Oradour sur Glane, A Massacre in a small French town

June 10, 1944.  It was a day marked with tragedy and horror for the people of Oradour sur Glane.  It was a time of war, and yet, for the people of this village the day began as normal as any other day.  Early afternoon arrived and lives were changed forever.

We have all heard of the horrors committed by those under Hitler’s regime against so many innocent people, primarily through concentration camps.  The atrocity of this is seen through any visit to a concentration camp or Holocaust museum.  The story that unfolds in the village of Oradour sur Glane is another example of senseless crimes carried out by the S.S. 

What does a normal day for you look like?  I imagine for the most part, it’s not much different from the days of the people who lived in the small French town.  Children were at school, a few had gathered at the local café for lunch, perhaps mothers were mending torn and tattered clothing, fathers taking cars to the mechanic, or maybe the day was filled with doctor appointments.  In the distance was the rumble of a convoy filled with approximately 200 soldiers from a large S.S. detachment.  Upon arrival, there was an order for all inhabitants- women, children, and men, to gather in the town square with papers for an identity check.  After everyone had been gathered, the women and children were taken to the church and the men were distributed among seven different barns.  The people were told that there were accounts of “secret arms and munitions deposits here made by terrorists.  We shall make searches.  During this time, to facilitate our operations we shall put you in the barns.”  

The men were locked in the barns and after a few moments, the soldiers opened fire and shot through the barn doors and walls.  Afterwards they walked among the men and shot at point blank range anyone who was only injured or still moving and finally found anything that would burn, piled it on top of the men, and set the barns on fire.  There are eye witness accounts from 5 men who managed to escape.  

The women and children were taken to the church where the soldiers placed an explosive box and set it on fire.  After the explosion, rounds of gunfire were shot into the church, followed by fire set to the building.  There was one survivor who in that single day lost her husband, son, two daughters, and her grandson.  I can’t even imagine it.

The sick and elderly were killed in their homes and then the town was pillaged and eventually set on fire.  

Today, the entire village of Oradour sur Glane is preserved just as it had been left by the Germans. 

Visiting the places where such violence and loss of innocent life is never easy.  This isn't Disneyland Paris or the breathtaking coast of Italy, this is a place of tragedy and a place that reminds us what evil can be capable of.  It is necessary to face the history of times like this so we can do better and teach our children to do better.  

 

I learned a vast amount of information regarding this massacre in the book Oradour sur Glane, A Vision of Horror, written by Guy Pauchou and Pierre Masfrand.  It is a detailed account of the events by testimonies collected in the days following the tragedy.  In a short blog post, I am unable to properly shed light on all of the atrocities committed in this small town and I encourage you to research it on your own.