THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION ALBERTA-NWT COMMAND www.abnwtlegion.com 209 Martin was born in Norway in 1905. For the most part, his personal wartime history is inseparable from that of the companies in which he served, especially 12th Field Company RCE. Therefore, a quick review of his time prior to joining 12 Field Coy RCE is given, followed by the activities that he participated in during his time with that unit. Some personal anecdotes of his service are presented after that. July 1941 – April 1942 He signed up in Edmonton, Alberta, and was assigned to the Royal Canadian Engineers. He then received initial training in Toronto and Petawawa. He left Halifax on April 9, 1942 and arrived in Gourad, Scotland on April 19, 1942. April 1942 – October 1943 As with most of the Canadian Army, he participated in both infantry and engineer training in the United Kingdom. This included both large and small exercises and similar activities often referred to as schemes of war games (e.g., Operation Spartan). His unit at the time (2nd Battalion RCE) completed many construction projects, generally referred to as works. Among these were the construction of big airfields for RAF Bomber Command, the one at Dunsfield being perhaps the biggest job. It played a major role in the air war basing both bombers and fighters. Some of the main activities included construction of Bailey bridges, laying of mines and booby traps, use of mine detectors and other demining techniques, river crossing in small boats, building firing positions and tank obstacles. Weapons training included rifles, Bren guns, and mortars. During this time, the Canadian Army was one of the primary forces involved in the defence of the UK, in case of invasion. Although this never occurred, his unit was hit by some machine gun fire and bombs during air raids. Deaths and injuries occurred during training. October 1943 to February 1945 Martin Olausen was transferred to the 12th Field Company Royal Canadian Engineers (12th Fld Coy RCE) in October 1943. This unit was sent to Sicily disembarking on November 9, 1943. They became part of the Operation Timber-wolf Convoy on troopship Edmund B. Alexander. The convoy was attacked, including losing some ships, though 12 Fld Co’s ship was not hit. The company was attached to Canadian 1 Corps, which was part of the British 8th Army. It served in Sicily during November and December 1943, performing typical engineer unit duties. (e.g., bridges, water points, mines and road maintenance). They moved to Italian mainland in January 1944, with stops at Altamira, Campomarino, and other locations in Southern Italy. In February 1944, they continued up to San Vito Marino. This included spending some time clearing mines and similar work around Ortona, which had recently been captured by Canadian troops. Training continued focusing on bridges, mines, and road maintenance. March 1944, they were in Campomairno and Bonefro areas near Ortona, Adriatic area. They continued infantry training, bridge construction, minesweeping and pulling mines. They also constructed water points (sources of water for the army) and did training for pontoon bridging and the use of folding boats for water crossings. During April 1944, they did some training in the Telese area, then moved across to the western side of Italy to the Monte Casino area. There was further training and building of Bailey bridges. They ran a mine school (training other elements of the army in mine detection and pulling) and built a front-line observation post for the upcoming Monte Casino battle, which played an instrumental role in controlling the ensuing battle. In May 1944, the Battle of Monte Casino and the Liri Valley took place. 12 Fld Coy did more training on mines, assault boats and demolitions, before the assault on the German lines. They built a front line Bailey bridge during the initial attacks on German lines (Swindon Bridge), and carried on with mine sweeping at and near the front, as well as performing bridging works, and building and maintaining roads and tank routes as the battle advanced. They also built some landing strips for reconnaissance aircraft and a pontoon bridge, providing a route to connect with French troops on the left of the line. They also built POW cages and repaired dams on the Liri River. The unit lost some men as casualties and POWs during this time. During June 1944, they spent most of their time near the Frosione area near Rome. This involved building more bridges, as well as road maintenance and dam repair. Mine sweeping and pulling was a constant activity, as was road and tank track construction and maintenance. They were also involved with demolitions in the ruins of some towns, in addition to lifting mines and booby traps from these sites. A major construction task followed, building a by-pass to improve logistics for subsequent actions (the Ferrentino By-pass). This job required the building of a quarry to provide the necessary materials for a by-pass. During July 1944, work continued on roads, mine sweeping, and demolitions. The Ferrentino By-pass job was completed. For recreation, there was a Sports Day at the forum in Rome. During August 1944, the entire Canadian Army made a secret move north and east to the Gothic Line, on the Adriatic sector where it intended to assault northward. Once there, the company was involved with the usual engineer duties of road and tank track maintenance, mine sweeping, and clearing, fording rivers, building Bailey bridges, and creating diversions around shell craters and other obstacles, natural and enemy-made. Olausen, Martin Olaf (continued)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0NTk1OA==