Last Stand at Le Paradis - Dunkirk 1940 (WW2 Documentary)
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- Опубликовано: 23 ноя 2023
- By late May 1940, hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers found themselves trapped in an ever-shrinking pocket around the French port of Dunkirk. Relentlessly harassed by both ground and air, they engaged in a bitter fight to hold the Dunkirk perimeter, ultimately saving more than 300,000 men from death or capture. Those remarkable feats achieved in one of the most famous episodes of WW2 did not come for free. Thousands of men lost their lives or liberty, and hundreds more, unfortunate enough to fall into the hands of the notorious SS would be killed even after the fighting had stopped. This is the story of one such group, who fell victim to the SS Totenkopf Division in what became known as the ‘Le Paradis Massacre’.
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Le Paradis Massacre website - (www.leparadismassacre.com/)
A fantastic and highly detailed set of resources covering the events of 27th May 1940, including:
Multiple Veteran Accounts
War Crimes Trials Affidavits and Cross-Examination Files
Battalion War Diaries
Various related images and military records
Written References:
C. Jolly, The Vengeance of Private Pooley (1956)
R. Lane, Last Stand at Le Paradis (2009)
J. Murland, The Battle for the Escault 1940 (2016)
B. Shape, Massacre & Murder in Le Paradis (2012)
General Sources:
Imperial War Museum Sound Archive (IWMSA)
US National Archives (NARA)
War Diaries of the Battalions (NMP)
British Newspaper Archive (BNA)
The National Archives, Kew (TNA)
Google Earth Pro & Web Versions
Maptiler Pro (Desktop Version)
Bundesarchiv (Images)
- Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-720-0303-22 / Vennemann, Wolfgang / CC-BY-SA 3.0
- Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1980-072-33 / Voigt / CC-BY-SA 3.0
- Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-009-0869-12A / Schröter / CC-BY-SA 3.0
- Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-065-2302-20 / Koch / CC-BY-SA 3.0
- Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-720-0303-21 / Vennemann, Wolfgang / CC-BY-SA 3.0
- Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1977-143-11 / Woscidlo, Wilfried / CC-BY-SA 3.0
- Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-055-1570-06A / Weber, Robert / CC-BY-SA 3.0
- Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-054-1531-11 / Eckart / CC-BY-SA 3.0
Credits:
Research: Dan Hill
Script & Narration: Dan Hill
Editing: Shane Greer
Voiceovers: Hugo Salter
Thumbnail Design: Linus Klassen
Image Optimization: Linus Klassen
Music & Sound Effects: Epidemic Sounds
Anyone who says the Brits "ran away and let the french do all the work" show them this.
15k (maybe 20k) French were killed and 35k were lost to protect this retreat, and yes, after Dunkirk they were alone to fight on the ground.
It's important to have a well balanced assessment of History and not give in to nationalist stereotypes, regardless the nationality. The British never "ran away", they just withdrew toward the coast (in a rather orderly manner), which was the best thing to do given the situation. The French were simply ordered to protect this evacuation and save as many men as possible ((both British and French, plus a few belgians). The staggering losses suffered by the French (16,000 KIA + 34,000 wounded and POWs in 10 days from May 25th to June 3rd) highly contributed to the safe repatriation of almost 200,000 british soldiers to their homeground, which surely changed the course of History. The French indeed lost a battle but, with hindsight, sowed the seeds of the final victory, allowing the British to hold their ground during the Battle of Britain and to counterattack in North Africa the same year. Without Dunkirk, no El Alamein, nor Monte Cassino, nor Normandy Landing.
@@jeromelemoine1942 Exactly I'm tired of this narrative.
*French
@@chemcom276would you reinforce failure by holding your positions while your allies, Belgians to the north east and French around sedan, were fleeing without a hope of a rallying. Would you stand to the last man knowing you are being surrounded by better armed and led troops. If you think they were left alone purposely then more fool you
A very good account. My wife's grandfather (Acting RSM) CSM John Martin aged 36, of the Royal Scots Regiment was killed on the 27th of May 1940 at Le Paradis. His gravestone in the tiny hamlet of Le Paradis bears the date he was killed as the 25th May 1940. However, having researched the activities that took place at that time by the Royal Scots Regiment, a diary written by Major J Bruce came to light. In the diary (Acting RSM) CSM John Martin was mentioned amongst others as having distinguished himself and shown particular gallantry in the initial defence of the Battalion HQ on 27th May in Le Paradis and had been killed. We have visited the grave on a number of occasions and it is an extremely well maintained cemetery and we are grateful to the people of the village for ensuring this.
Thanks for the comment and sharing your story!
Wow, salute to your wifes grandad and the rest of those men, my dad and his brothers came back 4 years later and hopefully made her grandad proud, RIP all of them.
My dad got away on a coal boat from dunkirk all thanks to the incredible bravery of men like this
My granny’s two cousins were apart of this last stand. They were last seen operating a machine gun on Dunkirk. God rest their souls true British grit native to south London 🙌🏼🙌🏼
They were covering the boat that got my grandad out, then, so thank you for that from a Mancunian.
Look at England now
@@jackthomson5618Don't worry mate. Western youth are growing ever more tired and angry
@@velvetinedrapes4359 well I hope to God you are right
My first wife's father, Captain John Woodwark, served in the Royal Norfolk Regiment and survived the massacre because he had been injured earlier in the fighting and had been laid in a ditch with some other wounded to shelter them. The SS didn't discover them. Wermacht soldiers eventually found them and he spent the rest of the war as a POW. He was a fine man and an absolute gentleman, may he rest in peace.
My natural grandfather, William Herbert McQuitty (from Belfast and known as Paddy), was a regular soldier serving in the 2nd Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment. He went to France as part of the BEF and was evacuated from Dunkirk. He was a driver and was transferred to REME when it was formed in 1942, serving with them in North Africa and Italy. He survived the war and later also served in the Palestine conflict. He died in Belfast in 1982. Lest we forget.
Good soldiers, Ulstermen!
/
But what is a "natural grandfather"?
Never seen the term before!
Or did you mean "maternal"?
/
@@zen4men
A 'Natural' grandfather is related by blood, not marriage. Just as a natural father is one who is not married to the mother.
@@johnbrereton5229
Thanks
for teaching me something,
John!
/
@@zen4men
A pleasure Zen, knowledge ahould always be shared and I learnt this when researching my grt grt grt grandfather who had two 'natural' sons.
@@johnbrereton5229 I'm puzzled about what point you are trying to make. My 'natural' grandfather, married my 'natural' grandmother in 1939 and she gave birth to my 'natural' mother in 1940. My 'natural' mother gave birth to me, her 'natural' son in 1958. The reason I mention the word 'natural' is that my 'natural' mother gave me up for adoption and I was brought up by another family.
God Bless Them All, Never To Be Forgotten...
We agree.
Are you German?
@@francesco245 what with a Union Jack as a profile pic lol, but why do you ask
why would he be@@francesco245
@@BattleGuideVT i disagree. do you think any single British soldier would have fought if they could see our country today?
I’m from Edinburgh and the home of the Royal Scot’s. Hearing this story had me chocking back tears. I am sixty now and for as long as I still draw breath these men will never be forgotten. My utter respect to these brave brave men.
I've got to say, i have watched hundreds, if not thousands of hours of WW1 and WW2 content on RUclips. The way you structure and speak on your videos is incredible. Honestly, so under-rated and one of the best on YT. Keep it up 👍
Thank you for the kind words.
I agree these are professionally made Looking forward to enjoying future content.
Thank you very much. Yes a monumental amount of work and research goes into each documentary and we have loads lined up for 2024!
@@bigdunc1313
@@BattleGuideVTgained a subscriber today. Excellent content and presentation 🏆
Thanks!@@EMoThaGr8
A great uncle of mine was killed near Saint-valery-en-caux during the retreat. He served in The Gordon Highlanders. I visited his grave last year in the small military cemetery in Saint-valery-en-caux.
What a heartbreaking story. Those poor poor men... 😢
My father was wounded at Dunkirk he being a good swimmer swam out to the boats and was rescued by his father, he went on to serve in the war and landed on Sword beach. He served from 1937-49.
Your father was rescued at Dunkirk by your grandfather? If thats what you are saying then I doubt thats a true story.
@@czar6595
Stranger things have happened
The 3rd SS pz div : the triple 💀 💀 💀 division
1_ German tank force ☠️
2_ SS ☠️
3_ Totenkopf division ☠️
@@minhthunguyendang9900 its a provable lie, a story like that would have made news, would have been propaganda, no evidence of anything like it exist for the evacuation of Dunkirk, so no.
@@minhthunguyendang9900 if this was a true story there would be some kind of record of this, this would have become a propaganda story it would have been a national story, but literally no evidence this ever occurred.
It's such a sad story. Heroes, every one of them. Thanks for the video and for keeping their memory alive.
Another video well done. People tend to forget that for those to escape at the retreat to Dunkirk others had to give their lives. Another great one to do would be The Siege of Lille where the remnants of The French 1st under General Molinie held up a massive German force of over 160,000 men and nearly 900 tanks for four days which was utterly crucial as these forces would have joined in on the attack at Dunkirk, and if they had done so hardly anyone would have escaped. Churchill paid tribute them in his memoirs as vital in enabling the evacuation. Look forward to more great content.
Thank you for this. My great aunt’s husband was with the Norfolks and was one of those killed at the barn in the massacre.
I only previously knew a little of what happened from the family talking about it. Now I understand a lot more of what occurred.
Rest in Peace brave souls.
Heartwrenching and horrifying. The testimonies are powerful. The maps and images are helpful too. Excellent video.
Thank you very much!
@@BattleGuideVT Anytime. Your videos are great and I learn a lot from them.
A tough one to watch and impossible to imagine. Such brave souls. Those soldiers are heroes.
When evacuation of the troops was being planned and put into action my Grandfather in First Battalion The Rifle Brigade, was moved across the channel to Calais. He had joined in the early 1930's. They arrived on 22nd May 1940. They fought gallantly in defence of Calais and had orders to fight to the last man. According to Airey Neave's book (he was there), there were thousands of French troops in Calais who would not fight and kept trying to surrender, making things difficult for the defenders. I believe he said there were about 800 French that continued to fight. My Grandfather would speak a little about the horrors of the battle, but would then clam up. He stated that he was able to get to the end of one of the harbour walls, to a small building. They were ordered by a German Officer to surrender or die. They surrendered. He said the worst part was the march in captivity. They were not fed and had to fend for themselves. He said the most indigestible thing he had to eat was raw rhubarb. Anyone that couldn't keep up was shot at the side of the road. He said it took six weeks to get to their prison camp.
He was forever bitter about the British Governments failure to save them. He didn't understand my argument that had he been rescued, he might have died later in the War.
My father had been born in December 1938. He didn't see his father until he came home a couple of months after the War ended. They didn't have a great relationship after that. But then, there would have been hundreds of thousands of families in a similar position.
My Great Grandfather was also in the Rifles at Calais, he was Liutenant in A Company I believe. He was also captured after the lines broke while he was being treated in the aid station after being hit in the leg. He made a break for it with a Maj Prettie while on that horrible march by jumping out of the columb and running for it. They managed to make it all the way back to Somme estuary and were waiting for the tide to come in in order to steal a boat before being recatured by a german officer having a cigar on the beach, complete bloody bad luck it being the dead of night. Its very possible that him and your grandfather knew eachother. Unfotunatly that ment like your granfather they were force marched again to the camp where his spent the rest of the war. My Grandad said he was never the same after he came back.
@@biggles1483 They probably did know each other. My Grandfather told me he was Company Sergeant Major, although POW records show he was a Corporal. I wonder if he was promoted in the field at Calais? As far as I can make out, he was in headquarters company. Where they were situated is, I believe where the vehicle parks are now.
He told me a story of an order being given to blow a bridge. The soldier ordered to do it refused due to refugees being on it. The reason given was suspected fifth columnists using it to get behind the British lines. (It is a matter of fact that a number of Germans did get through and were sniping the defending forces.)
The soldier was ordered to blow the bridge or be shot for refusing an order. My Grandfather told me the guy was shot. I don't know if my Grandfather shot him, or if he blew the bridge. My Grandfather wouldn't talk any more about it. However, he said that The Rifle Brigade had been together for so long, everyone knew each other well and it was known how every soldier died (between 2-300) during the siege. After the War the soldier's family had asked how he was killed but they weren't told.
Hi everyone. Fantastic video. Great explanation and the maps are awesome.
My grandfather fought at Dunkirk. He told me a little bit about the terrible bombarding then he was captured. Btw, he was French. He ended up spending 5 years as pow.
He always kept a certain bitterness against British, adoring the Americans who rescued from camp.
Raw rhubarb is okay as long as you don't eat the leaves, as they are poisonous.
Excellent video. My father was in the Norfolks and went out with the BEF. He was one of the men who went on to St Valery and was captured there. He was a POW for the duration. He didn't find out about the massacre until the 1960's when he discovered Pooleys book. He didn't like to talk about anything much that happened during the war, and although I have read several books around the subject, and visited the area, your video has helped me visualise the battle very clearly. Thank you.
My Grandfather was at St Valery, serving in the Black Watch and was captured there too. Spending the rest of the war in various POW camps, and briefly, due to escaping a few times, a concentration camp. Before being handed over to the Americans by the Russians.
Thanks for bringing this story to a wider audience.
I absolutely love how you incorporate maps into your videos.
When I read historic accounts, and historical fiction, I always look at the areas described in goog maps and try to follow along, so these videos are incredibly on-point for me.
Well this made me cry, Accurate and well done. Jayne ( Bert's gran daughter) .
You should be very proud of him Jayne.
@@CIMAmotor I am... Very.
@Britishempirewillneverdie how do you know though?
@BritishempirewillneverdieI hope you are wrong. Stolen valour (if true) is deplorable but I reserve judgement.
My Great Uncle, Lance Corporal David Tomlinson of the Royal Norfolk regiment was there, one of these brave, unfortunates at La Paradis. His photo sits at my bedside. His Brother Robert, was in the Merchant navy, serving on an armoured tug boat in the Firth of Forth. He was killed when it struck a German mine. The only surviving Brother, my Grandfather Alfred, his regiment were sent out during D day. By request of his mother, only having one son left, he was transferred, and spent his duty guarding Buckingham Palace on Horseback, reluctantly not being able to revenge his older brothers.
Fantastic content, really important things like this which should never be lost to history.
My grandfather was in the same position with the Queens Regt, defending a bridge over the same canal, he was captured after days of shelling and survived the war after being a PoW for 5 years.
Well edited and written docu and a touching memorial to those brave men of the Norfolk Regiment . Lest we forget .
These are the best war videos on RUclips.
Thanks!
Excellent account, thanks for making this interesting YT video. My uncle survived Dunkirk he was acting Sargent in the Royal Artillery went on to win the Military Medal at the Anzio beach head in Italy. Thanks again.
The way you describe and give details on the videos is great!! Feels like traveling to the places… thanks a lot!! 🙏🏻
So nice of you
Brave men, regardless of nationality, were overwhelmed by a well equipped, tactically innovative and motivated enemy. No disgrace. The actions of both those brave British and French defenders was heroic and enabled events to be changed in time. We owe all of them a debt of gratitude. Lest we forget.
We have just watched your video and think it is really good in its accurate and clear telling of this terrible massacre. Jeannette Hawkes (née Pooley)
The yanks where very fond of making fun of our boys at Dunkirk it is such a shame that their soldiers weren't a patch on ours
I never heard an American say anything like that, I hope it’s not true, much respect
Read Sean Longdon’s book: ‘The Men they Left Behind’ for more on the bravery of British forces in France which allowed the escape from Dunkirk to happen. One of the best books I have read on this part of the war. 🇬🇧
I cannot imagine the courage required in this situation knowing that, at best, you would be taken prisoner. RIP to very brave men.
Heart breaking end to these brave British soldiers, justice caught up with the SS commander....Great content .
Really excellent lecture. I knew about this and other breaches of the genevere convention, but not in such detail and thanks for the "tour" of the crime scene.👍👍👍
Glad you found it interesting!
very well done perfect mix of information to understand the events, thank you.
Least we forget! Thank you for this interesting and informative video. Amazing yet terrible story. Keep up the good work
Tha ks for taking the time to watch :)
@@francesco245 glad you remembered 😜🤣
Astounding ..... & your research and commentary are second to none. Thank you .
For the algorithm important video thank you
Thanks very much Dan
A sad and horrendous story! Thank you for bringing this to light. We must not forget!
Another brilliant video. I've always wanted to stop off here and film when on my 'booze-cruise replen'. Thank you for sharing. What a story!
Thanks mate, sorry, no idea how I missed this, keep up the great work! Dan
thankyou for bringing this story and their lives to us .
Nicely put together. The aerials used were very helpful.
My uncle was fighting rear guard action at Castle Hazebrook with the 1st Bucks and he was captured here and spent the rest of the war as a POW.
My grandad was 1st Oxford and bucks l.i
On the scheldt,near hollain.
He and three others were in a dugout closest to the river as forward observation.
Their dugout was hit by a German shell, none survived.
That same day, the order was given to withdraw to Dunkirk.
My nan, on hearing the news went blind, and stayed that way for a month.
She had to raise 5 small children, alone.
She found work as a machine operator making shell fuses.
She remained at the same factory Untill 1968 and her death.
She never remarried.
@@caractacusbrittania7442 thank you for sharing your story. My uncle was captured at the train station while defending from a maintenance trench.
Another absolutely superb vid from the Battle GuideVT team. Having been to Le Paradis with Dan and seen it for real, this video really does the place and the events of that day, justice. The best military history channel on YT!
Thanks Ben, much appreciated mate and hope you had a great Xmas!
Thank you for compiling and posting this video, which I found to be an accurate account of the events that day, as well as very moving. I visited Le Paradis on 27th May last year, my connection being that my cousin-once-removed, Pte. Francis Porter of 2Bn, Royal Norfolk Regiment was killed in battle earlier that day at Pont d'Avelette. A memorial to the 97 men who died now stands in the grounds of Norwich Cathedral, dedicated in a service there on May 27th 2021, where Dennis O'Callaghan, William O'Callaghan's son, took one of the readings. A further memorial to the 97 is planned at the National Memorial Arboretum.
Most underrated video on RUclips.
I am in total awe. Thankyou to all of them, RIP.
Thanks for this great video. This is an awesome way to approach history. Keep going
Keeping the story alive is vital.
This is very well done.
Thanks.
Lest we forget.
🦘🇦🇺👍
Brilliant as always! Keep up the good work! 👍🏿
BRILLIANT job on this lads
Thanks for your great efforts here, it was an incident I was not aware of.
An excellent documentary. I live in Norfolk and the massacre is commemorated in the Castle Museum in Norwich. God rest their valiant souls.
Amazing presentation and research!
Bless all these brave men who held back so the rest could live another day!
Thank you kindly!
Very well Compiled, best ive seen on YT, more please. UK
This was very well done. Visually, and also the commentary was respectful and informative. Fine efforts. Thank you
Excellent documentary - really well done ❤
Many thanks!
My grandfather was in the British infantry that was pushed into the sea where he decided to swim out to a boat. He later returned to France in a Sherman with the Grenadier Guards.
These short documentaries you guys make are by far the best war docs made. The research, pictures, maps and presentation is 2nd to none. Bravo!
Subbed! What a wonderful video. We must keep the memory and lessons from this event and these people alive.
Thank you for the maps and slick graphics, this is how I learn. I’ve never been so interested in WW’s until now!
This channel is really good. Love your stuff guys. The way you bring all these story's and memory's together is just first class. Thank you so much for putting out this content. It's first rate. 👍💛👊
My Granddad Frank Butterworth was a rear machine gunner at Dunkirk. Wish I knew more about what he got up too. He did say he grabbed men onto the boat that would of drowned.
Excellent presentation of a cruel event. Thank you.
Great quality and meaningful content. Well done!
A truly first class presentation. Thank you so much for this.
Glad it was helpful!
Incrediblely informative documentary!
Glad you enjoyed it!
You shouldn't EVER forget that. I'm Polish and such happened all the time during September Campaign in 1939 Poland. Every time Poles stood their ground and fought hard, Germans killed all the remain soldiers and villagers from nearby villages. For you it's single separated event or events, for us Poles it was everyday fact. We will never forget.
Thanks for making this video
This channel is amazing. Thank you
Excellent video
Brilliant content, thank you
Glad you enjoyed it
Many thanks to these brave lads!..God bless them!..
Christopher Lee's Wartime Service would be great ! Keep up the Good Work your Channel is Brilliant. Well Done.
British very strong in defence:
~ Rorke's drift
~ Le Paradis
~ Arnhem
~ Gloster Hill
~ Port Stanley
~ Lungi Lol
~ Musa Qala
My grandfather was part of the BEF and captured at St Valerie. He was a dispatch rider with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and was part of the “long march” to Poland. He didn’t get home until late 1946, to my Grandmother. Mum was born in 1947 and he wouldn’t talk about his experiences until the late 1980’s, when he met up with a few of his companions from pow camp. I sat in awe listening to the tales as a 10yr old during the day. Heartbreaking to hear such brave men in tears after bed time listening to their stories on the stairs of my grandparents.
Bless all those who served. The lucky ones who came home and lest we forget those who did not make it home.
My brother played the bugle on Remembrance Day in Colwyn Bay as a schoolboy when there were still a lot of veterans alive rather than listening to the radio broadcasts from London. Truly a moving experience for me (as a Scouts flag bearer), himself and all of the veterans.
One chap appreciated it so much that he gave my brother a bottle of scotch the second year he performed at the ceremony- he was 12.
God bless all who served
Great video thank you.
Another excellent presentation
God I love this channel.
Thank you.
A wonderful account of a brutul story .. well done ... lest we forget
An excellent video presentation.
Thanks for watching
Superb video.
Thanks a lot
Fabulous presentation
Great film thank you BATTLE GUIDE VT for helping keep the memories alive of these brave brits,my great uncle Rhys underwood was killed fighting a defensive retreat to dunkirk on the belguim/french border MAY21st 1940.RIP those brave lads that laid down their lives for britain.
Well done to the makers of this film.
Recently visited France on a battlefield field tour with friends, great video with a real insight into the British pov 🤙🏻
I enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
Awesome thank you!
The 'Last stand' was actually made by the Highland Division, which was still fighting at St, Valery on the coast, up until the 12th of June. Days after the evacuation of all the 'B.E.F.. Strange that this sacrifice is never mentioned or seen in documentaries/films of the Dunkirk evacuation !
Thats a story that also needs to be told. Its said that after the war the ones that survived the "last stand "got a fair bit of stick because they spent the rest of the war as POWs avoiding all the future fighting. Pretty sad considering the sacrifice.
Brilliant as always, respectfully told .
Thank you.
One of the best pictures in this video that most original documentaries seem to omit at 8:51. Not many portraying German footage ever seem to give them any touch of humanity, only ever showing them dashing across hedgerows or tanks shooting into buildings indiscriminately. This happened yes, but the medic tending another soldiers wounds shows that side of war that is just young soldiers caught up just trying to survive. Sensationalist documentaries don't like to show these types of pictures because it doesn't show the narrative of Germany as the Evil Nazis that slaughtered families indiscriminately house to house or committed other heinous acts that should not ever be forgotten. Always seeing footage of British or Americans tending their wounded and carrying them to safety, but almost never from Germany despite us knowing they had dedicated filming teams that accompanied many German Divisions for propaganda purposes. Wonderful job on the video as always and keep up the amazing work! Thank you for your hard hitting research and story-driven knowledge!
@the bossmonster12: Nevertheless, be in absolutely no doubt here that Waffen SS atrocities did then occur in the days leading up to the Dunkirk Evacuation in May, 1940, against British & French Troops! The Norfolks at Le Paradis & the Warwicks at Wormhoudt a few miles away were well documented testaments to these absolutely unnecessary & illegal massacres perpetrated to men who had already surrendered to other German forces (Wehrmacht units), who were then handed over to backing up SS forces (Toetenkopf Division) that were apparently not happy to serve performing effectively, “fetch & carry chores & roles” as often was then the case to Wehrmacht or even Luftwaffe units! That the Waffen SS probably felt were far beneath their dignity to do, as putative elite formations, notwithstanding the unpleasant fact at that time, early in the war, that this was only in reality so, in their own (Himmler & the rest of his SS troops) eyes & perceptions alone at the time!!
In contrast, in the Wehrmacht’s Senior Command’s eyes, in 1940 both in Poland & later in France the Wehrmacht viewed the Waffen SS in far from complementary terms & held them generally in low-esteem in this early part of the war! However, as their experience & competency grew, especially in Russia later in the war this opinion would change by most Wehrmacht observers, albeit somewhat gradually & grudgingly in most cases!
Le Paradis is just one on the endless list of atrocities and war crimes committed by the Germans during WW2, Europe is littered with memorials to their victims.
These heinous acts were not limitted to the SS or Wehrmacht as many were committed by German civilians.
The German deliberate program of extermination, genocide, massacres,.starvation and bombing systematically killed over 11 million people including 6 million Jews. These plus 19 million dead Soviet civilians (the single largest group) are proof that the Germans did slaughter families indiscriminately house to house and did commit heinous acts that should never be forgotten.
R.I.P. to all victims of German aggression.
There men truly were fighting utter evil. We owe them so much.
What a lovely, if not somber touch that he wanted his ashes scattered with his fallen brothers!
My great uncle was injured at Dunkirk, he was Welsh. Then on 6th June 1944 alongside my granddad (who was a Dubliner, Irish) landed on Gold Beach and was injured again. Don't make them like that these days. They married two English sisters who would cycle past their road block, pre-Normandy landings. The stories they would tell of the war had us kids riveted. I've got photos of them both, arms around each other with a pint glass raised at the Hotel Atlantic, Hamburg, celebrating the end of the war together, as well as a heap of other photos during the war period.
They'd roll in their graves if they knew people would be willing to roll over for a dictator like Putin, people learn nothing from history. To think people in politics like Farage idolise Hitler. My granddad lost a brother and my gran lost a brother fighting fascism (both on different bomber crews). Gran also had a sister blinded from a bomb raid.
WW2 affected everyone my grandparents age when I was a kid, everyone had a story, it wasn't that long ago.
RIP to all the brave British soldiers who fallen in this battle 🙏 ⚘️🌹
my grandfather was rescued from dunkirk a very moving and harrowing account
Thanks
Excellent document paix éternelle à tous ses combattants
*ces
My wife grandfather had to find his commanding officer on the beach of Dunkirk to ask to leave. He was some of the last men out. He then returned on D-day behind enemy lines to take Horsa bridge inland to prevent armour reinforcements.
Were the soldiers ever identified or just laid to rest as I know but to god thank you for your time and post