Introduction
Oradour-Sur-Glane is a site that represents an atrocity event that happened during the first world war era where the entire village and the natives were liquidated by German troops two years after a similar occurrence was experienced by the natives of Lidice, a Czechoslovakian village. The Nazi-occupied a larger part of Europe and were behind the destruction of major cities, towns, villages, and entire landscape in Europe. On the tenth of every year, France commemorates a village identified as Oradour-Sur-Glane, where a massacre happened that changed the scenery of its village. It was on 10 June 1994 when the massacre happened in the village of Oradour-Sur-Glane. The paper aims to take the reader back in time and review what happened to the people of Oradour-Sur-Glane, the cause(s) that led to the massacre, and the importance and reflection of the event, a crucial aspect to the french men today. Thus, studying the History of past events at length helps us understand our identity and appreciate our cultures and other people’s culture, creating a breeding environment for diversity.
Description of Oradour-Sur-Glane Massacre
An elite division of the Nazi resistance movement known as the 2nd-Panzer Division arrived in Oradour-Sur-Glane village at around noon with a hundred and fifty soldiers blocking the entrance to the village, giving way for an atrocity to occur at the village. On the following day, it was evident that the village was reduced to ashes, blacked stones, and charred remains. This massacre is termed the most notorious for being executed by the Nazis, considering the number of innocent women and children deprived of their right to live to the death of 642 women, children, and men on that fateful day, 10 June 1994. In the following years, there was a need for the French people to show a sign of unity to support the residents of Oradour-Sur-Glane and a symbol of resistance to the barbaric acts of the Nazis; thus, the French people began commemorating the day. The following year, after the massacre in Oradour-Sur-Glane, General Charles de Gaulle visited the ruins, and legislation was passed that dictated having the village serve as a historical monument. Ever since, the ruins have been preserved to guide the History of France, and Oradour-Sur-Glane was described as the martyr village, a sacred area that belonged to the French people. The massacre in Oradour-Sur-Glane is a main identity to the French. At Oradour, no individual was spared life since there was no identity check contacted.
Causes and Consequences
The causes or factors that led to the massacre is described from various perspective by different experts in the field of History. However, the causes are not yet clear today, and it is from testimonies of the survivors that historians were capable of gathering information and understanding what transpired on 6 June 1994. Madam Marguerite Rouffanche is one of the six survivors of the massacre who spent a significant time healing the injuries. Rouffanche gives the testimony during the trial, where it is noted that twenty soldiers were brought to justice and convicted but later released since many did not survive the resistance and solidarity of the Frenchmen showing their dissatisfaction with the Oradour-Sur-Glen massacre. Furthermore, the primary reason that historians believe led to the massacre was the German high command received that word that the people in Oradour-Sur-Glane collaborated to resist and aided in the killing of a decorated officer of the Nazi elite division 2nd-Panzer Division, Helmut Kämpfe, who was killed by the French resistance movement. The perpetrators described the massacre as an exemplary act that involved a surprise attack that would discourage fighters and resistors in the community. Oradour-Sur-Glane is not re-known for resistance activities, but Oradour-Sur-Vayres was; thus, leading to the other hypothesis believed as a cause of the Oradour-Sur-Glane massacre. The elite division of the Nazis might have misunderstood the assignment and gone to the wrong destination; hence, Oradour-Sur-Glane was a mistaken identity. Buildings in the village were torched down, and remnants of bicycles, sewing machines, boilers, burnt cars, and other machines are reminders of the village life to the people today. The village is a nurtured ruin that has been preserved to provide a detailed story about the broken fragments and the scenery of the village of Oradour-Sur-Glance to future generations. However, there is a sense today that justice was never rightfully served to the perpetrators of the massacre despite preserving the memory. Oradour-Sur-Glance remains a reminder of a martyred village to all martyrs that suffered under the hands of terror and such barbaric acts across the globe, specifically east and west of Europe. Life in the village of Odour-Sur-Glane was disrupted, and many lives were lost on that day; thus, there is a need for justice to have been served to the perpetrators. The massacre acts as a crucial reminder to the current generation on the need to ensure perpetrators of barbaric activities and atrocities are brought to and served justice for the actions they committed during the world war to the present day.
Reflection of Oradour-Sur-Glane Massacre
From the memories that transpired at Oradour-Sur-Glane, the barbaric nature of the then-German governance is portrayed, leading to the death of many innocent women and children. The massacre remains one of the appalling war crimes to be committed when the issues of mass killings in the east of Europe and genocides of Jews are still unresolved. After about eight years of legal inquiry and procedures, the public prosecutor could not account for and modify the conviction’s case and answer the question,” why Oradour, why us?”. However, a historical account can be easily retrieved from the German and French archives. The memories French men are left with from the Oradour-Sur-Glane massacre has a significant impact to the peaceful co-existence and harmony in France. Since, many would not like to experience the fate natives and inhabitants of Oradour-Sur-Glane went through due to bad governance and barbaric behaviors from the authorities.
Furthermore, a remembrance committee was formed later as a symbol of unity with the perished innocent women, children, and men that perished on that day, 10 June 1944. The committee settled on conserving the ruins and commemorating the day in honor of the innocent individuals murdered brutally. However, erosion in the area has consequently interfered with the landscape and scenery. However, the ruins remain suggestive of the frequent modification of the area by the consolidation, museography, and restoration projects. The story about Oradour-Sur-Glance has since attracted the attention of many visitors and tourists visiting the area. Moreover, what makes Oradour significant and unique in the History of France is that the ruins in the village have survived and lasted long enough since they were left to be viewed by the current generation.
The ruins lie on a forty-acre piece of land and today are maintained by the ministry of culture. It is estimated that about 300,000 visitors visit the place annually. The Oradour ruins are famous in memory of the second world war in French. The village represents the horrors that people at the time experienced under the regime of the Nazis. The preservation of the village is a heroic act, and the future generation will have something to remember and give them an indirect experience of the war and understand the adverse effects of war (Yalom 23). Furthermore, the Oradour massacre is a presentation of how the French suffered under the occupation of the Germans. Visitors and tourists that tour the area, see and view the Oradour ruins and listen to narratives about an ideal village in France with no blemish or fault become a target of atrocities committed by the Nazis.
Conclusion
10 June is a remarkable day for the French men as they commemorate the day in memory and honor of the innocent people that perished in the massacre at Oradour village and other villages that faced the same fate as those in Lidice village. The people in Oradour suffered the wrath of the Nazis under an elite division that committed the atrocities, which remains a significant symbol amongst the French men. The perpetrators, the elite division under the Nazi regime, actualized liquidation and limited the people from discussing the massacre as a way of compressing the issue to be never revealed. New villages and settlements were developed to cater to the massacre survivors and help them relocate.
The physical remains and ruins in the village are enough to give a clear understanding to the visitors of what transpired during the day of the massacre; hence, it evokes the understanding of past events in the area and History as a whole. The ruins in Oradour-Sur-Glane are beautiful scenery that forms part of a commemorative landscape. The events that transpired in the Oradour-Sur-Glane are documented in an orderly manner; apart from the ruins giving an overview of the History, documentation of the events has gone further to be documented in films. When flashing back and moving on since 10 June, Oradour-Sur-Glane village will always remain in the memory of the past and future generation even in the absence of the ruins. Today, the French government is doing everything to keep and conserve the ruins to serve the purpose it was initially brought to perform. With recent cases of vandalism of the ruins, the government is looking forward to bringing such perpetrators to justice.
On that specific date (10 June 1994) lies on a Saturday, a busy day in this small village in Haute-Vienne in the west-central France, where the villagers continued with their normal daily activities ranging from shopping for groceries and food to chatting with fellow friends and neighbors. The massacre involved killing people mercilessly to send out a warning and finish out completely the village and make it disappear from the French map. However, the perpetrators never succeeded in liquidating the village, but the survivors remember the enthusiasm and courage of the elite squad lives and the massacre.
Works Cited
Primary Sources
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