Oradour-sur-Glane, 10 Juin 1944: souviens-toi = remember – “Oradour-sur-Glane, June 10, 1944: Souvenir – Memory” – A photographic and testimonial report on the massacre carried out by the Nazi SS unit “Der Führer” against innocent civilians in the village of Oradour-sur-Glane, near the city of Limoges (France), in retaliation for the actions of the French Resistance. Published by IMP. LAVAUZELLE LIMOGES. Undated (c. mid-1940s).
A detailed account of the massacre in which the Nazis cold-bloodedly murdered nearly the entire population of the village—men, women, and children—in June 1944, as blind retaliation for Resistance activity (see below). The report is accompanied by photographs showing scenes of peaceful village life before the massacre, buildings destroyed by the Nazis, harsh photos of the bodies of tortured children and youths, a group portrait of some of the survivors, the horrific sights witnessed by those who returned to Oradour the day after the massacre, the effort to locate the victims’ remains and bring them to burial, and more. The photographs are accompanied by accounts of the few who managed to escape, a description of the Nazi atrocities committed inside the Oradour church, and testimonies from the inferno. At the end of the booklet, the author concludes: “The days and months have passed since the drama of Oradour; in the hearts of the French it must remain ever-present, as the clearest example of Nazi cruelty.”
Oradour-sur-Glane (in French: Oradour-sur-Glane) is a small village in France, near the city of Limoges, whose inhabitants were massacred by a Nazi Waffen-SS company during World War II. In response to the activities of the French Resistance in the area, the 4th Regiment, nicknamed “Der Führer, ” entered the village on the night of June 10, 1944. The villagers had not provoked the Germans in any way and were not involved in any actions against them in the days leading up to the massacre. The attack was likely in retaliation for an ambush by the Resistance on a German convoy two days earlier, resulting in the death of one German soldier and the capture of several boxes of gold and other valuables looted by the regiment officers, led by Sturmbannführer Adolf Diekmann. The SS soldiers, under Diekmann’s command, did not act out of rage but in a cold and calculated manner. They cold-bloodedly murdered nearly all of the village’s inhabitants—642 men, women, and children, including 205 children, with only a few managing to escape. They then systematically destroyed 328 houses. The Germans, under Diekmann’s command, ordered all villagers to gather in the town square under the pretense of a routine inspection. In addition to the villagers, the Germans also gathered six people who were not residents but were riding their bicycles in the area that day. The Germans locked the women and children in the church while the village was looted. Meanwhile, the men were taken to six barns where the Germans had prepared machine guns in advance. According to one survivor’s account, the soldiers shot at their legs so they would die more slowly. When they could no longer move, whether from severe injury or death, fuel was poured over them, and the barns were set on fire. 190 men were killed. Only five managed to escape.
Afterward, the soldiers set fire to the church. The women and children who tried to escape through the windows and doors were shot with machine guns. 247 women and 205 children were killed, with only one woman surviving. About 20 villagers escaped when they saw the German soldiers approaching. That night, the Germans destroyed the village, including its 328 houses. It was only after several days that the survivors were allowed to bury the dead.
After the war, indictments were filed against 65 of the approximately 200 soldiers who participated in the massacre—most of them evaded punishment, claiming they were conscripted into the Waffen-SS against their will. The town of Oradour-sur-Glane was rebuilt after World War II, near the ruins of the original village. After the war, Charles de Gaulle decreed that the village would never be rebuilt and would remain as a testimony to Nazi brutality. Today, it stands as a memorial site in memory of the massacre’s victims. The site includes the remains of buildings and cars, as well as some personal belongings of the victims, such as watches, glasses, and coins. At the entrance to Oradour-sur-Glane, a sign in French and English has been placed, stating, “Remember” in an imperative tone. A memorial center was later established near the ruins.
23 pages. Very good condition.
