The Normandy Massacres

June, 1944

A sensation was caused in Allied Headquarters when reports came through that a considerable number of Canadian soldiers were shot after being taken prisoner by the 12th. SS Panzer Division "Hitler Jugend". On the morning of June 8, thirty seven Canadians were taken prisoner by the 2nd Battalion of the 26th Panzer Grenadier Regiment. The prisoners were marched across country to the H/Q of the 2nd Battalion. In the village of Le Mesnil-Patty they were then ordered to sit down in a field with their wounded in the center. In a short while a half track arrived with eight or nine SS soldiers brandishing their machine pistols. Advancing in line towards the prisoners they opened fire killing thirty five men. Two of the Canadians ran for their lives and escaped the slaughter but were rounded up by a different German unit to spend the rest of the war in a POW camp. First to make contact with the Canadians was a combat group led by Obersturmbannfuhrer Karl-Heinz Milius and supported by the Prinz Battalion. Near the villages of Authie and Buron, a number of Canadians of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, were taken prisoner. Numbering around forty, they were individually killed on the march back to the rear. Eight were ordered to remove their helmets and then shot with automatic rifles. Their bodies were dragged out on to the road and left to be run over by trucks and tanks. French civilians pulled the bodies back on to the pavement but were ordered to stop and to drag the bodies back onto the road again.

On the 7th and 8th of June, in the grounds of the Abbaye Ardenne, the headquarters of SS Brigadefuhrer Kurt Meyer's 25th Panzer Grenadiers, twenty of the Canadians were shot. After being taken prisoner they were locked up in a stable and being called out by name they emerged from the doorway only to be shot in the back of the head. During the afternoon of June 8, twenty six Canadians were shot at the Chateau d'Audrie after being taken prisoner by a Reconnaissance Battalion of the SS Hitler Jugend. Other units of the German forces in France called the Hitler Jugend Division the "Murder Division". After the war, investigations established that separate atrocities were committed in 31 different incidents involving 134 Canadians, 3 British and 1 American. Brought to trial before a Canadian military court at Aurich in Germany on December 28, 1945, Kurt Meyer was sentenced to death but later reprieved and spent six years in a Canadian jail at New Brunswick before being transferred to the prison at Werl in Germany where he was released on parole on September 7, 1954. He died of a heart attack on December 23, 1961, at age 51.

 

You have to wonder what the Germans had against Canada. This is not surprising as the Germans were not known for their good treatment of prisoners in the first place.

 

In actuality this makes you wonder what Germans had against pretty much everyone in the world from the stories and facts we read. You have to wonder what thoughts were on the soldiers minds when they shot those 30 Canadians. They had to be so full of hate and rage, it really makes you wonder how anyone can do something like that and still smile....

 

I haven't read yet this. So thank you for posting! It is almost the same as the Malmédy Massacare. How people can do things like this.:sad:

Sebastiaan

 

The Nazis were pretty disgusted with pretty much everyone but there was definitely a pretty big step for them between killing 'sub-humans' and others. The massacres of Jews, Poles, Russians, and Lithuanians was more justifiable for many Nazis because they were considered lower on the totem pole according to race constructs but Hitler always maintained hope that the British (I assume this includes Canadians) would join the Axis because they were racially more 'clean' than others.

Truly horrifying ideology but fascinating to read up on.

 

I just have such trouble understanding how people can do this kind of stuff. I have read a lot about all this and it still just baffles me. I mean it is bad enough to torture people for no reason at all but than to take them and throw their bodies into the road so they will then get run over is just sick. It is almost like they could not stop at killing them they had to do more.

 

Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe the Allies order to take no prisoners might be the responsible party?
In addition, the rogue allied soldiers might be partially responsible too..
These rogue allied soldiers enjoyed collecting surveyors such as german scalps and ears off of German soldiers,some still alive when taken or discovered by german forces...
Possibly causes of the massacres could be those of surrendering German soldiers that german forces discovered!!
Then the famous Malmedy massacre never includes the massacre the allies did up the road which most likely provoked the reprisal...
Imo, as to why the dead was laid across the road creating a human speed bump for allies most likely the following German reasoning.
1) The Germans, most likely were combat veterans from the eastern front that had seen so much death and destruction basically desensitizing them knew the allied forces being green to combat didn't have the stomach to run over their fallen comrades.
Either way running over the dead, or just tge thought of fight an enemy that was willing to disregard the dead would take the fight out of the green allied soldier..
2) to slow down the allied forces allowing the german forces that were hours away from normandy time to reinforce the german forces at normandy..
3. To create an ambush location once the allied forces stopped to drag the dead off the road..
Thus, blocking the road with destoryed allied vehicles, armor creating confusion..
Combat, especially during wwii was brutal! Code of conduct goes right out the window during the heat of battle while trying to stay alive an individual is willing to do anything cause someone to die for their country instead of themselves regardless of any war rules countries previsously agreed to..
Remember the victors write the history books and are very careful to never disclose their own atrocities and war crimes that were committed, their hand in and their reasoning to get involved..
Which side committed the most crimes, and the most atrocities?
Hint: It wasnt the Germans!
You will not find that in the onesided history classes were taught about european history including both world wars!
Another fun fact, in 1933 international jewrly declared war on germany...
Accordling to international law, allowed germany every right to arrest non-germans deeming them enemies of the reich..

 

oh goodie, a wehraboo. Run along now.

 

Where did that retard appear from?

 

Almost anywhere, but right now the States are a hotbed of these mouth-breathers. Maybe its time for Punch a Nazi in the Head Day?

 

I'm accepting volunteers to participate in the 1st Annual "Run Over a Nazi in a Sherman Tank" festival....

 

I'm sure there's a tiki-torch parade that needs his help. Hope he remembers to get his head shaved first and to button his top button.

 

A bit further North than my usual aim, but hey...

 

The 12 SS War Crimes are notorious. Every SS division apart from 10th SS was guilty of some atrocity. The Leibstandart had a track record to 1940 of executions of prisoners. A much higher proportion of SS men posted Missing ended up dead than Heer. It may have been that they chose to fight to the death, but it is just as likely that they would not be allowed to surrender or survive the act.

However, atrocities were committed on both sides. I read recently that the American troops that landed on Omaha Beach were under orders not to take or bother with prisoners. This portrayal in Saving Private Ryan is accurate.

The Canadians had form from the First World War. There were many occasions when the British and Canadians did not take prisoners. The Canadian army was part of the the storm troops for the British forces in 1918.

 

Isn't there a difference in shooting men who are trying to surrender in the heat of battle and shooting men who have surrendered once things have quitened down ?

 

Anecdotally, verbal orders to not take prisoners may have been given to some of the troops landing on OMAHA...nevertheless they did take prisoners. One of the first groups to cross the bluffs under Lieutenant Spaulding captured a prisoner without incident. In any case, over 100 PW were recorded on OMAHA on 6 June, which would be a fairly significant proportion of the troops engaged, especially given the limited breakout and pursuit of the defeated Germans.

More murky is the case of the airborne forces, which were evidently widely given orders not to "bother" with prisoners.

 

International Jewelry?

If you mean International Jewry...A boycott is not a Declaration of War by any stretch of the imagination...Except yours.

Funny that...Given all the German WW2 memiors, you'd think the Germans won WW2. guess the winners and losers write the history books. FYI, you should read some of the Japanese history books.