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Oral history interview with Peter Fussell

Oral History | Digitized | Accession Number: 1995.A.1285.38 | RG Number: RG-50.149.0038

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    Oral history interview with Peter Fussell

    Overview

    Interview Summary
    Peter Fussell describes joining the army in 1939 when he was 16 years old; joining the Commandos in 1940; his operations as a private with the 4 Commando during the Dieppe Raid in France on August 19, 1942; preparations for the raid, the briefing, and crossing the English Channel; the nature of the target site; the results of the attacks on the German artillery positions; contact with French civilians; landing and his section's task; breaches of security before the raid; the reorganization of commando units after the Dieppe Raid; Exercise Harlequin in September 1943; training for D-Day in Great Britain 1942-1944; training on the Sussex coast; moving to a transit camp in the Southampton area; D-Day briefing; stand down because of weather; his operations as a private with Headquarters, 1st Commando Brigade (Special Service Brigade, 1st) during the landings on Sword Beach, Normandy during D-Day on June 6, 1944; the assembling of an armada in Solent; experiencing seasickness crossing English Channel; the impressions made by ships firing; rumors before landing; landing on Sword Beach; the German opposition; the importance of getting off the beaches quickly; reasons why he did not have a dry landing; the armored support; the first German POWs; linking up with airborne troops on Pegasus bridge; taking up positions at Le Plaine; using code words; German infiltration attempts; the use of German nationals as interpreters and translators; the wounding of Lord Lovat; changes in command of the brigade; the use of captured weapons to deceive Germans; the German use of eastern Europeans; his opinion of German troops; the superiority of Allied air forces; his attitude towards Hitler Youth troops; the character of the static warfare from June 1944 to August 1944; penetration behind German lines; crossing River Seine; the period re-grouping in England September 1944; crossing the River Maas, Netherlands in January 1945; crossing the River Rhine in March 1945 and the nearness of the Allied bombing; the devastation of Wesel, Germany; the killing of a German field marshal; the capture of a V weapon site; the capture of a bridge over the River Aller; a bayonet attack by 6 Commando near Belsen, Germany; the behavior of liberated Russian POWs in the Neustadt area; the story of the breaking of Field Marshal von Milch's baton; the restraining of commandos by Royal Artillery from killing SS troops; and various aspects of withdrawal of the 1st Commando Brigade from Germany in May 1945.
    Interviewee
    Peter Fussell

    Physical Details

    Language
    English
    Extent
    2 sound cassettes (90 min.).

    Rights & Restrictions

    Conditions on Access
    There are no known restrictions on access to this material.
    Conditions on Use
    Restrictions on use. Permission to copy and/or use recordings in any production must be granted by the Imperial War Museums.

    Keywords & Subjects

    Administrative Notes

    Holder of Originals
    Imperial War Museum
    Provenance
    The interview was conducted by the Imperial War Museum as part of their retrospective oral history interview program. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum acquired a copy of the interview with Peter Fussell from the Imperial War Museum in February 1995.
    Record last modified:
    2023-11-16 08:17:29
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn510846

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