John A. Clancy

This narrative, written in 1945, is an appendix enclosed in the war diary of 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. Captain John A. Clancy (1918-2008) served in that unit and was captured on March 24th after landing far off his battalions drop zone. He describes his experience as a POW in German custody, including a forced march of thousands of POW from Fallingbostel POW camp (StaLag XIB) in the direction of Lüneburg. He and two others managed to escape on April 15th, 1945 and made it to the British lines. His observations are telling of the overall situation in Germany at that stage of the war and of the attitude of the Germans towards Allied prisoners.

I dropped by parachute where I judged to be approx 3 to 4 miles north east of the Bn dropping zone. During the descent there was rifle fire directed at me, which continued until I hit the ground. I could not identify my position.

I was able to undo the box mechanism of my harness, pull the zipper of my jump smock, and get my pistol out of the holster. I fired eleven rounds and managed to wound two Germans. Three Germans sneaked up from the rear and proceeded to tear my equipment from me. I was then marched to their HQ and met by a German Parachute Lieut, taken into the cellar of the building and thoroughly searched. I was left with only my personal clothing I wore, my identity card, 100 Marks invasion currency, 20 cigarettes, 1 box matches, and four razor blades. I was allowed to keep my camouflage smock, web belt and beret. Fifteen minutes after I was captured, another PW, an American Airforce Captain was brought into the HQ. 

Three times during the day I managed to get outside to urinate and attempted to orient myself on the ground and be prepared to escape if the opportunity came. Each time I was allowed out I was accompanied by two or three guards. Throughout the day I tried to discover my position on a German map board, but each time I moved to get a view of the map it was taken from my view. I was interrogated briefly about allied plans and dispositions of troops. When I refused to discuss this, they resorted to political discussions, which was also fruitless. At approx 2100 hrs that evening I, and an American Airforce Captain, and 15 wounded (allied and enemy) were transported to a hospital after three hours journey. Here the wounded were discharged.

The American Officer and myself were taken to a small group of farm buildings after 1 hrs journey from the hospital. We were made to stand outside for 1 hour and at approx 0200 hrs we were taken inside and searched singly by two interrogators. I was then questioned for 1 hour by both interrogators. …
 
We were allowed to sleep in the stables of the farm, until 730 hrs the next morning when I was taken back to the HQ for an hours’ interrogation at 1000 hrs.
The process was repeated again with more numerous threats. I was sent outside the house under guard. Two SS men were called in and the Major of the area. Nothing further developed and we were allowed to return to the stables to rest until approx 0300 hrs 26 MAR 45. We were then given our first food since capture, consisting of 1/5 of a loaf of bread and some meat. We marched until 1100 hrs when we reached a group of farm buildings near GEMEN. Here we were again searched and briefly interrogated. We were given 1 bowl of soup and a slice of bread. At dusk our column began a march which lasted until 0800 hrs 27 MAR 45. Here we remained in a group of buildings, where we were again searched. On the night of the 28th we marched to a railway station approx 5 km away where we entrained. We were loaded 40 to 50 men to a cattle car. The train trip lasted for three days. The first two days of the journey we were locked in the car and not allowed to urinate defecate or have water. (…)
Throughout the trip the wounded were not treated any differently from the fit. We reached FALLINGBOSTEL at approx noon 31 MAR 45, and were marched several km to Stalag 11B. Here we were searched and interrogated and allotted to a lager, in the camp. We remained at Stalag 11B until 7 APR 45. I was registered there as prisoner of war 01863. 

Throughout the week we were allowed to attend religious services, and attend medical parades when necessary. Our greatest difficulty was food. Our ration being 1 bowl of ersatz coffee at 0730 hrs, 1 bowl of soup at 1100 hrs and 1 bowl of ersatz coffee at 1300 hrs, 1/7 of a loaf of bread per man, 1 table spoon of sugar and 1 small piece of German margarine and 3 to 5 small boiled potatoes, for a 24 hrs period. We were among the more fortunate ones to secure 1/5 and 1/4 of a Red Cross parcel during the week at Stalag 11B. Sanitary conditions in our lager were completely neglected by the camp authorities. Men were daily dying from malnutrition, and hospital facilities were not large enough to accommodate the ill. PWs of all allied nations  were were detained in Stalag 11B. It was the intention of the German authorities to transfer officer PWs to a camp near BRUNSWICK.

Accordingly a party of thirty British and American officers entrained at FALLINGBOSTEL at approx 0700 hrs, 7 APR 45. We passed through SOLTAU where we changed trains. Approx 2 hrs ride from SOLTAU the train was halted and we were ordered to get cover because of an air raid. American bombers bombed railway lines a couple of miles ahead of us. The train was forced to return to SOLTAU, and we were kept in a group outside the station. At approx 1830 hrs 4 typhoons strafed the station destroying the signal box, two AA railway cars, petrol and ammunition dump. Six officers in our group were wounded, and 1 of our guards was killed. We were taken to a nearby medical station, where a German colonel’s attitude towards us indicated much displeasure at our sight. The six wounded were finally treated. Capt. Harry Hewitt, SHAEF, RA, organized our column and we were forced to march back to Stalag 11B with our wounded, because of the displeasure of the local Gestapo officer. The march took from 2130 hrs, 7 Apr 45 to 0430 hrs 8 Арг 45. On our return to Stalag 1lB, the wounded were taken to hospital. We were allowed 1 hour sleep, awakened for roll call, and prepared to leave camp. At 1100 hrs the same morning we marched from there, and marched each day with the exception of 1 day while we rested. I cannot remember the particular towns or villages through which we marched. On 13 Apr we passed through a small town near SOLTAU which I recognized from our train ride of the 7 April. Throughout the week we lived mostly off the land, our own group most respectfully and capably cared for by a party of 100 British Empire PW under command of RSM John ROUSSOW South African Army. His courage and ability was a source of inspiration to us all. Our own particular column numbered approx 1500. I had heard it stated that our complete column numbered 10000. We reached Barnstedt during the afternoon of the 14 Apr 45, where we were to remain until 1300 hrs 15 Apr 45, where we would march to Lüneburg and cross the Elbe enroute to Lübeck. During the morning of the 15th we had heard that Uelzen had been captured by an American Army. A party of three consisting of Lt. Jack SIMPSON, MM, 7 Para Bn., Mr Jeffrey BOCCA, British War correspondent, Daily Express, and decided to eseape. RSM Roussow arranged that our absence would not be detected by substituting 3 men from another column.
(…) 

During our period of capture we found that the German, be he soldier or civilian, incapable of fulfilling a given promise, whether to aid the wounded or give only a drink of water. The civilians regarded us with a mixture of fear, hatred and insolence. a woman of approx fifty years of age, stood on the corner as we marched by and spat at us in the column and called us "Schweinehunde". Many rear line soldiers and civilians tacitly admitted their lost cause , but afraid of terrorism they continued their part. Worse than a lack of physical comforts and food and water we felt, was our loss of freedom.