France and Germany search for the remains of executed German POWs

[Witt]

I read about this story a few weeks ago and I think it is an important topic to relate. The investigation was set to begin and the end of June and may still be on-going. The search by many French and German entities has begun to pinpoint the location of a mass grave where 47 German POWs and one French woman were buried.

The last surviving witness of the executions, Edmond Réveil, currently 98, has once again brought to light the June 12, 1944 executions of German prisoners outside Meymac in hopes that their bodies could be identified and buried thence also bringing peace to the families. Réveil codenamed “Papillon” was an 18-year-old member of the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans (FTP) shortly after D-Day when resistance fighters clashed with German troops in the town of Tulle. Around 50 Germans were taken prisoner and were marched east. With no where to keep the prisoners in the still predominantly German controlled area and without enough supplies for an additional ~50 bodies, the order was brought down from Marie-Pierre Kœnig to execute the prisoners. The leader of the local resistance known under code as “Hannibal” was a French-German speaker from the Alsace. He cried as he relayed the execution order to each of thw prisoners. This was four days after the Germans were captured. The 47 remaining prisoners and one French woman suspected to be a collaborator were made to dig their own graves in the woods between Le Vert and Meymac. The resistance fighters then disposed of their captees while a drawing had to be reluctantly made to determine the executioner of the French woman. The bodies were buried and information of the event almost all but disappeared for a long time.


Word of the executions has been largely withheld and forgotten about outside of the region. Réveil notes that they were aware that it was not legal for them to have executed prisoners. In 1967 eleven bodies were found and reburied at the German cemetery in Berneuil. This search was never made public nor were any official records made. Now another search is being made using modern equipment to locate the grave site. Hopefully a discovery will be made so the Volksbund may bury these men in a German cemetery and bring closure to the families.

Links to two more in-depth articles on the topic:
Hunt begins for remains of 47 Nazi soldiers executed by French Resistance
French resistance fighter reveals execution of 47 German soldiers in 1944 | International | EL PAIS English

[emileverbunt]

What a sad story. For all concerned.

[Witt]

There is a much bigger story behind the execution of the German POWs. This wikipedia article goes into great detail on the massive partisan attack against German barracks in Tulle and the subsequent reprisal massacre perpetrated by members of the “Das Reich” against the civilians of Tulle.

Tulle massacre - Wikipedia

The school in Tulle was the garrison barracks for seven hundred soldiers from III. Bataillon of Sicherungs-Regiment 95. This number was doubled by a supplementary force from the Vichy GMR gendarmerie and the Milice. Hundreds of FTP fighters attacked the German positions on June 7. A partial withdrawal by the partisans allowed the Germans to regroup and regain control of FTP command points like the rail station. The fighting resumed the next morning and was not long before Tulle was liberated aside from two small holdouts. It is written that “German losses were estimated by Sarah Farmer as 37 dead, 25 wounded and 35 missing.[25] For G. Penaud, they amount to about 50 dead, sixty missing, probably taken prisoner, and between 23 and 37 wounded. The majority of the prisoners were probably shot hereafter.” I have found casualty cards for 28 men that were killed during the two-day battle at Tulle. There was also 17 members of the regiment reported missing in Tulle to the DRK.

Columns of the 2. SS Panzer Division “Das Reich” entered Tulle on the night of June 8 while the partisans escaped the city. The city was swept through and hostages were rounded up. On June 9 the SS had 149 people deported to Dachau and 99 was hanged from lamp posts and balconies in the city. The Division then left the city northwest bound for Normandy. The same Division would perpetrate the Orodour-sur-Galne massacre the following day in response to resistance activities as well as punishment for the execution by immolation of “Das Reich” commander Sturmbannführer Helmut Kämpfe. 643 civilians from the city and nearby countryside were executed by immolation.