Description
Object description
German Jewish civilian in Berlin, Germany, 1918-1938; escaped to GB, 1938; private served with Pioneer Corps in GB, 1940-1943; gunner with Anti-Tank Regt Royal Artillery in GB and North Africa, 1943- 1944; served with 81st Anti-Tank Regt Royal Artillery in Italy and Palestine, 1944-1946
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Berlin, Germany, 1918-1938: family home; family; memories of childhood including impact of First World War; education including later contact with fellow students and teachers; question of religion and nationality including learning about German history; reasons for avoiding bullying; story of meeting former school colleagues after they had joined SS; initial reaction to Adolf Hitler; story of Nazi demonstration in 1928; depression and fear of Communism among industrialists; work of father; story of father's death; sub-letting of home; memories of brother Gerhard including involvement with Communist Party; memories of childhood.
REEL 2 Continues: discussion of the rise of Communist and Nazi Parties including story of family holiday and impressions of Joseph Goebbels; involvement and subsequent disillusionment with Communist Party; appointment of Hitler as Chancellor including letter written to brother; changes to life in Germany including contact with one of the regime's first victims; period brother spent in hiding and his eventual arrest; change in atmosphere in Germany including story of anti-Hitler demonstration, 1/1933; start of anti-Semitic behaviour including 1/4/1933 Jewish business boycott; story of watching the destruction of Jewish businesses, 1/4/1933, including resistance of ex-army officer; desire to work in film industry; expulsion from school; banning of Jews from film and theatre.
REEL 3 Continues: civilian work selling buttons including relationship with non-Jewish Germans; methods of helping family during depression; non-Jewish freelance workers and details of government- sponsored companies set-up; loss of job and restriction of working opportunities for Jews; introduction of Nuremburg Laws, 1935, and subsequent changes to life; detail of joining Nazis during Jewish boycott, 1/4/1933; story of name used while in Communist Party and photograph taken by young Nazi at school; search for work in Belgium; advice given to leave Germany; help gained in organising emigration; allocation of new passports and arising problems; decision to emigrate rather than collect new passport; preparation for journey to London via Belgium; train journey to Belgium, 3/1938, and events on border at Aachen; story of couple met during voyage across English Channel including arrival in London. Aspects of period as civilian in GB, 3/1938-10/1939: uncertainty of situation; advice given to contact Jewish community; visit to organisation at Tavistock Square and issue of tourist visa; details of relatives accommodated with in Golders Green including business set-up.
REEL 4 Continues: details of civilian work making chocolate truffles; accommodation and pay; application to stay in country including deterioration of situation in Germany and method to delay proceedings; memories of aunt; details of chocolate truffle customers; gaining of visa extensions; Kristallnacht, 9- 10/11/1938, and subsequent influx of refugees; contact with mother; question of concern about visa; desire to join army following German invasion of Poland and outlook of civil servants; reaction to outbreak of war; description of alien tribunal, 10/1939, and results; call-up. Aspects of period as private with 77 Coy Pioneer Corps in GB, 1/1940-10/1943: journey to and details of Richborough Camp near Sandwich; issue of uniform; oath; background of troops; sorting into unit; story of sergeant denying he had been at same school; pattern of training; posting and duties in Donington; reaction to non-combatant role; story of visit to Wehrmacht camp in Germany and comparison with early experience of British Army; background of NCOs; details of role looking after water supply.
REEL 5 Continues: work in office at time of Dunkirk evacuation; posting to water supply; story of telephone call from War Office; posting to Long Marston; details of Bailey Bridges; role at Long Marston; lengths of postings; inefficiency of staff replaced at Donington; details of cooks and meals; discipline; decision to move refugees out of Pioneer Corps; desire of some Pioneers to see action; issue of rifles; reasons for volunteering to leave unit; details of replacement troops and company; story of intelligence agent posing as a Swiss Pioneer and interview before leaving Pioneer Corps; process of tests and interviews including choice of posting and preparation from previous interviewees. Aspects of period as gunner with Anti-Tank Regt Royal Artillery in GB, 10/1943-2/1944: reception on arrival at Richmond Station and at Catterick Camp including reactions to discovery of unit's nature; opinion of treatment received; details of gun displays; posting to Conwy; description of treatment and rations during battle training; opinion of role of battle training; further details of battle training.
REEL 6 Continues: embarkation leave and journey to Liverpool. Aspects of journey from Liverpool, GB, to Algeria, 2/1944: details of ship; conditions onboard including sleeping arrangements; scenes in Glasgow harbour; make-up of convoy; route taken to Africa; scenes while passing Gibraltar; disappearance of escort; arrival in Algiers. Aspects of period as gunner with Anti-Tank Regt Royal Artillery in North Africa and Italy, 3/1944: journey inland to Blida; area around camp; accommodation; washing and drying of clothes; posting to transit camp in Algiers; population of camp; story of talking about experiences in Germany and opportunity of posting with General Headquarters; relationship with British troops including guard duties during voyage; learning of English; period in Naples transit camp; knowledge of war in Italy; move to American 5th Army; voyage to Anzio including details of vessel; details of Anzio and the landings; arrival at Anzio. Aspects of operations as gunner with 81 Anti-Tank Regt Royal Artillery in Italy, 3/1944-1/1945: reception on arrival with regiment including details of B Battery; situation at Anzio including relieving boredom of war; German activity; humour among troops including description of dive bombing; relationship with fellow troops; story of night with signals section and isolated 17lb gun; memories of NCOs and officers; posting to isolated 17lb gun; journey forward to gun; problems with post.
REEL 7 Continues: details of captain and crew at 17lb gun post; briefing for guard duties including living conditions; reactions to being on guard in No Man's Land; reaction to ban on shaving; scenes of German and Allied lines; periods of quiet and bombardment including events during pauses in bombardment; details of temporary hospital at Anzio including shelling received; German interception and boarding of Red Cross ambulance boats; later scenes of massacred civilians; opinion of why German Army were respectful to British and American opposition; comrades' knowledge of his nationality; hopes if taken POW; changing of name; story of parcel received while at 17lb gun post; reaction to parcel's contents; activities after period at 17lb gun post including cinema and rations; relationship between officers and other ranks in line; organisation of medal awards; breakout from beachhead and plan for advance on Rome; withdrawal of unit from Anzio; scenes during advance on Rome; German withdrawal from Rome; details of abandoned German Headquarters including transcripts of interviews with Allied POWs; reception on arrival in Rome; story of letter about naturalisation; story of talk from officer Ben Levy before visit from General Penney; visit to a synagogue in Rome with Ben Levy; story of audience with Pope Pius XII.
REEL 8 Continues: details of advance north from Rome; story of fighting between Italian forces on arrival in Florence; bridges destroyed in Florence; crossing of Arno River; initial accommodation; German withdrawal and details of Gothic Line; concerns over possible return of Germans; accommodation and relationship with civilians including reasons for keeping nationality secret; story of Hungarian with Psychological Welfare Unit including details of Allied and German propaganda leaflets; offer of position with Psychological Welfare Unit; disillusionment among refugee troops; reaction of officer to suggestion refugee troops should leave unit; reason for not joining Psychological Welfare Unit; story of reconnaissance patrol in San Lorenzo; problems from weather during advance; description of shelter taken in mountains and subsequent shelling; further details of problems from weather during advance; changes in German Army after 20/7/1944 assassination attempt and story of General Wolff.
REEL 9 Continues: voyage to Palestine. Aspects of period as gunner with 81 Anti-Tank Regt Royal Artillery in Palestine, 1/1945-6/1946: reactions on arrival in Haifa; posting to and details of Gaza; size and population of Palestine; description of Jewish settlements; civilian workers in camp; Russian Jews in Palestine including attitude of one couple to Arab civilians and own reaction; cinema and story of owner; details of Arab civilians including attitude toward Jewish population; details of division posted to and changes to uniform; training for war in Far East; duties in office including drafting for Burma; contact with mother during war; selection for leave in Britain and attempt to get out of it; details of leave including attempt to gain posting in Germany and learning fate of mother; details of compensation; reactions to learning about mother's death; return to Palestine; problems with back and hospitalisation.
REEL 10 Continues: atmosphere in Palestine following VE Day; story of soldier shot while on guard; change of relationship with comrades; offer of posting to POW Camp; details of POW Camps for SS; examples of anti-Semitism among troops and relationship with Jewish civilians; discussion of situation including comparison with experiences in Germany; naturalisation; reflections on army service and background in Germany; discussion of national identity; story of brother including reasons for evacuation to Crimea, interrogations from KGB, 1938-1939, and death.
