The Massacre at Le Paradis

[HetzersGonnaHetz]

Today we should remember the 97 British Soldiers massacred by the SS Totenkopf at Le Paradis

The Le Paradis massacre was a war crime committed by members of the 14th Company, SS Division Totenkopf, under the command of Hauptsturmführer Fritz Knöchlein. It took place on 27 May 1940, during the Battle of France, at a time when the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was attempting to retreat through the Pas-de-Calais region during the Battle of Dunkirk.
Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Norfolk Regiment, had become isolated from their regiment. They occupied and defended a farmhouse against an attack by Waffen-SS forces in the village of Le Paradis. After running out of ammunition, the defenders surrendered to the German troops. The Germans led them across the road to a wall, and machine-gunned them. Ninety-seven British troops died. Two survived, with injuries, and hid until they were captured by German forces several days later.
After the war, Fritz Knöchlein was located, tried and convicted by a war crimes court, with the two survivors acting as witnesses against him. For his part in the massacre, Knöchlein was executed by hanging in 1949.

[dagodave]

Great post Buddy!

[HetzersGonnaHetz]

5 hours ago, dagodave said:

Great post Buddy!

Thank you Dave. Sad day.

[DAK D]

Hi @HetzersGonnaHetz,

Do you have a list of the men murdered at Le Paradis please?

D

 

[HetzersGonnaHetz]

I can look it up, give me a second buddy: 

I'm afraid this is all I could find, I'd look under the 27th May 1940 and men in the Royal Norfolks, this is the best I could do: http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead.aspx?cpage=1&sort=name&order=asc

[HetzersGonnaHetz]

@DAK D

[DAK D]

Hi @HetzersGonnaHetz,

I found this site with two lists of men buried at Le Paradis.

http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/3219-le-paradis-massacre-confirmation-required/

Many of my maternal family line were from Norfolk and I wanted to see if there were any possible links.

D

[HetzersGonnaHetz]

Wow, I hope you find what you're looking for, but I also hope an ancestor didn't die at Le Paradis.

Edited May 28, 2016 by HetzersGonnaHetz

[DAK D]

Hi @HetzersGonnaHetz,

I found two surnames that are possible links, but if I find anything the link will be distant.

D

[Bil4338]

A bloody disgrace what happened that day.you can't even, I think, blame that event on combat stress or war fatigue, it was purely barbaric mass murder.

Knochlein got what he deserved, just a pity the NCOs and other ranks responsible weren't hunted and dealt with in the same manner.

RIP.

[DAK D]

7 hours ago, Bil4338 said:

A bloody disgrace what happened that day.you can't even, I think, blame that event on combat stress or war fatigue, it was purely barbaric mass murder.

Knochlein got what he deserved, just a pity the NCOs and other ranks responsible weren't hunted and dealt with in the same manner.

RIP.

Hi @Bil4338,

I agree with you, as there are no excuses for this barbaric war crime and the SS men that carried out that massacre should have been hunted down and executed for their crimes at the end of the war.

There was a complaint at the time that the 2nd Norfolk's were using illegal "dumb dumb" bullets, but I do not believe it and it was a poor excuse for mass murder of British soldiers who bravely defended their position at Le Paradis in late May 1940.

D

[HetzersGonnaHetz]

There was always an excuse by the SS, 'It was an order' etc, stupid