Why had been the inhabitants of Oradour-sur-Glane massacred on June 10, 1944? | EUROtoday

80 years later, we nonetheless have no idea with certainty the decision-making course of which led the SS to burn Oradour-sur-Glane and kill 642 of its inhabitants on June 10, 1944. This is what the historian Nicolas Bernard concludes, who has simply accomplished a ebook of analysis on the topic (ed. Tallandier).

We after all know the perpetrators, the second SS Das Reich division, commanded by the brigadefuhrer Heinz Lammerding. But the archives of the SS division, Bernard reveals to us, are scattered between Washington – the American military had seized a part of the paperwork in 1945 – Prague – the Red Army had captured the rest of the division in Bohemia – Moravia – and Marbach, in Germany – the Bundesarchiv – are lacking for the 2 days of June 9 and 10.