On June 10, 1944, Oradour-sur-Glane in France became the location of one of the most heinous war crimes of WWII. On that warm summer's day, SS troops marched into the quiet rural village and massacred 642 of its inhabitants. Even by the depraved standards of the Nazis, this was a particularly brutal and merciless act of savagery. Today, the ruins of Oradour-sur-Glane stand as a permanent memorial to the victims.
To discover what took place and why it should never be forgotten, click through the following gallery.
Oradour-sur-Glane
- This is Oradour-sur-Glane in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in west-central France. What you see is exactly how the village looked on June 10, 1944—during WWII and after an attack by German troops.
That summer's day, a German SS division entered Oradour-sur-Glane after reports that a Waffen-SS officer had been captured in a neighboring village. The Nazi troops were seeking revenge.
War crime
- The ruined houses, broken masonry, and rubble-strewn streets stand as a permanent reminder to one of the most shocking war crimes carried out during WWII.
Sealed off
- After entering the village and sealing it off, a Nazi battalion led by SS-Sturmbannführer Adolf Diekmann rounded everyone up and assembled the civilians in the village square.
With machine guns already primed, soldiers opened fire on the men, aiming for their legs. While on the ground wounded, the victims were then doused with gasoline and the buildings set on fire. The sign reads: "Here, a place of torment. A group of men were massacred and burned by the Nazis. Please pay your respects."
Shot
- The same fate awaited the women and children. An incendiary device was placed next to the church. When it ignited, the trapped villagers attempted to escape through broken doors windows. They were shot as they did so.
In the church, the warped metal skeleton of a child's stroller rests where it was abandoned as women and children tried to flee the carnage. In all, 247 women and 205 children died in the attack.
Cemetery
- Several days later, the survivors were allowed to bury the 642 dead inhabitants of Oradour-sur-Glane. Today, the cemetery contains the grim remains of all those who perished.
Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970)
- After the war, President Charles de Gaulle ordered that the ruins of Oradour-sur-Glane be preserved as a permanent memorial and museum.
Centre de la mémoire d'Oradour
- A memorial center stands near the village ruins and houses a permanent exhibition of artifacts recovered from the site. The display includes photographs of the SS Panzer Division Das Reich moving towards Oradour-sur-Glane on the day of the massacre.
Seared in the memory
- The museum exhibits personal items like these pocket watches, the hands of which are frozen in time recording the exact moment their owners were burned alive.
What happened to those responsible?
- Neighboring villagers survey the burnt-out shells of houses in Oradour-sur-Glane a few days after the killings. But happened to the perpetrators of this heinous crime?
Heinz Lammerding commanded the SS Panzer Division Das Reich that perpetrated the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre. In 1953, he was tried in France for war crimes, and was sentenced to death in absentia. However, he was never extradited from West Germany where he'd been living openly. He died a free man in 1971.
Trial
- Men accused of the massacre of over 600 people in the village of Oradour-sur-Glane face the Bordeaux Military Tribunal in France on January 14, 1953.
Adolf Diekmann (1914–1944)
- The SS Panzer Division Das Reich included a unit known as 4th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment Der Führer. Adolf Diekmann commanded the 1st Battalion. It was Diekmann who rounded up the villagers and ordered their execution. He was never tried for the crimes committed at Oradour-sur-Glane, but was ultimately held responsible. He was killed in action at Normandy.
Heinz Barth (1920–2007)
- Heinz Barth was the only SS member involved in the Oradour massacre to have been judged, this in 1983 in East Germany. He led the group that forced the men of the village into a barn and commanded troops to open fire. Released from prison in 1997, he died at age 86 in 2007, having lived comfortably on a war pension.
A survivor's tale
- One of only six persons to survive the massacres, Robert Hébras (pictured) has written extensively about the events of June 10, 1944. He's also been the subject of a documentary about the atrocity. Hébras is pictured holding a photograph of Heinz Barth after the Nazi war criminal's release from prison.
Lest we forget
- Despite his advancing years, Hébras still conducts tours through the ruins of the village and works actively at the Centre de la mémoire d'Oradour.
