Thursday, June 10, 2010

A Village Where No One Lives


In the west-central part of France, the town of Oradour, where no one lives, has been preserved in its abandoned state since 1944. While doing research for my historical novel, The Tapestry Shop, I came upon this once-thriving village, now a solemn reminder of WWII and innocent lives lost.
There is disagreement as to the exact reason for what took place, but the events that unfolded there are unquestioned. On a sunny morning in June, members of the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich entered this peaceful village. They ordered all the men to go to the fairgrounds, saying their mission was an identity check. The women and children were herded into the village church. After a bomb failed to detonate, the men were executed, to the last man, after which the women and children were massacred in the church. The few villagers who had not gone to the church or fairgrounds, for reasons of disability, were hunted down and killed. The houses were searched for anything of value, and the town was set on fire.
While the town burned, the Germans left the area and marched north to join the German forces in Normandy, where they hoped to fight off the invading armies.
Of all the memorials in France, this village may have made the most lasting impression on me. As you walk the empty streets, images of what was a community of people can be seen in the ruins—a rusted bicycle, an automobile that was never driven after that fateful day, the drooping telephone wires that lined the road where vacant homes now stand in ruin, the roofs gone, the walls crumbling. To this author, it remains a stark reminder of the horrors of war. At the entrance is a simple plaque. The words, written in both French and English, say simply,
To Remember.

9 comments:

Mona Risk said...

Joyce, what an interesting report. I have been to France so many times but never heard of Oradour from my French friends. I will have to visit next time I am there. I read and enjoyed your excerpt. Are the two verses in Old French? I was surprised by the spelling.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Joyce,

I know of many such attrocities committed by the Nazis during W.W.II. Most of them occurred in Poland and Russia. However, it doesn't surprise me, only saddens me.

Mary Ricksen said...

How sad. And what a horrible reminder of the past. Too bad that people couldn't come back...

Margaret Tanner said...

Hi Joyce,
That is so tragic and interesting. I have never heard of this village either, although I have visited France three times. I must confess my interest was the World War 1 battlefields though.

Regards

Margaret

Joyce Elson Moore said...

Hi Mona: I'm sure it is. I'm thinking you mean the venes, which would be venez of course. I had to get a translator to translate excerpts of Adam's Robin et Marion, to put it in my book. I can't read Old French (can barely read French). This was taken from an original ms. By all means, go to Oradour if you can. Thanks for stopping by.

Joyce Elson Moore said...

Jacqueline: I haven't been to Russia, but I read City of Thieves, about the German occupation of Leningrad. Great book. I can't read about atrocities, but can read the history.

Joyce Elson Moore said...

Hi Mary: I guess they could have come back, but just didn't have the heart to face it. I think only a couple people somehow escaped. They were probably so traumatized they didn't want to return.

Joyce Elson Moore said...

Margaret: I saw some of those too, in northern France. The Citadel was unforgettable (in Arras) and Vimy Ridge. Thanks for stopping by.

Patricia Stoltey said...

Even though I lived in France for two years, I never heard about this. The village must be a spooky place to visit. One couldn't help but feel heartache here. Very interesting post, Joyce.