Scheldt Battle, November 1944.

good day joe brown,sm.may19.2013.12:38pm.re:scheldt battle,November,1o 1944.i have read the british united press re:reconnnassance parties led by lieutenant joe brown(intelligence officer.is that you.it must be.you certainly were in the thick of things,great outcome to battle regards bernard85

Always good to hear from your Bernard. As Battalion Intelligence Officer you were the Tactical Staff officer to the Commanding Officer and in battle you would be by his side. I had to be fully informed about the tactical plan and all its stages of development including artillery fire plan and support weapon programmes.

When he went to Brigade Headquarters I would be with him and while he was receiving orders from the Brigade Commander be separately briefed about the enemy by the Brigade Intelligence Officer. In attack you would be with him when he moved forward to the command the battle and be prepared to set up a Tactical Headquarters when he required that to be done and 'read the progress of the battle'. In defence when he when to visit his forward rifles companies you would be there by his side, taking any notes of changes in tactical policy.

It was normal to be part of a forward reconnaissance party, and I was there to determine the position of the Battalion Headquarters and assist in finding locations for the four Rifle companies and meet the Battalion when it landed from their the Assault Landing Craft and provide guides to direct everyone into their locations as quickly as possible.

When I was appointed I did not like being transferred away from my Rifle Company and losing command of my Platoon. It was close soldiering with men you had trained and come to know and rely on and they relied on you. Within the Company there was always a friendly rivalry between the three Platoons and that was a very special aspect of soldiering and a great privilege to be a part of it. But the Commanding officer wanted me at his headquarters and its compensation was that you where at the centre of things and had the special responsibility of helping him carry out his very demanding and responsible task as Battalion Commander, the lives of our men relying on the quality of his leadership.

You mention Monty. I was privilege to be in his presence on two occasions. The first when he was briefing officers on the situation during the German Ardennes offensive. I was there representing my CO. The second time was when he came to inspect the Battalion when I was Adjutant. There was a lot of preparation for his visit and with the CO had to ensure all was ready and fit to pass his demanding inspection.

Being very young for these jobs of I.O. and Adjutant but having survived the War proved to good training for responsibilities that later came my way as a general manager and director of newspaper publishing companies, managing people and events.

Nice to be in touch and send warm regards.

Joe

good day joe brown,sm.yesterday04:29pm.re:reply to sheldt battle,nov,1944.thank you for a great informative reply,it covers a great area of your service,did you get your promotion to captain before the war ended.interesting that you met general Montgomery,as you said all that training stood you in good staed when you left the army,great to hear from you,regards bernard85