Reg Charles

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A veteran interview with

Reg Charles provides an outstanding account of his time in the 1st Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.

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About Reg Charles

Reg was called up to the army in February 1942 and posted to the infantry. While in Dover he recalls shelling from German long-range guns across the Channel.

In July 1944 he joined his unit south of Caen and saw death close-up when four men near him were killed. During the Battle of the Falaise Gap he remembers the stench and decay from the hundreds of human and animal corpses. By now his battalion had suffered fifty percent casualties and was brought back up to full strength.

One time an infantryman jumped out of his trench and ran toward the German lines and was killed, a condition they called ‘Bomb Happy’. On Christmas Eve 1944, his unit was ordered to support American troops engaged in the Battle of the Bulge. When his unit reached Germany the fighting became even tougher, although the population preferred the western Allies to the Soviets.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
David Mishan

Transcripts:
Please note that transcripts and closed captions in the video player are automatically generated by Vimeo.

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