Interview with Charles Oliviero

Narrator: Charles Oliviero Interviewer: Interviewed by Logan Groicher Interview Date and Location: March 7, 2025, Zoom Synopsis 00:00-03:57 - Early life and reason for joining the Royal Military College of Canada 03:57-06:05 - Switching from Naval Cadet to the Armoured Corps 06:05-12:35 - Experiences at RMC, How the Military College worked 12:35-19:26 - Changes in RMC from his time to present day, Commandant, Commandant versus principal 19:26-25:44 - First regiment. Regimental history, Deployments served with them 25:44-31:36 - Roles served in Western Germany, German war college, Canadian Forces Europe, Why Canadian brigade was Valued 31:36-35:39 - Where he was stationed, life in Germany 35:39-40:25 - Equipment used in Germany, getting transported to Germany, Lahr staging base in Germany 40:25-44:25 - Time posted at Lahr, layout of the Lahr, touch and goes 44:25-48:33 - Working with foreign Militaries, STANAGS, Americans, radios 48:33-1:01:13 - Exercises, FALLEX, Anecdote on Exercise, how effective exercises were, Interactions with German civilians 1:01:13-1:07:04 - notions on equipment, Story about tank firing range, final thoughts on time in Germany 1:07:04-1:12:14 - Similarities and differences between Germany and Cyprus, thoughts on tank warfare 1:12:14- - Final thoughts, Ukrainian war, Importance of NATO, evolution of warfare, Roman quotes

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Groicher, Logan
• Oliviero, Charles

Subject

• Civil-military relations
• Military history
• Royal Military College of Canada
• Cold War (1945-1989)

Language

• eng

Identifier

• Interview #SC141_OC_937

Keyword

• interactions with Germans and Americans
• RMC
• western Germany
• FALLEX
• German War College
• Cyprus
• NATO
• Brigadier General W.W Turner
• Soviet Union
• Russia
• Canadian Armed Forces
• Armoured Corps
• Troop carriers
• STANAGS
• Lahr
• Cold war
• Naval Cadet
• The black Forest
• German Civilians
• Brigadier General Bill Lye
• Leopard Tanks

Date created

• March 7, 2025

Relation

• Part of the Military Oral History Class collection of interviews (HIST 426, 2025).

Resource type

• Moving Image

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 01:20:11

Alternative title

• The Stories In Between: Oral History on Canada's Military in Western Germany

Geographic Coverage

• Germany (West)

Physical Repository

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Collection

• Canadian Military Oral History Collection

Provider

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Genre

• video recordings (physical artifacts)
• interviews
• reminiscences
• oral histories (literary genre)

Archival item identifier

• Accession Number: 2026-0008; Series: IV; Item: 937

Fonds title

• Military oral history collection

Fonds identifier

• SC141

Is referenced by

• Special Collections Finding Aid: https://search.archives.uvic.ca/military-oral-history-collection

Date digitized

• 2025

Technical note

• Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in Spring 2025. Recorded in digital format by interviewer. Keywords supplied by interviewer. Metadata by KD.

Rights

• This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca

DOI

•  https://doi.org/10.58066/b23q-a066