Oradour-sur-Glane Massacre: SS Division Das Reich Murdered 642 Civilians

The Oradour-sur-Glane Massacre was one of the worst atrocities committed against civilians in Western Europe during World War II. On 10 June 1944, just days after the Allied landings in Normandy, soldiers of the 2nd SS Panzer Division “Das Reich” entered the peaceful French village of Oradour-sur-Glane and murdered 642 civilians, including more than 200 children.Under the command of SS officer Adolf Diekmann, villagers were rounded up and separated. Men were confined in barns and machine-gunned before the buildings were set ablaze. Women and children were locked inside the village church, where explosives and incendiary devices were used before the structure was engulfed in flames. Those who attempted to escape were shot.Unlike many German reprisals carried out during the war, Oradour-sur-Glane had no proven connection to resistance activity. The massacre reflected the brutal anti-partisan tactics developed by Waffen-SS units on the Eastern Front and later applied in occupied France. It occurred only one day after the notorious executions at Tulle, another atrocity linked to the Das Reich Division.After the war, only a limited number of perpetrators faced prosecution, while many escaped punishment altogether. The ruins of Oradour-sur-Glane were preserved by the French government as a memorial and remain one of the most powerful reminders of Nazi crimes against civilians.This documentary explores the events of June 1944, the role of the Waffen-SS, the occupation of France, and the lasting legacy of one of the deadliest massacres in Western Europe during the Second World War.This episode is part of the series Massacres of Civilians during World War II.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv