Sergeant Arne Knudsen

Arne Knudsen was taken on strength 31 Battery, 15th Coast Brigade RCA in 1939. He rose quickly in the ranks due to previous experience in the Danish Navy and the International Brigade in Spain. He was a Sergeant in 1940 and then transferred to 111th Battery, 7th Anti-Tank Regiment RCA. The pictures detail a bit of the life in Shilo, MB after leaving the 15th, a train ride back home on leave and a final photo that appears to be in England.

Arne Knudsen Tapes
Members of the Warrant Officers' and Sergeants' Mess taped several sessions of Arne Talking about his early  life in Denmark, his days as a Merchant Seaman, Danish Navy service, service with the International Brigade in Spain and his wartime experience with the 15th (Vancouver) Coast Artillery, RCA and the 7th Anti-Tank Regiment, RCA.  The five hour tape has been divided into 20-30 minutes segments.  Thank you to Warrant Officer Mike Meehan, Sergeant Brian Holt and Sergeant Rob Garret for preserving some of our past.

Episode 1 – Early Days in Denmark
00:30 Childhood in Denmark
03:10 Arriving Canada 4 March 1929
04:20 History of the Uncles
07:25 The Farm in Manitoba
12:05 Hired by the Railway
15:40 Hired by Lumber Company
16:50 Young Communist League of Canada
19:30 48 Hours to get out of Winnipeg
20:15 Gambling on Pender Street
22:00 Sailed to the Far East
26:30 Relief Camp

Episode 2 – Danish Navy, 
The International Brigade
00:12 Drafted into the Navy
01:30 The Royal Yacht
05:50 Spain
12:25 Joins Artillery
17:10 Arrested by French Gendarmes
18:30 To South America
19:40 Back to Canada

​Episode 3 – The Canadian Army
00:12 Bought a Chicken Farm
01:50 Tries to enlist
05:00 Narrows North
07:00 The Enrolment Process
08:58 The Wrong Signal
18:50 Black Ice
19:50 Volunteers for Overseas
18:30 Correcting the Records
22:30 Forming Anti-Tank Battery
25:00 Met Wife

Episode 4 – England
​00:00 Correcting the Records
00:30 Brigadier General Tees
02:20 Signals Course
03:15 OP Timber Wolf
05:30 School Bombing
06:30 The Focke Wulf
12:00 Dieppe
14:00 Commando Course
18:00 Off-Duty Time
21:00 On Schemes

Episode 5 – Sicily to Ortona
00:14 Leaving England
02:22 Training in Algiers
04:40 Leaving Algiers
05:50 Landing in Sicily
06:30 Accepts surrender of Italian fort
09:21 The M7
14:39 Stan Kowalski
16:40 Southern Italy
17:55 Listening to Montgomery
23:00 Ortona

Episode 6 – Captured
00:14 Taken prisoner
03:14 Arne escapes
08:50 Arrested by Kiwis
10:40 Cassino
11:04 The baby delivery
16:50 The driver is killed
18:45 Sergeant Van Norman is killed
21:35 Arne wounded
26:00 Ortona
28:25 8th Army
30:10 Prisoners

​Episode 7 – Northern Italy
00:14 The Loyal Edmonton Regiment
02:43 Melfa Crossing
07:53 Lira Crossing
09:10 Anzio
11:45 D-Day news
13:47 Gurkhas & Indians
16:25 Rimini
22:45 Perth Regiment
24:45 The Villa – The Tenor and Soprano
31:20 Hitler Line
36:50 Rabbits

Episode 8 - Tennessee Rangers
00:00  Introduction
01:37    Capturing the house
09:03   German Sergeant
17:05     Arne Wounded
18:10      The 17 Pounder
21:18       Arne Hospitalized
02:16      Mail back home
25:12       Cigarettes
28:55      VE Day

Episode 9 – Questions about Italy
00:14 Shot by a sniper
02:09 The Drunk POW
07:09 The German in the slit trench
08:28 Luger, Sam Browne and Dagger
11:36 Timelines
13:56 Potato Champagne
14:55 Were you always on the move?
16:17 Did you stay with the same gun?
19:30 Boxcar numbers

Episode 10 – More Questions
00:11 Sammy Witt
02:56 We were all scared
05:52 Americans in the unit
09:15 On leave in England
10:54 Nelson Batteries
12:40 Manning anti-aircraft in Dover
14:15 Government assistance
16:05 Stake horse
21:15 The Delta property
27:30 Proud to be a Dane

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