The Wormhout Massacre | May 1940
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- In late May 1940, as the Battle of Dunkirk unfolded, British troops fought and battled against German forces around the French town of Wormhout. What followed in the aftermath of the battle was a tragic event that led to the death of 80 British Prisoners of War at the hands of their German captors.
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I'm French and I live in that village. When I was in primary school, each year we had a commemoration in that place which is called "plaine au bois" in French. I remember we would meet English veterans that fought in the operation dynamo, and you could tell that even decades after the war these veterans were still deeply affected by what happened. Even now, when I walk my dog in that place, I still see a lot of English folks visiting the place.
Cool to see there is a video about my village!
Respects to the English soldiers who fought on foreign land.
Merci Maxence pour les mots gentile....d'un Anglais.
I visited last July...merci
And Welsh.(British)they were there too.
Merci- Vive la France! Greetings from Britain! :)
Bonjour can I ask if you know Guy Rommelaere I believe he was a mayor in the area some years ago?
I met him when I visited the site around 15 years ago.
Thank you to all of those who have worked so hard to commemorate this evil act.
Vive La Belgique
When i was a kid, i grew up in a village nearby, this story was told by an old neighbour who lived in that town at that time " To forget the past is to condemn oneself to relive it " he always said.
Yet the Americans are turning to populism as we speak
Olivier all the best from England
I F you are an idiot. Ever heard of Brexit?
@@5150GSD Maybe we used to but now I'm not so sure. We don't have same quality of leaders as back then even with their own prejudices and faults.
@@5150GSD Ignoring the comment made by Pee Tee which I being British do not endorse, having family in the US and having visited that country a number of times I feel that a I have a more balanced view. The history you relate is indeed bloody, brutal and murderous but it is also mirrored all over the world, on every continent, and every culture. Remember that the USA is populated by people whose origins are from across that world. British, Italian, German etc and that Americas short history (in comparison) is also a history of war, and killing, for example the civil war, now that was a bloody mess wasn't it? Then there was the treatment of native Americans, the seizure of Mexican territories, the Spanish war etc. if you check your own history in the 200 years since the country was founded theres quite a lot of what you criticize the Europeans for crammed into that short space of time.
+Bert Evans died 1st October 2013 +
+Charlie Daley died 27th June 2012 +
Rest In Peace.
+NEVER FORGET!+
May we stand shoulder to shoulder once again when tyranny raises its ugly head. Just scared of an unknown enemy which will have us all begging for government help and assistance. Has this already started??? What do you think ?
Great Respect for these brave British soldiers. May they rest in peace.
I’m a historian, specializing in WW2, yet I knew nothing of this. Thanks so much for posting!
I first learned in 2019, solely because we landed in Dunkirk on our way to the Normandy beach’s.
I always think of it now as being one of the most heroic last stands that played such a major role in the success of Dunkirk.
They held the road for long enough.
Around the same time 97 men (predominantly from the Royal Norfolks and a few stragglers from other units) were massacred at Le Paradis by SS Totenkopf
It is nicknamed the forgotten massacre
My father, a WW2 veteran, told me once that "SS" stood for "Shoot on Sight". I don't think his unit took many SS prisoners. I can understand why after watching this.
Your father was just making stuff up😂
@iStichy uhh... i think it wasnt a literal thing
I'm a little confused. Are you opposed to the killing of POWs or just some POWs?
My father was also there and when we could get him to talk about it he always said that any ss were always shot on sight never any mercy for them, he had seen too much of their behaviour.
@@johnsmyth2514 A friend of my Father's killed 6 German POWs (paratroopers) in one incident during the Battle of Crete. In his case he was in a panic and on his own with the whole shitty battle going on around him. The experience haunted and sickened him.
Kudos to the German soldiers that actually acted like soldiers... and helped the prisoners.
Vastly outnumbered by the Nazi maniacs rampaging through Europe though, eh?
@John Smith The Wehrmacht commited many (war-) crimes. Having said that there were a few Germans less criminal. So what?
Totally agree, in the mist of war people still have feelings and we're probably most of them forced to fight, which kept there compassion.
I will be forever grateful to the brave men that gave their lives & enabled my father to escape from Dunkirk to continue the fight .
After Dunkirk, my Grandad went to North Africa for 3 years,Italy,back for Normandy,my grandad was in a tank during ww2 a driver,Coldstream Guards Armoured division, 21st army, don't know no. of div he was in
My uncle was a Quartermaster Sergeant 2nd battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment who fought in the rearguard at Wormhout. He was badly wounded by the SS and left for dead but fortunately he was found by Wehrmacht soldiers who checked the bodies left in a ditch and found my uncle was still alive. They quickly took him to a field hospital and a German doctor saved his life. He spent sometime in hospital recovering and then a P.O.W. camp for the duration of the war. I believe the German officer who commanded the SS unit lived a long life on an officers pension in West Germany. I also believe due to the action of a Birmingham Labour MP we tried to have him bought to Britain to stand trial for war crimes but at that time the German authorities would not allow his being sent to the UK to stand trial. Also at the time of the massacre the SS unit was commanded by Captain Mohnke of the Leibstandarte SS. In 2011 at the age of 83 he was living near Hamburg. Sometimes there is no justice....
I'm in Dunkirk next week retracing my grandfather's retreat to Dunkirk with the RA, his last battle at Teteghem, ill visit Wormhout too, RIP
This was not the first massacre the SS committed during the war, and it wouldn't the last either.
Almost at the same time the Royal Norfolks were also being massacred at Le Paradis
😢 Indeed. Two examples come to mind - Lidice in former Czechoslovakia and Oradour sur Glane in France.
I live not far from there and will pay my respects when I can
Poor boys were probably terrified.
yes especially when they dragged people out in fives
They died like men I bet! Some jumped on grenades! You think they were crying? Nope. You stare death in the face with a look that would make chuck norris tremble!
Those men would have been so mad watching there friend die they could not be scared, there was no time for that!
Speaking the obvious
I'm guessing that these these statements were given to war crime investigators very soon after release from 5 years in captivity, in a perfectly justified quest for vengeance against the guilty for themselves, and especially for their murdered friends and comrades. It's great to see that even in that context, and having suffered such a horrific ordeal, the survivors make a point of acknowledging the humanity and kindness of the ordinary German soldiers who seem to have subsequently offered every comfort and assistance they would have to their own wounded, and their revulsion at the actions of their SS 'comrades' that probably matched that of the survivors. Respect to the British soldiers involved, and to the German soldiers who did all they could to right the unrightable wrong.
It's also great to see that you've made a point of acknowledging it in this video.
The Warwickshire regiment was engaged in atrocities committed against Waffen SS members itself prior to this event, whom they executed after having received the order to take no prisoners, something which unsettled many British soldiers at the time. The Waffen SS, who was aware of what happened after recovering the dead bodies of their comrades, merely retaliated. It shines an entire different light on the Wormhout massacre. It's just that the allied massacre doesn't get mentioned, per usual.
@@rafopderand8524 Source?
@@rafopderand8524 Bollocks!
@@dellawrence4323: it's part of the official history of the event, it's just that most people leave out that crucial bit of information, perhaps because they're unaware of it. About 20 members of the SS were executed first - I would think it's because of the Dunkirk evacuation, taking POWs to England as well as the B.E.F. would've complicated matters on the beaches.
@@rafopderand8524 evidence???
We must never forget the bravery of this generation. Thank you for this video.
A hard piece of history to learn.....but necessary and nevery to be forgotton.
Thankyou so much for your exceptional videos. So informative and done with so much respect
This channel is so underrated but love your videos they are so respectful and sometimes very moving like this one..
RIP HEROS
*LEST WE FORGET*
Who gave a thumbs down to this video? It's a true account of bravery and sacrifice by the British and the barberism of the German SS. May they rest in peace.
Are you surprised? There are still idiots who think the SS were fun chaps and not guilty of any misdoings! About the only good thing the UA-cam mass removal of 'Right-Wing' channels is the 0.1% of SS fan boys who got deleted.
@@I_Don_t_want_a_handle A bloke called Rhys Nichols gave a thumbs down ... see the tosser's posts above!
Just stumbled upon this, very moving and nicely done. Thank you.
I've been to the site but obviously missed the fact that many of those massacred still have no known resting place.
Rest In Peace to all of the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment lads murdered at Wormhoudt. Ever Glorious.
My grandad was 1st battalion Cheshires but not this early in the war. What battalion was involved in this?
@@fghjjjk 4th Battalion Cheshires. They were fire support for some other battalions. My grandfather was in the 2nd Battalion Cheshires before and during the whole of world war2. The Cheshires have never been in the limelight as they should have been (and despite raising 38 Battalions in world war1 ) , unlike many other Regiments. I think the fact that we country bumpkins have fought so well throughout history didn't go down too well with the snobs in the hierarchy.
@@buckers67buck77 yeah, I only heard of this massacre recently, and didn't know the cheshires were involved. Where abouts are you from then?
@@fghjjjk the County of Cheshire. It's where my family have been since well before 1066. Had four relatives also in the Cheshires in the first war.
There was also the Norfolk Rehoment at Le Paradis who where murdered 97 out of 100 dead.
Wilhelm Mohnke was responsible for this massacre and four years later he did it again at Malmedy. Jochen Pieper got the blame for Malmedy Murderer Mohnke was never held to account
He's lucky the SAS never captured him as they were after waffen ss war criminals mohnke was a arschfotze of the highest order
Joachim Pieper was guilty of geonocide .... against the Red Army. His units absolutely stacked the Commies, that's why the Soviets were so desperate to get him after the war
Sepp Dietrich was the senior commander in the area at the time but he had a defence for the actions of his men he was hiding in a ditch being shot at by British troops.
Mohnke also had his last command in Berlin, but as you say, never held to account. But Pieper accepted responsibility, He also had many beatings by the US, during the "trial".Pieper was killed in France many years later despite his release after serving his sentence. The US General who Pieper capture provided an excellent testimony to the courts on how well he was treated. Still, Pieper is portrayed as giving the order at Malmedy.
@@nigeh5326 this was a reason given as an "excuse" by SS troops - they thought Sepp had been killed.. he and another officer were in a ditch trying not to be burned alive by the petrol from their own damaged vehicle..
I hadn't heard of this. Thanks for telling of the inhumanity and humanity of the fighting soldier.
We shall never forget.
They wouldn’t have known it at the time but their brave stand would play a part in slowing the advancing Germans and enabling the miracle of Dunkirk and for Britain to regroup and go on to win the war. Rest in peace brave soldiers, thank you for your duty ♥️
Mayoforsam You're an ignorant bigot and yes you do need some history lessons. Firstly, Dunkirk was just the town. British troops were ordered to hold certain key areas and roads leading to the town and the evacuation, knowing it meant they were unlikely to survive. These men were an example.
The Germans tried to bomb the beaches and had some success but the RAF kept most of them at bay, despite high losses.
As already stated, a third of those evacuated were French who also played a major part in making the evacuation possible.
People like you learn nothing from history, have no respect for those who died, particularly such as those in this video. You're just a vile excuse for a human and ultimately it's the likes of you and your ignorant attitude that causes conflict in the world.
Mayoforsam shut the fuck up if you say that shit in the north east you would have your head kicked in you are the coward you disrespect the men and women who fought for the country if they did not you would not be typing on a phone you may be dead or not even born so shut the fuck you total prick head excuse off a failed abortion
@Mayoforsam you clearly have a lack of understanding about this and your comments are absolutely pathetic.
You must have a lonely, miserable existence and an inferiority complex, wanker.
In the 1960's, I met a former SS officer who was living in California, and had become friends with my older brother. I was a teenager at the time, and not very knowledgeable about the war. He talked freely about his war experiences, or so I thought. He surrendered during the Battle of the Bulge. His tank had run out of fuel, and he and his crew were on foot, trying to get back to their lines. They were cold, hungry, and desperate, so they finally approached what turned out to be a British patrol. He said that the Brits treated them very well, fed them and gave them hot tea. He spent the rest of the war in a POW camp in Scotland, which he said was very nice, compared to life in combat. He had nothing but good things to say about his captors. He was a very friendly, likable guy, and it is hard to imagine him as a brutal Nazi, but as I learned more about the actions of the SS, I often wonder what crimes he participated in, and if I was in the presence of an evil monster back then.
I think you need to chill, contrary the popular belief the majority of ss were front line troops who abided by the Geneva convention. They often hung their own who committed atrocities….of course this doesn’t excuse the crimes some ss units committed but it wasn’t common practice. Also everyone committed war crimes
@@rhysnichols8608 At least someone didn't drink the Kool Aid.
I live near the Welsh town of Llandudno which is twinned with Wormhout. Thank you for this video, it explained a lot I was unaware of.
I’m from rhyl my grand father was in the barn when they were being brought out I’ve been to the grave sight in wormhout with my dad to see his grave very moving for us both at the time .
Shame on my country .
The time 1933-45 should be kept aware in Germany and in all the other coutries.
It is a warning to us all who have the mercy to have grien in alllong perikd of peace
But this peace has become fragile and Fashucm is around again.
This fallen and slauhgtered British soldiers have given lifes also for my German heart and the hearts of my children
Let us keep together for peace and stick together in Europe to make mite efforts to peace onbthe world
Very emotional and great video to watch. RIP to all those who lost their lives. 😔
I have known about thus terrible massacre for a good number if years. All those SS responsible should have stood trial and held accountable for what they did to those British soldiers. They completely ignored the Geneva convention.
I forgot about this massacre, viewing this video hit me like being hit with a brick ,respect for our soldiers r I p fellow brits
An excellent and moving documentary. I have also visited this site in 2014 having come across it while travelling in France. I had not been previously aware of this atrocity but very much moved by it and also created an audio visual sequence with still photographs which was later shown at my local Camera Club. But this video is much better produced.
Blessings to those lads from the Wehrmacht who with honour treated our lads well. Shame on those who didn't. To use grenades added more barbarism than could probably be imagined. Who can give this video a thumbs down for God's sake? Whatever side, be honourable. RIP men.
@Giovanni Marchese well not all SS men were evil, some were relatively good people, look at the 9th SS.Pz.DiV hohenstaufen at anrhem and what the brit paras said about them. Also look at the foreign SS divisions (not the ones like handschar)
Great respect from Wormhout
May God bless all those British soldiers and their families and may they forever Rest In Peace. 🙏🇬🇧
I suggest reading a book called "The Myth of Dunkirk". It perhaps would add greater understanding. It includes an incident where a number of German POWs were murdered by British Territorial unit. Later members of the unit were captured and executed, they had been caught by the unit whose troops were murdered and were carrying documents and papers from the murdered Germans. The members of the Territorial unit who got back to Britain were disarmed and forced to surrender material taken from the murdered Germans, and the unit disbanded. How many Germans had been murdered couldn't be determined from the official records since the first digit had disappeared in a hole punch; however, whatever the number was, two zeroes had followed it. The record was displayed in the book. The books release actually caused a change the British Official Secrets Laws, since no one realized what was released when the classification on the document ended which resulted in the author obtaining the record. Several other very embarrassing records are also disclosed in the book, but not related to war crimes and the murder of prisoners.
@SHADOW COMPANY We have a difference of opinion. I don't consider a death in combat a murder. I can respect your view but disagree with it.
Good info thanks, might look this book up for a more balanced view
@@arthurmosel808 wouldn’t surprise me to be honest that this was hushed up so not to portray the Allies in a negative light.
Very nicely done LfE..
My father who lived nearby and was 10 at the time, told me several times about the screamings he heard. He was interviewed as a witness by BBC journalists in the 80s about that. He remainedhaunted by this all his life and I remember him crying several times still hearing those sreamings in his mind.
RIP Brave men
Yup/ Later in the war my father flew two tours over Germany. Glad he burnt the bastards in Dresden.
Excellent and respectful account of tragic and brutal war crime.
My great uncle was there Horace Sutton brave men they saved so many lives holding back the germans
Thank you for posting this. I hadnt heard of it before.
May the murdered lads rest in peace after their horrendous ordeal.......May the cowardly ss perpetrators burn in hell for eternity..for they were not soldiers.
This really got me mate, I'm sitting with tears in my eyes writing this under blurry condition.
I'm. Believer in reincarnation and I believe I fought in WWII, and probably died fighting.
I live everything Military, everything and the swings I gave are too strong to mean anything else than I was there in a past life, it's the only thing that brings tear to my eyes, that why some of these story cause me to shed tears.
Absolutely brilliant video about a subject most of us didn't even know happened.
Thank you for uploading it.
My father and my wife's father survived the Dunkirk retreat but I don't think they really ever fully recovered from the horrors that occurred .
Really enjoying and appreciating your content thank you.
Lest We Forget
My Grandad was in the Royal Warwicks but transferred to the Royal Artillery as he could drive lorries. fought in Burma. Thank God he wasn't there in Wormhoult. RIP Boys
Thank you for bringing this story to so many
We need to acknowledge the immense bravery of the German soldiers who, in the face of .... anyway ..... who threw the hand grenades into that barn and used their machine guns on these British soldiers.
*It takes a special kind of man to do that!*
I’m sure you’re aware British rear guard units were instructed to take no prisoners and there were cases of them murdering German POWs in similar fashions? 😂 I find it laughable people think only Germans do this, not excusing it of course, but this stuff happens in war by all sides. The biggest menace at this time was the Soviet Union, who murdered 40,000 poles in similar fashion around this time, and moral high ground allies said nothing.
Rhys Nicols the German ... Your reply to my post seems to disappear ... this was your post ...
"I’m sure you’re aware British rear guard units were instructed to take no prisoners and there were cases of them murdering German POWs in similar fashions? 😂 I find it laughable people think only Germans do this, not excusing it of course, but this stuff happens in war by all sides. The biggest menace at this time was the Soviet Union, who murdered 40,000 poles in similar fashion around this time, and moral high ground allies said nothing."
I responded with ..
*You say you are sure ... do provide your evidence of it if you are SURE! Thanks!*
It seems you don't want a reply .. well ... you have it now! I look forward to your own reply!
@@alanharvey9720
Hey mate I suggest you read “Dunkirk: the Necessary myth” by Nicholas Harman where British massacres and war crimes are talked about in the France campaign. British troops were ordered to take no prisoners in the rear guard, and there were a cases of German POWs being shot dead. Both sides did this in escalating retaliations. The book is interesting overall it’s pretty cheap if you’re at a loose end sometime
@@rhysnichols8608 Hey ... tosser .. I suggest you research facts and keep your ill-informed mouth shut. If you had any evidence for your claims, which we all know are rubbish, you'd already have posted the essence of them instead of quoting some book! *You are a s@ddo h@lfwit.*
@@rhysnichols8608 Tell me - where are you from - are you German?
Brave warriors. God bless them for there service. Who ever voted thumbs down can thank soldiers like these for there freedom
One can only hope the thumbs down was for the massacre itself, not the victims.
Thankyou for telling this story, it is one I had never heard before. Vengeance is mine says the Lord, I will repay.
Learn something new every day. Never heard about this. Thank you for posting.
Respectfully done. Thank you. Great choice of music. Lest we forget.
War is a dirty business. Not even the victors can claim moral superiority, one only has to look at Operation Keelhual to see how callous we too were.
Tears are flowing from my eyes, God bless them all
R.I.P to the soldiers who lost their lives 🇬🇧🙏
Very well told. Leaves a lump in my stomach.
Truly the greatest, and bravest, generation. We owe them so much. When many give the ultimate sacrifice we must remember!!! If we forget where we came from, we will never get to where we shld be. With everything going on in this world this generation fought for freedom and the safety of the world. I wonder what they wld be thinking right now as we move into a new era of government, with our liberties being eroded day after day. We must not forget how tyrants use the media for control, and false flag operations to make us terrified of an unknown enemy. Let our forefathers show us and may we learn from history. God Bless everyone in this age of, "new normal". Whatever that is supposed to mean.... Truly scary..
RIP!
You do such great videos.
My dad was a sergeant in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment during WWII; and I have his cap badge, stripes and paybook. Funnily enough, he was never a great fan of the Germans right up until the day he died. When I was an army cade,t the Regiment had amalgamated to become the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, but our drums still had all the Royal Warwicks battle honours emblazoned upon them - and they had a few.
My Dad was a Sargent in the Cheshire’s.
I was in the York n Lanc Cadets.
I was there with my Dad and Brother, very somber moment.
Hopefully, those responsible were dealt with at Stalingrad.
Stephen Lediard
The Russians should have been tougher on the Germans....
Many were KIA in Demyansk, and War, that's one main reason none were held accountable, they were already in Hell...
If you mean the SS soldiers that did this massacre, im sorry to say that there was no SS soldiers at the battle of Stalingrad.
@@topazcat1 OK, thanks for the info. My father was at Dunkirk and spoke of it occasionally. He had a high regard for the German fighting troops and said, on the whole they fought very cleanly. As in all conflicts there are those that ‘go over the top’, though.
I have a question if anyone can help.
I have visited Wormhoudt twice now, this last visit I went to the Cemetery in Esquelbeco.
Like all the memorials in France I’ve seen so far they are immaculately kept and please accept my gratitude to the people of France for such respect.
In the cemetery there are sub divisions to better help organize the different regiments and nationalities and of course from both sides.
There is an Allied soldier a driver from the Royal Artillery who for some reason is buried or his stone placed with the German Soldiers who have their own section, I couldn’t figure out why other than he was possibly already there as he was a 1918 casualty.
The Soldiers name is:
Bej Nath
Driver
Royal Artillery
5th May 1918.
Does anyone know why this would happen ?
Thank You.
My grandfather, Cyril harbour,was one of the few that escaped and ran. Having been shot in the leg later to have it amputated.. I never met him as he died young age of 47 but I am immensely proud 🥀🥀🥀
A reminder of the Le Paradis massacre, of the same period.
I'd never heard of this before, bloody shame in itself. Terrible bloody business War. And I will admit, I'm surprised the Leibstandarte got its hands dirty, that early on the Western Front.
Lest We Forget. 🇦🇺
Never forget!
NEVER FORGIVE!!
Forgive, but not forget.
Thank you for this and your meany other great videos. If people like you stop what you doing I’m frightened that my grand children will never know the sacrifices made for there freedom.
Thank you very much
It's things like this that make you not feel sorry for the Germans when the tides turned and they ended up on the receiving end of brutality.
i still find this very upsetting, devastated........
I agree. Two memorial sites have reduced me to cry like a baby and the sorrow I felt then is still as strong now. Wormhout and Langemarck. Their name liveth for evermore.
Another well done documented page to the history of WW 2. How special that some young men surived, this story may well be far worse than what is told in this
8 minute video. Those who died ... "will never grow old, as we who are left to grow old.." Thanks ever so much ..." we will remember them..." Sincerely, Arthur AB-11.
The graves of the fallen immaculate. Kept to this day and respectfully kept . Sadly here in the UK that would not be the case. Graves would no doubts be vandalized and the barn wouldn't last five minutes. Such is our new country now . No respect for anyone or anything . Pathetic
I am aware of this attrocity but you don't mention soldiers from the Royal Welch Fusiliers who I believe where also massacred here. Also the town of Llandudno in North Wales is twinned with Wormhout and one of the roads is called the Royal Welsh Way - both in honour of the memoey of all our gallant lads RIP
Never forgotten.
The barn and the tree's are a nice touch. RIP to all these heroes.
I listen to this and I realised why they're being so hateful to us at now I understand I will buy nothing from Germany ever again
May they Rest In Peace. And what a bloody shame that no SS personell where ever identified and tried for this war crime...
The SS involved most likely died in Russia hence no way to prosecute them for this atrocity.
@Dan Gurău and 2 irish
OMG! I never heard of this. May God give them eternal rest.
Who ever wins the war also writes the history of that conflict. There is no excuse for what happened to these Brits but both sides have done exactly the same thing.
Yeah? Where did the British army do this please..im listening
@@spm36 I find it interesting that UTube will not allow me to post the evidence you requested.
@@flycatchful
That’s a poor excuse to not show any proof
Hi mate do you know any specific cases of the brits doing this in 1940? I don’t doubt it happened but would like to research further
Thank you for this.
I have read much about WW2 but did not know about this. Very similar to what happened at Malmedy, a much more widely known atrocity, also perpetrated by SS troops on American soldiers
Stand easy lads Rip
My uncle was Quartermaster Sergeant of the 2nd Royal Warwickshire Regiment and was wounded during the action, and we think he was left for dead whilst marching to the barn. We know he suffered both grenade shrapnel and bullet wounds. He was found later by a regular German army unit and they took him to a field hospital. My aunt received a telegram saying he was missing presumed killed in action, but afterwards she received another telegram telling her he was wounded and a prisoner of war. He never talked about it after the war but he did let my father know parts of the story, and shortly before his death in the 1970's he spoke to me because I was interested in WW2 and did talk a little about his experiences but then stopped when he got a little upset. When I was very young he used to let me look at the maintenance and instruction manual for the Lewis Machine Gun, and I remember him telling me his army trade as a sergeant was a machine gun instructor.
My father was in the 4th Cheshires defending Wormhoudt and was on his way to a field hospital (I think in a Chateau to be treated for a shrapnel wound) when the ambulance he was travelling in ca.e under fire. He and another soldier jumped out of the rear and mi-air he was shot in his mouth taking gum and teeth out. He managed to reach the hospital where he was treated for his wounds firstly by army medics and the German when they captured it. My father may have escaped the massacre by a day or two, and then spent the rest of the was as POW in Stalag 8b, firstly in Silesia and the Czechoslavakia. He died in 2006 not knowing of the memorial.
Thanks for sharing
I find it interesting that nobody in the intervening years could find the SS unit designation or any of its members or after action reports from the area during the time in question.
Wasn’t this in retaliation for these British soldiers using dumb dumb bullets ? Something that is against the Geneva convention.
From the book, Dunkirk, The necessary myth.
In the back of men's minds was the fear of being captured. They supposed that the enemy's orders would be the same as their own. Unarmed captives are a drag on a retreating army, especially when food is short. British fighting units had orders to take no prisoners except when specifically ordered to take in captive Germans for interrogation. Patrick Turnbull had better grounds for worry. "With my revolver I had eight rounds, two of them soft-nosed. justification I was told with relish for my instant execution were I captured with them in my possession". Soft-nosed dumdum bullets were banned by the Geneva Convention on the rules of war.
There are multiple cases of the British forces killing or executing German prisoners. As a result each side did retaliations against each other. War is never as clear cut as people try to make out. There are always two sides to a story.
Trying to justify Nazi murder and executions? There is no excuse for this. They and all like them should have been hanged. Germany got off lightly.
Fair comment, thank you, can you point to some cases of British murdering German POWs in 1940 pls?? I’m not excusing the massacres of either side but these matters are usually more complex than we are shown
RIP lads.
The fact that trash wasn't brought to justice is a disgrace.
It happened on all sides, and few were ever brought to justice....
This was my great grandad's unit, 2nd royal warwickshire. He was officially MIA and never found until we found out what happened to him around 50 years later through various accounts including that of Bert Evans. Govt never gave his widow or family any compensation because he wasn't confirmed dead.
Any axis soldier wearing the death s head insignia , should have been shot out of hand , if captured by the allies .
To answer murder by murder?
@@bafl2 No , to answer murder by death . Is the killing of a rabid dog murder?
@@samsum3738
That’s a stupid comparison, seeing how murder is defined as; “the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another.”
@@suityboi2126 The law does not apply to this SS vermin . They lost that right when they became murderers of old men , women and children , as you well know .
@@samsum3738
The definition of murder doesn’t rely on the word ‘human’ being interpreted by your morals of what it means to morally be one,
It’s relies on the word ‘human’ as a member of the human race, which is something you can’t change, even if you don’t like the ss.
You’re just trying to solve murder with murder, so you’re literally no better than them then.
So again, your ‘killing a rabid dog’ comparison is still invalid.
Its should also be added - the 99 men of the 2 Royal Norfolk's were gunned down at La Paradis on May 27 after hard fighting, being surrounded and finally running out of ammunition, they surrendered. Then, 14th Company, 3rd SS Division Totenkopf - who had been fighting the Royal Scots besides the Norfolk's (and probably executed 20 or so Royal Scots) lined them up against a wall and gunned them down. Private William O'Callaghan had survived and pulled Private Albert Pooley free - both captured thee days later. Their efforts lead to the execution of the SS officer who gave the orders - Fritz Knöchlein, on 28 January 1949 in Hamelin. The SS earned their reputation.
there were also quiet a few French killed there too and there are also a few meorials in the barn last time i was in wormhout
could you also do somthing on the battle of cassel that happened near by
As a student of the Pacific War, I have learned many of the atrocities committed by both sides - American/Allied and Japanese. And I have also learned of many of the atrocities committed during the American Civil War (especially towards African American soldiers fighting for the Union).
But this one is truly horrible.
But even from the most horrible atrocity, there are survivors. And there will always be those who will never surrender their compassion, their humanity.
May those souls who died in the barn house in Wormhout forever Rest in Peace,
Amen.
Aloha ❤️🙏🏼
The mindless brutality of the 1st SS Leibstandarte. No quarter should have been given to any member of the Leibstandarte . Not all the SS were mindless scum though. During the battle at Arnhem in September 1944, Bittrich's SS Panzer grenadiers treated British POW's very well indeed. I had read about the decent treatment that the SS gave the captured British at Arnhem. About eight years ago, I was visited the RAF Cosford Air Museum. Each Tuesday, WW2 veteran's gathered at the museum, where they would speak to the public. I was privileged to speak to veteran's- including RAF Bomber Command aircrew, a couple of Sgt's from the Glider Pilot Regt, and a former Lieutenant from the Kings Own Scottish Borderers' Regt. The KOSB's were part of the1st Airborne Division, they came in by glider. This old boy was in his early 90's, wearing his maroon beret with KOSB capbadge. I spoke to him at some length. He told me how his platoon was eventually cut off and surrounded by SS Panzer grenadiers in a village near Arnhem. They fought to the last round of ammunition, then he ordered his platoon to surrender. He said to my, "I didn't see any point getting my men killed in a pointless gesture by fixing bayonets, so I ordered them to ground their arms." I asked him about the treatment they received as POW's from Bittrich's SS Panzer grenadiers- telling him that I had read over the years that the SS behaved honourably towards the British POW's. He replied, "I cannot fault the behaviour of the SS troops, they treated us very well indeed. They provided us with food, water, cigarettes and medical treatment. They triaged the wounded, so in some cases, they prioritised the treatment of badly wounded British POW's over that of their own men. It was obvious they respected us as adversaries."
How appalling, poor lads. May they all rest in peace.
Just finished the book The Rape of Nanking. I thought only the Japanese soldiers did this kind of horror. I stand corrected.
Japanese, Russians, Germans, Allies... pretty much endemic to warfare
This is so sad.
Living in austria, it is sickening that a political party founded by ex SS officers (FPÖ) is active and relatively successful to this day.
What was the reason for the massacre?? Could they not supply or house the POWs or pass them down the lines?? Seems a spiteful and unnecessary killing, I wish we knew the events clearly, as this stuff never usually happens without reason!