A bit of history and a bit of France.
This is about an event that took place on 10th June 1944 in a small town in Limousin. It could be of interest to anyone, but also relevant to the Edexcel A level topic - Occupation and Resistance. The massacre of Oradour-sur-Glane Oradour-sur-Glane is a village situated 22km north west of Limoges. It is a place famous for the massacre of 642 men, women and children, the biggest civilian massacre carried out by the German army on French soil. But why did this massacre happen in a peaceful place nestled in the Limousin countryside? On the 10th June 1944 a nazi commander heard that resistance fighters in Oradour-sur-Vayres (a village 30km south west of Oradour-sur-Glane) were holding hostage a German officer. So a German battalion (which had confused the two Oradours) encircled Oradour-sur-Glane, and on the pretext of an identity check they ordered all the inhabitants: men, women and children, to gather on the main town square. The residents were separated into two groups (one of women and children, the other of men.) These 642 people were massacred: the men shot down, the women and children burned to death in the village church. Six residents managed to escape. Classed as a historic monument in 1946 the ruins of the 'martyred village' attract thousands of visitors every year. Today Robert Hébras, aged 94, is the last living survivor of the massacre. He survived by pretending to be dead under the bodies of his friends and neighbours, then at the very last moment he ran away although he was injured by the fire. His mother and two of his sisters died, but his father who happened to be at a farm in a nearby village, and his elder sister who no longer lived in Oradour, also survived. Later on Robert actively participated in the Resistance until the Nazis were driven out of France, then he went on to campaign for reconciliation between France, Germany and Austria. Today he continues to preserve the memory of Oradour and gives guided tours of the village to school children and tourists. If you visit the memorial museum at Oradour-sur-Glane you will be see the words, ‘Those who forget the past are condemned to relive it’, Georges Santayana (1863-1952). Thanks to the work of Robert Hébras the residents of the 'martyred village' will never be forgotten. Le massacre d’Oradour-sur-Glane Oradour-sur-Glane est un village situé à 22km au nord-ouest de Limoges. C’est un endroit connu pour le massacre de 642 hommes, femmes et enfants: le plus grand massacre de civils perpetré par l’armée allemande sur le sol français. Mais pourquoi y a-t-il eu un massacre dans ce petit village paisible? Le 10 juin 1944 un commandant nazi a entendu que des résistants à Oradour-sur-Vayres (un village situé à 30km au sud-ouest d’Oradour-sur-Glane) retenait un officier allemand en otage. Donc un bataillon allemand (qui avait confondu les deux Oradours) a bouclé Oradour-sur-Glane. Prétextant un contrôle d'identité, ils ordonnent à toute la population, aussi bien les femmes, les hommes que les enfants, de se réunir sur la place principale du bourg. Tous obéissent sans un mot. Les militaires les séparent alors en deux groupes: d'une part les femmes et les enfants, de l'autre les hommes. Ces 642 sont massacrés (les hommes mitraillés, les femmes et les enfants brûlés dans l’église) Six résidents ont réussi à se sauver. Classées monument historique en 1946, les ruines du village martyr sont visitées chaque année par des milliers de personnes. Aujourd’hui Robert Hébras, âgé de 94 ans, est le dernier des six survivants du massacre. Il a survécu en faisant la mort sous les corps de ses amis, et à la dernière minute il s’est sauvé. Par la suite il a participé activement à la Résistance. Aujourd’hui il continue à preserver le souvenir d’Oradour et donne des visites guidées du village aux lycéens et aux touristes. Si vous visitez le musée memorial d’Oradour vous verrez les mots, ‘Ceux qui oublient le passé se condamnent à le revivre’: Georges Santayana (1863-1952).
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