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

[Rolf_Steiner]

I also read the book by Max Hastings called Das Reich, the march of the 2nd SS panzer division, it's really cheap to buy and it has some black and white photos in the middle. It's all covered, the events leading up to the massacre and after they left for Normandy. I've just finished a drawing of their top man Ernst Krag, charismatic or what ?

[BPA-Paul]

Nice piece of artwork Rolf, well done.

[Woolgar]

I have also read that book, its a great read! It also depicts the hangings at Tulle very descriptively!

Great drawing

Nick

[BPA-Paul]

Some more of my pics....

Copy of Orodour.jpg

Ghost of Oradour.jpg

[BPA-Paul]

[ATTACH]1673411[/ATTACH]

[Woolgar]

Haunting !

Nick

[shifta80]

Hello, lovely thread as this place is in my list for urgent-to-visit places.
Stunning pictures Paul!

Let me just add that the story behind this town is pretty similar to what happened to San Pietro Infine, wich is in Italy, I visited it two weeks ago: fully destroyed, has never been restored but rebuit right to original place.

More info here:
http://www.parcodellamemoriastorica.com/web/

San Pietro Infine recently asked to Oradour-Sur-Glan to join together; promoted to national monument, it's going to be visited by italian president in april 2012.

Altought in my opinion SPI is very well preserved, the really heavy bombing on it left less to see than OSG. If you get any chance of getting there in SPI, ask if possible to meet and talk some of the original inhabitants.

[BPA-Paul]

I like what they have done with the museum, looks like an interesting area of WWII,Thank you for posting this link, another place I must visit one day.

[herkules]

oradour sur glane

Gentlemen,

let me add some results of my in depth research results...

I have read and also heard by some war veterans :

Some days prior ...an advance party of the division - which was on their way

to Normandy / front...

entered Oradour and was captured by "Whoever" .

Searching for the missing " Sturmbannfuehrer" (leader of the advance party)

this missing Sturmbannfuehrer was found in the oven of a bakery in that small

village .. he was identified by the nr on one of his awards / knights cross..

As the village had been a strong hold of members of the "resistance" / or a

comparable group of partisans...

lots of ammunition / explosives and weapons had been found...

fierce but short fighting started...

as a result the massacre happened...

interesting to know though :

The SS unit involved had a large number of SS volunteers from

Elsass-Lothringen which was at that time part of Germany..

Later on - after the war - this district became French again and all these

soldiers that were involved were trialed by a French Court..

Although sentenced to death all of them had been released

shortly afterwards... reason so far unknown...but maybe reason to do some

research...??

I just wanted to let you know that the real / true facts are

probably ... in between.

Thank you

Wolf

[Viscount]

Any evidence? Any facts?

[Fred S]

Lies, falses infos, revisionnism.

Gentlemen,

let me add some results of my in depth research results...

I have read and also heard by some war veterans :

Some days prior ...an advance party of the division - which was on their way

to Normandy / front...

entered Oradour and was captured by "Whoever" .

Searching for the missing " Sturmbannfuehrer" (leader of the advance party)

this missing Sturmbannfuehrer was found in the oven of a bakery in that small

village .. he was identified by the nr on one of his awards / knights cross..


As the village had been a strong hold of members of the "resistance" / or a

comparable group of partisans...

lots of ammunition / explosives and weapons had been found...

fierce but short fighting started...

as a result the massacre happened...

interesting to know though :

The SS unit involved had a large number of SS volunteers from

Elsass-Lothringen which was at that time part of Germany..

Later on - after the war - this district became French again and all these

soldiers that were involved were trialed by a French Court..

Although sentenced to death all of them had been released

shortly afterwards... reason so far unknown...but maybe reason to do some

research...??

I just wanted to let you know that the real / true facts are

probably ... in between.

Thank you

Wolf

[stgeorge64]

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.

I read this book some years ago now.

I am not sure it is a 'convincing' argument at all, maybe it could be described as an 'alternative' argument however, from my point of view the book might easily be labelled under fiction.

Regards Richard.

[Bullmann]

A well-written book on this subject is "Das Reich" by Max Hastings.
The book is objective, but heart-wrenching and based on interviews with many French civilians and former SS-men who experienced this incident. The book was researched and written at a time, when many of the key-participants were still alive.

[BPA-Paul]

An interesting article that came up a few weeks ago on the condition of the memorial and trying to preserve the site.

If anyone is interested...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...ssacre-village

[BPA-Paul]

Also I was going through some of my photo files a came up with a few extra pics from the Oradour site, taken back a fews ago know...

Oradour.jpg


Oradour 1.jpg