Description
Object description
British NCO served as interpreter/interrogator with 131 Armoured Bde, 7th Armoured Div in North West Europe, 1944-1946
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of background in Manchuria, China and Hamburg, Germany, 1914-1935: Latvian father's business and lifestyle as child in Manchuria; journey to Germany, 1924. father's egg importing business; education including awareness of rising militarism and sporting activities; question of partially Jewish background; work as frozen poultry salesman and apprentice in egg business; visits to GB. Period of national service with Machine Gun Coy, Riga, Latvia, ca 1935-1936: call up; reception and question of inability to speak Latvian; training on Vickers machine gun and rifle.
REEL 2 Continues: drill; route marches; relationship with instructors and ORs; completion of course; Period in Hamburg, Germany, 1936-1939: question of effects of rise of history; work for egg products firms in Rumania and Czechoslovakia; German invasion of Czechoslovakia; awareness of German rearmament and decision to move to GB; obtaining visa and journey to GB, 1939. Period in London, 1939-1940: allowance from family firm; reactions to outbreak of war, 3/9/1939; work as lorry driver clearing bomb damage rubble for Hendon Council, 1940-1941; relationship with council workers; question of German air raids.
REEL 3 Continues: volunteering to join army, 9/1941. Period with MT training unit, Royal Engineers at Ripon, 10/1941-1/1942: opinion of recruits; kitting out; drill; rifle training; route marches; driving and maintenance courses; football activities and story of postponement of posting to play in cup final; PT instructors' course; period as PT instructor; background to application for active service. Period as driver with RE BN in GB, 1942: training in mines; minimal role as driver. Period as driver with 503 Coy, RE at Highgate, London, 1942: desert kit; relationship with NCOs. Voyage out to Egypt, 1942: boat drill; conditions; route via Cape Town, South Africa. Aspects of period in Egypt, Iraq and Libya, 1942-1943: desert familiarisation at Ismailia, 1942; role in Iraq, 1942; move to Tobruk; role driving Continental armoured car; hospitalisation with attack of dysentery.
REEL 4 Continues: leave. Period with RE unit attached to 131 Armoured Bde, 7th Armoured Div in North Africa, Italy, GB and North West Europe, 1943-1944: waterproofing MT; landing at Salerno, 9/1943; necessity of malaria precautions; role of sappers clearing teller mines; erection of Bailey bridge over River Volturno and effects of German fire; advance to River Garigliano, 12/1943; identification of Russian and German language skills and role as interpreter reporting to intelligence officers; study of German military organisation; voyage back to GB, 12/1943-1/1944; period at Brandon, 1/1944-6/1944; landing in Normandy, France, 6/1944. Recollections of period as interpreter/interrogator attached to Headquarters, 131 Armoured Bde; nature of HQ; relationship with Captain Mitchell and Sergeant Kendall; interrogation of German prisoner and success in identifying unit.
REEL 5 story of interrogation of Austrian NCO to identify targets for air attack; story of interrogation of German from V weapons site; composition of HQ; situation, 6/1944-8/1944; advance into Belgium; routine duties; occupation of Ghent, 9/1944; advance into Netherlands; situation following Arnhem operations; relationship with Dutch civilians; move up to German border; story of interrogating German pioneer NCO to discover location of minefield laid around Posterholt; story of US propaganda broadcast in attempt to persuade German troops to surrender; first impressions of Brigadier John Spurling; crossing Rhine, 3/1945; acting as interpreter on requisitioning castle as billet; story of captured German cadets; advance to Hamburg area and value of prior knowledge of area; effects of discovery of Belsen Concentration Camp; forcing local German civilians to visit Bergen Concentration Camp.
REEL 6 Continues: use of field message book to inform HQ of captured prisoners and preliminary intelligence findings; question of German opposition; relationship with German civilians; establishing HQ at Klechen; Soviet wireless messages; rejection of German delegation requesting suspension of British artillery fire; arrival of General Wolz; story of acting as interpreter during Hamburg area surrender negotiations between General Wolz and Brigadier John Spurling, ca 30/4/1945, including review of unconditional surrender conditions, change in attitude following news of death of Hitler and attitude of German staff officer; advance into Hamburg, ca 3/5/1945; securing hotel billet for Brigadier Spurling; question of non-fraternisation; renewal of advance to Flensburg; role disarming German troops retreating from Denmark; removal of Nazi insignia from German prisoners; opinion of Brigadier John SPurling; acting as interpreter during negotiations to arrange for feeding German prisoners; VE Day, 8/5/1945. Recollections of period as part of advance party in Berlin, 1945-1946: role acting as Russian interpreter for international column.
REEL 7 Continues: passive resistance of Soviet troops to progress of international column; establishment of British sector on entry into Berlin; acting as interpreter in negotiations over Soviet patrols and border disputes; visit to Soviet general's house; provisional promotion to second lieutenant; acting as adjutant and organising Allied sports competition; value as Russian/German interpreter; reversion to sergeant on departure of Brigadier John Spurling; arrival of civilian Control Commission; story of taking present to Marshal Zhukov. Period in Westphalia, ca 1946-1947: hockey activities; question of black market. Reactions to demobilisation, ca 1947. Post-war career: career in food importation industry; visits to Germany.
