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Oral history interview with Alexander Smith Allan

Oral History | Digitized | Accession Number: 1995.A.1285.1 | RG Number: RG-50.149.0001

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    Oral history interview with Alexander Smith Allan

    Overview

    Interview Summary
    Alexander Smith Allan describes being an officer with the 113th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery from 1944 to 1945; landing on Sword Beach, Normandy on June 7, 1944; the degree to which anti-aircraft guns were used in Normandy; their rapid advance towards Belgium; the reception by French civilians in Normandy; the assistance of a Belgian liaison officer; participating in the advance towards Arnhem, Netherlands in September 1944; his memories of J.O.E. Vandeleur; experiencing problems crossing the Nijmegen bridge under German 88mm fire; his work during the Ardennes offensive, 1944-1945; their move into Germany February 1945; his experiences in Belsen-Bergen concentration camp in Germany in 1945; entering the camp on April 19, 1945 and the initial sights witnessed in the camp; the clearing work his unit was expected to engage in; the fear of contracting typhus; the nursing of former inmates; problems feeding the survivors; the attitude of survivors to liberation; the sight of a pile of boots; the presence of SS personnel from the camp; warnings against taking revenge on German personnel; the reaction of German civilians to the sight of interior of the camp; his attitude towards German; the character of 'Typhus Joe'; his opinion of the work of British medical students; the burning of camp huts on May 21, 1945; and leaving the camp in May 1945.
    Interviewee
    Mr. Alexander S. Allan
    Date
    interview:  1991 March 04

    Physical Details

    Language
    English
    Extent
    1 sound cassette (90 min.).

    Rights & Restrictions

    Conditions on Access
    There are no known restrictions on access to this material.
    Conditions on Use
    Restrictions on use. Permission to copy and/or use recordings in any production must be granted by the Imperial War Museums.

    Keywords & Subjects

    Personal Name
    Allan, Alexander Smith.

    Administrative Notes

    Holder of Originals
    Imperial War Museum
    Provenance
    The interview was conducted by the Imperial War Museum as part of their retrospective oral history interview program. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum acquired a copy of the interview with Alexander Smith Allen from the Imperial War Museum in February 1995.
    Record last modified:
    2023-11-16 08:17:16
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn510809

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