Not a Shot Fired.

Heroes Remember

Not a Shot Fired.

Transcript

Once we started pushing them real hard, especially after Falaise Gap it, they were, they were on the run and they didn't stop to, to fight, like this house to house fighting and that. They, they took right off and, and got, had other places to, like positions that they knew of, like, you know. See, they had everything marked off, everything there. They knew exactly how many feet from one house to the other and all this. Well, it wasn't feet. It was metres and stuff like for them, but... And they knew, you know, where they were going but they'd, they'd run to see, you know, to, to settle down. So, it was a lot easier in, in a lot of ways. I think, Italy and that they had a lot more house fighting and that, you know, that, that was, that was bad, like, you know, like, but, but that's the way, that's why what happen, the same thing when we took Dieppe. Like, we were 2nd Division, and the big raid in Dieppe in '42 was 2nd Division, you know, took a beating, so they wanted us to take Dieppe and we went, we went in one end and they ran out the other end, and there wasn't a shot fired because all their defences was for the water and we come in from the back, so... So, we stayed there for about a week, and they had a big parade there for the guys who were killed through the big, the graveyard. There was a big graveyard there at Dieppe, and... We were outside of Dieppe, like, where they had a big railroad gun that used to shoot over to, I think it was Dover, or something, over to England, anyway. And it was just a bare field, and everything was underground. Like the, all the men lived underground. You go down about 20 feet, I guess, 30 feet, and all their, their huts and everything was about, made out of cement, about three, four feet thick, and they lived right there. Their kitchen, their orderly rooms, everything was under there. They'd take the gun out, fire it, and then run it back in. And right behind that, they had a bunch of wooden artillery guns and, and for, like, decoys, like, you know. And the planes used to come over there and bomb them and strafe them and everything else, but that bare field was where everything was.

Description

Mr. Loranger discusses the clearing of Dieppe and a clever German artillery installation.

Paul Loranger

Mr. Loranger was born in Seseninika, Ontario in 1927. His family later moved to Englehart, Ontario, where his father was employed with the Canadian National Railway, and they were able to ride out the depression in relative comfort. Mr. Loranger joined the army at age 16, became disillusioned when denied entry into the paratroopers, quit, and then re-enlisted. Once in England, however, he joined the Calgary Highlanders, and was quickly sent to France. There, he was involved in driving out remnants of the German Army. He was recalled to England when his age was discovered, and eventually sent home to Canada. He worked for the CNR until his retirement. Mr. Loranger now resides in Harriston, Ontario.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 2:46
Person Interviewed:: Paul Loranger
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Dieppe
Battle/Campaign:: Normandy
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: Calgary Highlanders, 5th Brigade
Rank:: Private
Occupation:: Infantry

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Not a Shot Fired.

Heroes Remember

Not a Shot Fired.

Paul Loranger

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Not a Shot Fired.

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