10 June 1944

[kev7d]

On Sunday I visited Oradour sur Glane. In June 1944 an SS Panzer division surrounded this village and rounded all of the occupants up. Some 640 people were then murdered by the SS and the village then looted and burned. The village is now a monument to the victims. Today the buildings stand very much as the SS left them on 10 June 1944 following their barbaric actions. The museum and village are very emotional places to visit. There was no distinction between young or elderly, male or female. It is a very sad story.

Click image to view large

Click image to view large

Click image to view large

Click image to view large

[Denis]

It is an extremely thought provoking place to visit. Your images go a long way to give the viewer a sense of being there.

I hope to go again next year myself.

[kev7d]

It is an extremely thought provoking place to visit.

Totally agree Denis. Very sobering and sad.

[Korky]

I'd never heard of this place before you posted these images - excellent, thought provoking photographs.

 

Korky

[kev7d]

I'd never heard of this place before you posted these images - excellent, thought provoking photographs.

Korky

Hi Kev,

I had not heard of the place either but your telling of the events of 1944 certainly add a sinister chill to your pictures.

Ron

Korky / Ron

It is a moving place to visit.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradour-sur-Glane

[John]

Wow, that's all I can say to both the images and the story. very thought provoking.

[JHFoto]

Over the years I have had very moving experiences, Singapore where my farther was taken prisoner by Japanese and the spent 5 years in a POW camp. I have also been to Pearl harbour in Hawaii and shook hands with a 94 year old veteran of the attack as I held his hand I just said thank you.

[JHFoto]

These pictures are some of the images I took while at Pearl Harbour showing the Arizona Memorial and a small part of the wreck itself.

[FUJI]

These are very emotive images Kev, I recall, very clearly this happening and what happened in Lidice? Not long after they really happened.

Which is precisely why I can't help bristling when I see re-enactors in nazi uniforms.

Only last night I attended a regular meeting of friends of a local WWII Heavy anti aircraft gun site which is perfectly preserved.....I initiated interest in it after over 25 years of research, metal detecting, photography, recordings and writing.

Next year will be the 75th anniversary of the Coventry Blitz, we had invited a member of a well respected WWII re-enactors group to our meeting, during his peice he mentioned that nazi uniform wasn't allowed in their group, for the reasons your photographs so clearly show.

I know others may see it differently, but they are usually those who didn't witness what the nazis did, first hand.....remember too that I visited Bergen Belsen more than once whilst in the Army.

As I said.....photographs that stir up very strong feelings.......thank you for posting them.

FUJI

[ChrisLumix]

Very thought provoking set of images.

 

Some years ago there was a classic ITV series "World At War" which covered WW2 and featured many interviews with internationals who experienced the horrors; narrated by Laurence Olivier if I remember. Anyway the reason for this digression is that the series kicked off with film of this place and the reasons for it, which provided a kind of 'lead in' to the series that followed. I think the series is still being shown on Yesterday?

 

(I just googled and found this transcript of the narration that accompanied the images:

 

"Down this road, on a summer day in 1944. . . The soldiers came. Nobody lives here now. They stayed only a few hours. When they had gone, the community which had lived for a thousand years. . . was dead. This is Oradour-sur-Glane, in France. The day the soldiers came, the people were gathered together. The men were taken to garages and barns, the women and children were led down this road . . . and they were driven. . . into this church. Here, they heard the firing as their men were shot. Then. . . they were killed too. A few weeks later, many of those who had done the killing were themselves dead, in battle. They never rebuilt Oradour. Its ruins are a memorial. Its martyrdom stands for thousands upon thousands of other martyrdoms in Poland, in Russia, in Burma, in China, in a World at War...
At the village of Oradour-sur-Glane, the day the soldiers came, they killed more than six hundred men, women . . . and children. 
Remember")

[THELONGMAN]

A Place I keep meaning to visit. Its a great set and a stark reminder of what happens when we allow extremest too much rope, Thanks for sharing Kev,

 

Geoff

[kev7d]

Thanks for the comments folks. I am pleased that there is some appreciation for these images. If you ever are near to Limoges, you must visit this place if you have not already done so.