Then and Now: 10 June 1944...Oradour-sur-Glane/My Visit .

[Douglas Jr.]

Thanks for the pictures everyone.
It is always good to remember what happened there.

Douglas.

[mdj]

only a few weeks ago, I visited Oradour for the first time....

Very, very impressive.

Oradour is a tragedy!

Martin

[Chet Sowersby]

Indeed, thanks to thoes who shared these pictures with us. Truly haunting....

Chet

[peterm]

Hello;
The french maquis didn't butcher anyone in Tulle. The partisans attacked the german garrison and the "Gestapo" (generic term) HQ. The germans fought, they lost and died. 60 germans were killed and 44 bodies were still in place when the WSS troops entered the town. 16 bodies of german soldiers had been rolled over by a truck (the soldiers have not been killed this way, they died while in combat).
The two men responsible for the hangings in Tulle were a SS officer named Kowatch and a Gestapo Obersturmfürer named Schmald. They arrested 500 people where they could find them, in the streets, at the cinema..etc...and they did choose 120 people to be hanged in the streets.

Walter Schmald was captured in Brive (mid-August), they make him dig his own tomb and he ended his life in a normal way for the b@st@rd he was...two bullets in the head...and a few spadeful of earth.

The "truth" ! And directly from the "Prawda"... The last sentence says it all, IMO...

Regards, Peter

[helmuthunter]

Fantastic and tragic history, thanks for sharing mate, regards Johnno.

[Jägermarty]

Great pics, amazing how much a few pics can say

[BPA-Paul]

Thanks guys for your comments, the pics i had taken on my visit had come out great...but it dont compare to visiting this area of WWII in person, if anyone ever has the oppotunity in the future to travel to France this is one place you must visit !! , from some of the Battlefield's i have been to in Europe..this area of France/Oradour sur Glane will certainly give you a honest taste and feeling of what WWII in Europe was all about.

Paul.

[Bob Hartman]

Paul...thanks for those truly haunting photos. I will put this place on my DBID (do before I die) list.

Bob

[Craig Gottlieb]

If anybody hasn't read the book Massacre at Oradour, it's a MUST READ. It gives a very convincing argument about what the massacre there was really about. According to the author, it had a lot to do with stolen gold, and very little to do with reprisals. QUITE an interesting read.

[MG-Freak]

Hi guys,

Yesterday evening I was watching the serie, The Waffen SS on youtube. There are 5 parts.
At the end of part number 3 (last minute) en the beginning of number 4, victims and SS men are telling about there experience in Oradour sur Glane. Very impressive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6m24...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7isXkNGsp0&feature=fvw

Erwin

[BPA-Paul]

Hi guys,

Yesterday evening I was watching the serie, The Waffen SS on youtube. There are 5 parts.
At the end of part number 3 (last minute) en the beginning of number 4, victims and SS men are telling about there experience in Oradour sur Glane. Very impressive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6m24...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7isXkNGsp0&feature=fvw

Erwin

Well done Erwin ! ,

The second link in your post is one of the reason why i made this trip, i have all parts of this documentry series, which is what alerted me to Oradour Sur Glane in the first place and it's history through out WWII.

Thank you for the links.

Regards,Paul.

[Robert H]

My uncle told me many story's from this town and the area as he was there as medical from the WH. I visited Oradour the first time 88.
A sad part in war history from both sides, thats all I want to add.

[Joe B]

This is a must see when I vacation europe .

[Rolf_Steiner]

I was at the Eagles Nest on this years tour but I did pass the signs for Oradour on the autoroute back to blighty and I would have liked very much to stop off but time was against me. Passed the signs for La Coupole on the southbound leg where the V2 should have been built. But Oradour, you guys must have seen the opening sequence of the world at war series with Laurence Oliviers voice over, it's proper hair on the back of the neck stuff

[Woolgar]

I have just been reading about this massacre so searched this forum. This thread is a great find !

I feel compelled to go and pay my respects


Nick