Interview with Jim Petryk
Narrator: Colonel Jim Petryk Interviewer: Interviewed by Josh Kotorynski Interview Date and Location: 11 March 2024, Victoria BC Synopsis: The interview started with a short introduction to Jim Petryk’s early life and reasonings for joining the CAF and, more specifically, why the artillery. From there, he discussed what his time in university and then training to be an artillery officer was like. From there, the interview covered his early career as a junior officer in 2 horse artillery, the different roles that he played there, his chaotic work schedule, and his time working with the infantry as a FOO (Forward Observation Officer). The discussion about Petryk’s time working with the reserves was not on the list of questions and was off-topic, but it was sparked out of the interviewer's personal interest. After that, the interview shifted to Petryk’s time working with the British military, the similarities in doctrine and the differences in culture between them and the CAF. Coming back to Canada, Petryk went on the basic parachute course and then on to a role as the COS of CFB Shilo, where he discussed being in a non-artillery administrative role as well as the mess life there. Afterwards, the interview shifted focus to Petryk’s tour to Cyprus, how work-up training prepared him to go, and what his experiences were like there. Moving on, the interview focused less on the interviewee's specific career experience and more on Canadian artillery technology, how the artillery is structured, and the doctrine that the Canadian artillery practiced throughout the Cold War. The artillery went through a period of decline during the Cold War due to both the nature of the conflict that the CAF was preparing for as well as the technological limitations of the artillery at the time. Artillery reconnaissance and how it is different from infantry reconnaissance was discussed, as well as the early technology for counter-battery fire that Petryk used in his early career, as well as early film camera drones used by the CAF. The interview moved into more theory and personal research than first-hand experience, with a discussion of how artillery is being used in Ukraine and the devastating impact that indirect fire is having on the infantry there. Petryk talked about how the time it took for an artillery battery to get effective rounds on target has significantly decreased over the decades, as well as the technology the CAF uses compared to other countries. The interview took another side tangent with the removal of reserve unit mission taskings and the negative effect that can have on morale, as well as how some units are able to maintain taskings by running specialty courses in-house. The interview switched to being very theoretical as Petryk for his perspective and opinions on how artillery technology might change moving forward as well as, from the perspective of a former artillery officer, how artillery will impact the role of the infantry in the future. Near the end of the interview, there was a short discussion about how Russia appears to not be fully committing its forces to the fight in Ukraine and then how Petryk’s life has been since retirement and his key takeaway from his career of how important it is to be able to keep a sense of humour. 0:00 - 1:29 Introduction and life before the military. 1:29 - 3:16 Reasons and circumstances for joining the CAF and recruiting process. 3:16 - 4:08 Time spent at the University of Alberta. 4:08 - 7:22 Basic officer training and artillery officer training. 7:22 - 9:56 Time spent at 2-horse artillery and positions worked as a junior officer. 9:56 - 11:52 Working with the reserves. 11:52 - 13:20 Working as a Forward Observation Officer. 13:20 - 18:56 Working with the British army. 18:56 - 19:48 Basic Para course. 19:48 - 21:39 COS of Shilo, mess life. 21:39 - 23:37 Work-up training, tour in Cyprus. 23:37 - 38:15 Changing artillery technology, Canadian artillery structure, Canadian Cold War artillery doctrine. 38:15 - 41:28 CBRN threats and considerations. 41:28 - 48:02 New forms of technology, changing balance of power between combat arms trades, decline in the significance of the artillery, changing technology that brought the artillery back. 48:02 - 52:16 Artillery reconnisance. 52:16 - 1:02:05 Early counter-battery fire technology, early artillery drone use. 1:02:05 - 1:06:45 Differences and similarities in how artillery is utilized in Ukraine now vs how artillery was used in the early Cold War. 1:06:45 - 1:08:34 Time to get effective rounds on target. 1:08:34 - 1:12:51 CAF technology use compared to other countries. 1:12:51 - 1:14:30 Reserve unit mission taskings. 1:14:30 - 1:18:30 Potential future of artillery technology. 1:18:30 - 1:22:47 How changing artillery capability might affect the role of the infantry going forward. 1:22:47 - 1:24:25 How Jim specifically had to adapt throughout his career. 1:24:25 - 1:27:05 How counter-battery fire has changed the mobility requirements of modern artillery, Russia not committing full capability in Ukraine. 1:27:05 - 1:27:49 ISTAR technology. 1:27:49 - 1:29:36 Post-military life, takeaways from career. Suggested Clip for Archive: 23:37 - 38:15. In this clip, Mr Petryk provided very valuable insight into how the Canadian artillery functioned, how they trained, the training aids they used and how technology helped that develop over time. This information is not just difficult to find online but essentially non-existent and provides excellent information on the technological limitations of the time, how they were worked around, and how they were able to simulate training.
- In Collection:
- Interview #SC141_PJ_926
- 01:29:36
- The Significance of Technology in Combat Arms Trades
- 49, 32
- 35, 33
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- Accession Number: 2025-002; Series 8; Item: 926
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/military-oral-history-collection
- Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2024. 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