Oradour-sur-Glane

 A few years ago, Emma and I visited the town of Oradour-sur-Glane. For those of you unfamiliar with the name it is a small town in the Limousin region that was falsely identified by the Nazis as a town harbouring members of the resistance responsible for the capture and incarceration of Sturmbannführer Helmut Kämpfe, commander of the 2nd SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion. On the morning of June 10th 1944 the 4th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment ("Der Führer") surrounded the town of Oradour-sur-Glane, herded the inhabitants into the town centre, divided them into small units and massacred them without any explanation, justification or reason, 642 townsfolk died without knowing which pathetic nazi ruling they were supposed to have transgressed.

For anybody interested, presuming that anyone does read this hehehe, please check out the wikipedia entry:

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

That visit prompted Emma to put a youtube pastiche together to music:

http://youtu.be/NbHjVxzoKKQ

Today, at the behest of Beth, who first came to awareness of this tragedy through our initial visit and Emma's video, we returned. This time armed with further research and increased awareness the memorial held more poignancy and atmosphere. Even Sam and Will, who accompanied us on a whim, were moved and remained respectfully silent throughout our visit.

Please check out the album available via my Facebook page. I will, however, post one snap I captured which made me feel terrible, not sure if I should have taken it, of a pair of very young, innocent French girls standing in the church, a place of murder and suffering where most of the women and children of the village lost their lives.

Today made me aware, particularly as the date of this tragedy was my fathers birth date, that such inhumanity exists not only in living memory but is happening today. Just because horrific murder occurs in the name of politics, religion or for no reason at all in places further than our immediate backyard, is no reason to ignore that they happen all to frequently. There is no excuse for such behaviour, not on a national level and not on a personal level.

All to frequently have I heard the French maligned for their part in the Second World War but I realised today that the population of an occupied nation who never gave in or gave up on the allies, supported their resistance without question. To oppose an occupying army knowing that the discovery of any form of resistance or non-compliance would result in death at best; torture and death of an entire town at worst shows, the courage of unbelievable proportions. It is easy to criticise a nation when you have not fought a war on home ground in living memory, I'm looking at you USA, and even easier when you have not faced a real threat to person.

'nuff said.