Gottfried, David: my army experience in Afghanistan (March 27, 2019)

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Interviewee: Gottfried, David

An interview/narrative of David Gottfried's experiences serving in Afghanistan. Interview took place on March 27, 2019 in Victoria, B.C.

Interviewer: Forsythe, Geordy

Rank: Major.

ABSTRACT: This interview gives insight into Major Gottfried’s use of Leopard tanks in Afghanistan. Major Gottfried went over the strengths the Leopards brought to the battlefield and the struggles they faced battling an insurgent enemy. He also looked the future of the Canadian Army and the need for a highly adaptable and varied fighting force that includes many different armoured vehicles. He reflected on his duties in Afghanistan and operations he conducted, as well as the relationship with the Afghan National Army and the United States. 0:00-1:27 Growing up moving around and joining the Canadian Forces. 1:27-2:46 Joining the RCAC, memories of training, receiving RCD badge. 2:46-3:42 First experiences with Leopard Tanks, 25mm turret and use of Coyote. 3:42-4:31 Opinion of fellow soldiers on the LAVIII and Leopards, benefits of LAV III. 4:32-7:37 on the LAV and Leopard, Training to cooperate with other assets and sections within the Canadian Forces, Working with artillery. 7:38-10:37 Memory of September 11th 2001, surreal feeling, training for peacekeeping before deployment, going to Bosnia before. Changes to teaching and training after casualties in Kandahar. 10:37-12:30 Concerns when being deployed, IEDs, trusting your training, learning about IEDs before deployment to save lives in theater. 12:30-14:47 Rank of Captain when deployed to Afghanistan, duties of his rank in Afghanistan, duties within the base, taking care of mental health while working. 14:48-16:36 Involvement in Operations and seeing combat. Thirteen hours of Troops in Contact. 16:37-22:15 Transportation of Leopard into theatre, description of the journey to, and first days in Afghanistan, Orientation and indoctrination to theatre. Training on LAVs and Leopards in Afghanistan. 22:16-24:15 Hurry up and wait part of conflict. 90% boredom 10% sheer terror. Quick reaction force deployment. 24:16-26:55 Non-traditional use of leopards, visual deterrent of the Leopards, description of other operations, traditional tactics used before his deployment. 26:56-27:40 Description of roller attachment to tank. 27:41-30:00 Advantages of using Leopards over LAVs. Manoeuverability of Leopards. 30:02-32:00 Ability of Taliban to emplace IEDs quickly. Traditional tactics used for this. Use of engineers in concert with Leopard Teams. Badger vehicle importance. Clearing Breaches 32:02- 33:32 Mechanical issues and maintenance with Leopards. Adapting to these issues. 33:33-37:21 Tactical adaptations made to their troop groupings in Afghanistan. Difficulties in using tanks to fight an insurgent enemy. Recoilless Rifle direct fire threat. 37:21-39:20 Disappointment in the loss of Leopards and opinion on switch to LAVs. 39:20-40:50 Casualties spark the need for the return to tanks. Impressive speed of procurement and deployment of these tanks. 40:50-42:21 Operation medusa and his opinion that tanks would won this battle. Tanks would have Mitigated the risk that had to be used. 42:23-47:05 Going forward, new technologies, Lessons learned from Afghanistan., continued use of both LAVs and Leopards, transition to the LAV VI, future combatants, expense of tracked vehicles, need for tanks going forward, TAPV. 47:40-49:50 Overview of his job and logistics in Afghanistan. 49:55-52:50 Relationship and fighting with the United States, communication difficulties, Crazy Canadians, American wealth of resources, show of force. 52:53-54:25 Working with the Afghan National Army, difficulties. 54:37-54:56 Closing Remarks.

In Collection:
Contributor Subject Language Date created Relation
  • Part of the Military Oral History Class collection of interviews.
Resource type Rights statement Extent
  • 1 sound recording (MP3)
Geographic coverage Coordinates
  • 48.4359, -123.35155
  • 33, 66
Additional physical characteristics
  • Original sound recordings (MP3) also available.
Physical repository Collection
  • Canadian Military Oral History Collection
Provider Genre Archival item identifier
  • GD_870
Fonds title Fonds identifier Is referenced by Date digitized
  • March 27, 2019
Technical note
  • Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 192 kbps. Recorded in digital format by interviewer, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF. Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2019. Migration metadata by KD and MT.
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

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