complaining about ration supply in transit camp at Taranto, 11/1943; volunteering for No 1 Demolition Squadron, Popski's Private Army at Taranto, 12/1943; interview with Vladimir 'Popski' Peniakoff; joining S Patrol under Captain John Campbell at Barletta; opinion of Captain John Campbell; attitude of British Army hierarchy to special forces; training in Barletta, 12/1943.
REEL 2 Continues: parachute training; Captain John Campbell's language skills; prisoner snatching raid north of Barletta; advice received from Captain John Campbell; timing of prisoner snatching raid; Vladimir 'Popski' Peniakoff attitude to mechanical breakdowns; reasons why he personally never had mechanical breakdowns; quality of leadership in unit; Vladimir 'Popski' Peniakoff attitude to loss of hand in action; story illustrating Vladimir 'Popski' Peniakoff and Captain John Campbell's relationship, 1944; tendency of Italian Partisans to kill German prisoners; attitude towards capture of German Army troops and Russians serving with German forces.
REEL 3 Continues: question of ignorance of captured Russian prisoners of war; story of how he shot Russian prisoner of war who invited him to rape Italian female civilian near Rimini; attitude of Italian Partisans; Italians serving with unit; relationship between unit and Italian civilians; opinion of Captain John Campbell, his methods of leadership and consultation with his men; capture of large group of German Army troops, 1945.
REEL 4 Continues: mission to Yugoslavia in which unit members were killed after VE Day, 8/5/1945. Aspects of period with No 1 Demolition Squadron, Popski's Private Army in Austria, 5/1945-9/1945: hunt with Soviet Army to capture British personnel who had served with German forces; attitude of Soviets towards No 1 Demolition Squadron, Popski's Private Army. Aspects of operations as trooper with No 1 Demolition Squadron, Popski's Private Army in Italy, 12/1943-5/1945: story of crippling of Sergeant Charles Curtis on landmine and stealing of his watch, Urbino, 8/9/1944; death of Sergeant Dave Porter on landmine, Ravenna, 10/11/1944; fraternisation with Italian civilians in Rimini. Recollections of operations as NCO with 46th Royal Tank Regt, 23rd Armoured Bde in North Africa, 7/1942-5/1943: opinion of Valentine Tank issued to regiment; voyage from GB to Egypt, 1941.
REEL 5 Continues: opinion of Deutsches Africa Korps; experience of being in Valentine Tank under Axis artillery fire; presence of flies in desert; trading chappatis for water with British Indian Army troops, circumstances under which he was hit and wounded during Battle of El Alamein, Egypt, 28/10/1942-29/10/1942; second wounding in North Africa.
REEL 6 Continues: re-equipping of unit with M4 Sherman Tank in Palestine, 1943 including failure of stabilisers. Recollections of operations as NCO with 46th Royal Tank Regt, 23rd Armoured Bde on Sicily, Italy, 7/1943: vulnerability of M4 Sherman Tank; encounter with American paratroopers of 82nd Airborne Div, United States Army; destruction of B Squadron by German forces; story of unwarranted praise from superior officer in unit; wounds received at Gerbini, Sicily, 21/7/1943.
REEL 7 Continues: reprimand he received for throwing out louvre covers from tanks; amusing story of map course in Egypt; later story of Captain John Campbell's uniform in Italy, 1943-1945.