The horrendous story of Oradour-sur-Glane - Days 38 to 40

The ruined city of Oradour-sur-Glane

On the morning of 10th June 1944 the villagers in the town of Oradour-sur-Mer were going about their daily business as best they could in Nazi occupied France when a column of SS soldiers rolled into town in a convoy. The bemused villagers watched as the soldiers spread out and surrounded the town to stop anyone leaving. Gradually they moved in towards the town searching the fields, outbuildings and then the houses in town, gathering all the population of 642 into the town square.

Burnt out cars rusting where they stood on the day

Men were separated from women and children, the men were then split into 4 groups and led off into outbuildings in different parts of the town while the women and children were led off and locked in the town church. They were told that the village was to be searched for weapons, a fact that put them slightly at ease as there were none stored there, so they chatted among themselves while they waited.

The town square where everyone was gathered by the SS

The real reason was retribution as, in the preceding days, an SS officer had been captured and held prisoner, followed by another SS officer and his driver. Orders from high up stated that this must stop and an example must be made to show what could happen to anyone helping the French resistance.

One of the building where men were shot and burned

At a given moment all the men were machine gunned to death and then the bodies and buildings set on fire. We read one report that the Nazis aimed low to cripple them so they would be burnt alive, but the film we watched in the museum made no mention of that, so we're not certain. Apparently 5 men managed to escape, one of whom was lated caught and shot. The women and children, amounting to over 300 souls, one as young as 8 months old and lying in a pram must have heard all this, but their fate was on its way. The Nazis set fire to a box of asphyxiating explosives inside the church, sprayed machine gun fire into the smoke and then threw in some hand grenades. Only one woman managed to escape through a church window and she was shot as she appeared.

Approaching the burned out church

The Nazis then went on the rampage through the town, taking what they wanted and then setting all the building on fire. Every building, all furniture and cars were totally destroyed by the fire. A platoon of SS kept guard overnight and the next day a team went in to remove the remains of the bodies and bury them in a mass grave so identification would be impossible.

The church where over 300 women and children were burned alive

It was sometime later that someone visited the remains of the town and saw the full gruesome details and bodies part buried nearby. There were reports of two children locked together in a tight grip as they met their end, the 8 month old burnt in her pram and a young child with head bowed in a confessional. The person reporting was unable to continue and had to leave.

After liberation it was decreed that the town must be left as it was found and a new town built alongside the ruins, so the full horror of this act will forever be remembered. A sign as you enter reads in French 'Remember'. The SS general who ordered the massacre and was present on the day escaped justice until 1982, when he was located in East Berlin, still then under Soviet control and was arrested and tried. He admitted being there but said he had only a dim recollection of what went on.

Bullet holes in the walls

The monument to the 642 dead in the cemetery

We visited and walked round and it was an incredibly emotional visit. The buildings are all still identifiable although only half standing with still blackened walls. Burnt out cars rusting away in the places they were in on the day, iron beadsteads twisted from the heat, bicycles, sewing machines, heaters and all sorts of unidentifiable bits of metal lying in their place rusting. In the main street are the old trolley bus lines and overhead cables and old signs on buildings. The buildings where the men were shot are marked with a notice and bullet holes can be seen in the walls and that was bad enough, but the approach to the church in what could be imagined to be a very pretty part of the town before, was full of apprehension. The roof was gone and some of the walls blackened, but it has been cleaned of rubble and the door was open. I really wondered whether to go inside as it seemed so wrong, but we did with a very emotional feeling. It was relatively small for a building crammed with over 300 women and children, bullet holes could be seen in the walls and the altar was badly damaged. What went on in here cannot be imagined.

We next visited the cemetery where all 642 are buried, along with relatives who died later and are buried there. Some tombs had photographs of the men, women and children on them. There's a monument at the far end with a couple of glass topped urns showing some of the charred bones and remains. Nearby there's an underground memorial with everyones name and their ages engraved on three of the four walls. Little rooms leading off have stone cabinets containing some of the personal items found in the ruins, cutlery, medical equipment and one containing childrens toys, a model train set, toy car and other things.

The old town square

I took quite a few photos on the walk round and in the church, but all the while I wondered whether I should, it just didn't seem right. I couldn't take any inside the memorial, nor could I take any of the charred bones, but I've wrestled with myself whether to put any here on this blog. In the end I decided to as we need to remember how cruel human beings can be to other human beings in these situations.


      This is a satellite view of the burnt out town of Oradour-sur-Glane. Click on it and zoom round and in and out 

This is now the second site of human cruelty we have visited, the other being one of the Killing Field in Cambodia, that we did three years ago and both have left us in disbelief and emotional. This one is now over 74 years old, but it's not possible to say 'lets hope it never happens again' because it is, somewhere in the world, even now, Syria and Yemen to name but two. Why can't we live together?

The town square at Pahecq

A little bit of practicality now, we drove here after leaving Ile de Re via a stop off overnight in a place called Pahecq, just outside Niort. It was a small town with a nice church, a few shops and a bar and the Aire was located within an easy walk of the town centre. It was free to camp there for the night and even had free electricity plug-in and a free service point where we could fill our fresh water tank, empty our grey water and our toilet. There was even toilets provided, all for free, how good is that. Here's a Google Maps link to where it is and it's location coordinates: 46°15'47.2"N 0°20'47.4"W

The free Aire at Pahecq (Big Ted third down on the left)

We stayed in another free of charge Aire on the edge of Oradour-sur-Glane new town and it was an easy walk into town and on to the old ruined town. Entry to the ruined town was free but we paid to also visit the attached museum which we thought was well worthwhile, as well as giving something back to the community. The Aire didn't have electric hook up but the services were free (we didn't need them) and, although it had toilets there they were closed for the winter. It didn't affect us though as we have our own on board. Here's a Google Maps link to where it is and it's location coordinates: 45°56'07.6"N 1°01'29.7"E

The free Aire at Oradour-sur-Glane (Big Ted on right by the tree)

We left Oradour-sur-Glane this morning and are now about 130km south in a place called Montignac in the Dordogne area. Here's a Google Maps link to where the Aire is and it's location coordinates: 45°04'03.4"N 1°09'57.0"E. It's a little bit more hilly here, the first we've really seen since arriving in France, the rivers cut impressive lines through the hills and it's very pretty. The limestone cliffs contain many caves of various sizes, most of them in use in prehistoric times with cave paintings, so we're hoping to visit one or two of them while in the area. To see where we're staying follow the links in this entry or click on the map on the top right of the blog which shows where we've been, where we are now and, by clicking the list, brings up more details of each site with more photos.

Big Ted on tonights Aire in Montignac (we have to pay for this one, but it's only €6) (location: 45°04'03.4"N 1°09'57.0"E)