260503 Alan McKenzie Coogan British Army 1st Airborne Division from:Coupar Angus, Perthshire, Scotland Alan Cougan served with the 1st Airborne Division in WW2. He was called up in 1940 aged 19. Alan glided into Arnhem (September 1944) and was in the group that held one end of the bridge. Grouped into Charges of 8 (Charge #21) this group was commanded to abandon the charge & move back to British lines. They hid in a shed but were captured by the Germans and taken to the local church with 200 others.
Transported over 6 days by cattle wagon, no food, no water, no toilet, Alan suffered claustrophobia as a consequence. He was taken to Stalag 13A where there were no beds - "a pigsty". Over the ensuing months they were marched from camp to camp. Eventually they were placed in Stalag 4B : 25,000 POWs (Poles, Russians, Italians, Brits). Only 1 meal a day was provided: bread with jam or butter plus soup. Morning coffee was made with acorns. But the Germans had no food either. The daily routine was out at 06:30 until 18:30 with return walks of three miles to the factory to get synthetic petrol. There was a Jewish extermination camp nearby and they all endured the sweet smell of burning flesh.
As the tide of war turned, they had a three day march to another camp as the Russians approached. On this march, Alan escaped by rolling into a ditch and hiding. He spent three days in an evacuated French labour yard and ate out of the bins. Finally he was picked up by US troops who fed him. He got food, stole a car, and was given petrol by US troops and drove 180 miles back behind German lines. Alan was taken in by a Czech woman & given food. While staying in this house, a drunk American burst in. He shot the woman & raped the two daughters.
Alan was finally flown to France then on to Britain. He was admitted to Southport Hospital and declared Grade 9C - unfit for further service. He wighed 7 stone. My Mother heard Lord Haw Haw's radio announcement about POWs and she heard "Alan McKenzie Coogan" much to her relief.
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