Taking Prisoners

Interviewer: The patrolling that went on during that winter of ‘43- ‘44 was active patrolling?

Oh yes.

Interviewer: Can you tell me a little about the patrolling?

Oh yeah, you'd go out, you know you had to wait until dark, was good and dark, and it had to be very quiet, and just patrol up and down the German lines and see if you could catch somebody. You know, the Germans aren't stupid, they'd stay back, they know those guys were out there, and they're not gonna come out and find out.

Interviewer: Were they patrolling?

They would patrol too. I never seen any of them, but I know they were there. I knew where the Germans were, but I didn't, you know, I wasn't gonna walk into their camp.

Interviewer: Now you were on, on some of these patrols as well?

Oh yes, oh sure I've done lots of them.

Interviewer: And you'd be looking for prisoners?

Looking for prisoners or looking for their position.

Interviewer: Now these fellows that...

If you could take a prisoner, other wise you just shoot.

Interviewer: Okay. So you'd come across somebody in a trench probably, was that the idea?

Well, yeah, pretty well. Yeah, I was going to, slit trenches are all small, and if we was by himself and you could capture him you would. I mean if you point a tommy gun in a guy's face and say, "Achtung," he's gonna give up, or he's gonna go to the happy hunting ground.

Interviewer: Did you take many, did the unit take many prisoners in?

Oh yeah, they took quite a few because they had to have them because they, you know, they wanted to get information on what was going on, and you know, you don't know anything.

Interviewer: The intelligence that would be gathered would it, it would tell you what unit that

soldier was from, I take it?

If he would tell you.

Interviewer: They wouldn't have any insignias?

No, well as a Canadian, even the Canadian Army all you gave was your name and your, you regimental number. But the intelligence would know, if they gave their number who they were.