Local Area & History
Oradour Sur Glane
10th June 1944, and the end of the Second World War is near. In a peaceful part of France, there took place a particularly horrible murder of 642 men women and children. On this date a group of soldiers from the Der Fuhrer regiment of the 2nd SS-Panzer Division Das Reich entered and then surrounded the small town of Oradour-sur-Glane, near to the city of Limoges.
At first, they told the Mayor, Jean Desourteaux, that there was to be an identity check and that everyone must go to the Champ de Foire (fairground) whilst this took place. After rounding up all the inhabitants that they could find, the SS then changed their story from that of an identity check, to one of searching for hidden arms and explosives. The soldiers then said that whilst they searched for the arms the women and children must wait in the church and the men in nearby barns.
The women and children were marched off to the church, the children being encouraged by the soldiers to sing as they went. After they had left, the men were divided into six groups and led off to different barns in the town under armed guard. When the townspeople were all safely shut away the SS began to kill them all. A large gas bomb, seemingly made out of smoke-screen grenades and intended to asphyxiate the occupants, was placed in the church, but it did not work properly when it went off, so the SS had to use machine guns and hand grenades to disable and kill the women and children. After they had subdued all the occupants of the church, the soldiers piled wood on the bodies, many of which were still alive, and then set the mass ablaze. Only one person managed to escape alive from the church and her name was Madame Rouffanche. She saw her younger daughter who was sitting next to her, killed by a bullet as they attempted to find shelter in the vestry. Madame Rouffanche then ran to the altar end of the church where she found a stepladder used to light the candles. Placing the ladder behind the altar she climbed up and threw herself through a window and out onto the ground some 10 feet below. As she picked herself up, a woman holding her baby tried to follow, but the soldiers saw them and both woman and child were killed.
At the same time as the gas bomb explosion in the church, the SS fired their machine guns into the now crowded barns filled with the local townsmen. They deliberately fired low, so that many of the men were badly wounded but not killed. The soldiers then piled wood and straw on the bodies and set it alight, many of the men were unable to move because of their injuries and burned to death. Six men did manage to escape from Madame Laudy's barn, but one of them was seen and shot dead, the other 5 all wounded, got away under cover of darkness. In spite of being shot and wounded five times, Madame Rouffanche escaped round the back of the church and dug herself into the earth between some rows of peas, where she remained hidden until late the next day. Whilst these killings were taking place, the soldiers searched the town for any people who had evaded the initial round up and killed them where they found them. One old disabled man was burned to death in his bed and a baby was baked to death in the local bakery ovens, other people were killed and their bodies thrown down a well. People who attempted to enter the town to see what was going on were shot dead. A local tram, which arrived during the killings, was emptied of passengers, who after several terrifying minutes were let go in peace.
After killing all the townspeople that they could find, the soldiers set the whole town on fire and early the next day, laden with booty stolen from the houses, they left. The soldiers then continued their journey through France to Normandy and joined the rest of the German army in attempting to throw the allied invasion back into the sea. Many of them, including Sturmbann-fuhrer Adolf Diekmann, who had led the attack on Oradour-sur-Glane, were killed in the Normandy battles.
What has fascinated historians ever since the event, was why the SS acted in the way they did. What their motivation for turning up at Oradour that day was. There was no prior warning or indication of this attack being planned, it seemed that they abiterially choose Oradour. The fact that a few people survived the attack was not due to any lack of zeal on the part of the SS, however there had never been any obvious resistance activity in the town, the Germans had never been attacked by the townspeople, and after the killings the SS left without explanation. If the attack had indeed been a reprisal for some violence towards the German forces, then it would have been expected of the Germans to broadcast this to the surrounding areas in order to create a fear of being part of any resistance group. However they did not, and instead they left without saying a word, leaving questions unanswered to this day.
At the same time as the gas bomb explosion in the church, the SS fired their machine guns into the now crowded barns filled with the local townsmen. They deliberately fired low, so that many of the men were badly wounded but not killed. The soldiers then piled wood and straw on the bodies and set it alight, many of the men were unable to move because of their injuries and burned to death. Six men did manage to escape from Madame Laudy's barn, but one of them was seen and shot dead, the other 5 all wounded, got away under cover of darkness. In spite of being shot and wounded five times, Madame Rouffanche escaped round the back of the church and dug herself into the earth between some rows of peas, where she remained hidden until late the next day. Whilst these killings were taking place, the soldiers searched the town for any people who had evaded the initial roundup and killed them were they found them. One old invalid man was burned to death in his bed and a baby was baked to death in the local bakery ovens, other people were killed and th eir bodies thrown down a well. People who attempted to enter the town to see what was going on were shot dead. A local tram, which arrived during the killings, was emptied of passengers, who after several terrifying minutes were let go in peace.
After killing all the townspeople that they could find, the soldiers set the whole town on fire and early the next day, laden with booty stolen from the houses, they left. The soldiers then journeyed on up through France to Normandy and joined the rest of the German army in attempting to throw the allied invasion back into the sea. Many of them, including Sturmbann-fuhrer Adolf Diekmann, who had led the attack on Oradour-sur-Glane, were killed in the Normandy battles.
What has fascinated historians ever since the event, was why the SS acted in the way they did. What their motivation for turning up at Oradour that day was. There was no prior warning or indication of this attack being planned, it seemed that they abiterially choose Oradour. The fact that a few people survived the attack was not due to any lack of zeal on the part of the SS, however there had never been any obvious resistance activity in the town, the Germans had never been attacked by the townspeople, and after the killings the SS left without explanation the attack had indeed been a reprisal for some violence towards the German forces, then it would have been expected of the Germans to broadcast this to the surrounding areas in order to create a fear of being part of any resistance group. However they did not, and instead they left without saying a word, leaving questions unanswered to this day.