Sinking of the Scharnhorst

Heroes Remember

Sinking of the Scharnhorst

Transcript

When we first went in the, to check out the strength of the enemy it seemed like it was kind of a suicide deal as far as I could see, but I guess the people that were running the thing had different, different thoughts on it. The average soldier, they thought for sure that was just a suicide thing, but I can see now their reasoning. Why they done this thing. I don't know, they waited out in the bay for two or three days before they actually went in to the, head for France. So therefore the Germans knew exactly where they were and what they were doing and everything. But they were, I think they were just checking out to see how strong they were. But when I first went in, we went into this beach and they told us, “If somebody gets shot right beside you, don't stop, keep running.” So I was running on top of dead guys and guys crying and screaming for help. Just don't stop, go. So that's the way we made the land. I saw a man getting his head blown off and he still run for maybe, I don't know, quite a ways. Blood coming straight up, no head. He was still running. You just shut everything out and just run. You don't stop or look much, you just keep your focus ahead and keep going. You don't, don't slow down or nothing. The guy went in to reinforce the Dieppe, the people who were in Dieppe, to help get them back up to strength. Then the first day in action we worked, there's twelve in a section. There was only four of us left. The first skirmish we got into, so that just left four of us to do the work of the twelve on to, pretty well through the whole thing, like. They couldn't get nobody to help us, like. Nobody trained for engineers or stuff. Well, that was okay. From then on, I wiped pretty well everything out that goes from there.

Description

Mr. Brown describes his time in the Arctic Ocean when their British fleet sank the Scharnhorst..

Robert Brown

Mr. Brown was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on March 5, 1924. He was the oldest in his family, having only one younger sister. His father worked as a carpenter with the Canadian National Railway. His mother died when he was in Grade 10. Mr. Brown continued his education before joining the Winnipeg Sea Cadets. In February 1943, he joined the navy and was given the choice to go directly to sea or take a trade. He requested an opportunity to take a diver’s course training. As the Canadian Navy did not offer this course at the time, he received training as a torpedo man instead. During this time, the Canadian government arranged with Britain to take over the British cruiser, HMS Belfast. Mr. Brown was put aboard the cruiser and served as crane operator and torpedo man under British command. After the war, Mr. Brown returned to Canada and held a 35 year career in the field of fire fighting.

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