June 1944 became fatal for this village. The village, destroyed by the Nazis, is recognized as a symbol of one of the worst crimes committed on French soil. The “martyr city,” as it was called after 50 years, was completely destroyed, and the ruins left as a memory of those terrible events for posterity were declared a memorial center.
Historical reference
Oradour-sur-Glan is a ghost town that suffered from an absurd accident. The centuries-old history of the village, whose name is translated from Latin as "chapel", was interrupted after the bloody massacre of all its inhabitants. On June 10, 1944, fascist punishers of the elite combat unit of the SS entered the town.
General Heinz Lammerding, who thirsted for wealth, commanded the Nazis, who stored 500 kg of looted gold in a special machine, which was officially considered a safe for secret documents. Major Otto Dickman, who is responsible for the ingots, and his boss thought for a long time about how to deliver untold treasures to Germany.
The death of the military and the loss of gold
They were afraid of the bombing, which could destroy a valuable cargo, and their own comrades. In addition, friends were tormented by the idea that in the homeland, few can be trusted with valuable bullion. Upon learning of the new order to advance to Normandy to meet the Allies, the Nazis decide to hide a huge fortune. A heavy special vehicle was moving along a separate route, and it was guarded by an armored personnel carrier with soldiers.
No one expected a meeting with the fighters of the French Resistance, but it still happened. Six soldiers attacked the Germans, completely destroying their cars, as a result of the massacre, only one German soldier survived, who found a huge fortune instead of archival documents in a special vehicle. Without thinking twice, he buries gold bullion in the ground.
Ridiculous misunderstanding
The general, learning about the death of the Nazis and the loss of wealth that would ensure him a comfortable old age, was beside himself with rage. He heard that the village of Oradour-sur-Glan became the center of the French Resistance . It was there that he immediately sent punitive troops, not noticing that he had mixed up the names. The fact is that nearby was the town of Oradour-sur-Vayres, in which the partisan camp was really located.
Interrupted calm
The cozy village of Oradour-sur-Glans (France), located in a picturesque place, has always been considered the quietest corner of the country. Surprisingly, the hostilities that took place nearby did not affect the lifestyle of local residents who were not part of the partisans. People calmly conducted agriculture, prayed and rested, as if there was no mention of any war. The sweet idyll has turned into a bloody tragedy, which is still remembered.
By order of Lammerding, residents of the village of Oradour-sur-Glan, who were not awaiting reprisal, were taken to the main square at 4 in the morning. Soldiers of the elite SS regiment plundered homes and destroyed livestock. All but one of the houses where interrogations and torture took place were blown up. The general was atrocious, demanding to tell where his gold was hidden. The locals who did not understand anything were accused of aiding the French Resistance, and after that, according to the testimonies of those few who survived, hell broke out.
Terrible tragedy
It is known that at the beginning of the bloody massacre, in the village of Oradour-sur-Glanc there were 642 local residents and 6 teenagers from a neighboring village who came to visit. Nazi barbarians drove all the men into the barn, after the machine-gun bursts of those who survived, they doused with gasoline and set it on fire. Six men survived the terrifying tragedy, they managed to get out of the flames enveloped in flames.
Women and small children were gathered in an abandoned church, and after some time the wooden structure was engulfed in fire. Those who tried to jump out of the windows were shot point blank. It is known about one survivor, on which bodies fell from above, taking all the machine gun bursts. The woman, who died in 1988, spent the bulk of her life in a hospital for mentally ill people.
Historical memorial
Those who survived decided not to restore the village of Oradour-sur-Glan destroyed by the Nazis (photo below), but to rebuild a new place of residence near the ruins.
The ruined village, preserving the very appearance in which the Nazis left it, still looks horrific: scattered things with blood stains of the killed, burned skeletons of old cars, surviving their owners' children's toys became a silent reminder of the terrible misfortune that happened in a small village. Those who have visited such memorials dedicated to the tragedies of the past war will never forget its disfigured face.
The ghost town of Oradour-sur-Glan (France), whose photo of the ruins brings genuine horror to everyone who came to pay tribute to the victims of the Second World War, will forever remain a symbol of Nazi barbarism.