After a reference to a mass grave with dozens of Wehrmacht soldiers shot by the French resistance in southern France, the excavations were unsuccessful. The Volksbund Deutsche War Graves Commission announced on Thursday that the search for the dead would initially be stopped. When new knowledge and the use of new techniques increased the chance of locating the remains, work resumed. During the search, only bullets and shells from French, German, American and Swiss weapons from before 1944 and coins from before 1943 were discovered.
The 47 Germans were shot in June 1944 after the Waffen SS massacred the population of Tulle and the village of Oradour-sur-Glane. This war crime became a symbol of Nazi barbarism in France. It was generally known that the Germans and a French woman accused of collaboration were shot in a forest near Meymac. However, all those involved had remained silent about the circumstances for the rest of their lives. The last surviving witness recently broke his silence at the age of 98. That started the investigation.
Accordingly, the human remains of those shot should rest in two mass graves. One with eleven bodies was located in 1967 with the greatest secrecy. The remaining 36 Wehrmacht soldiers who are still missing are said to be buried about 100 meters away underground. German and French helpers and an archaeologist were involved in the initially unsuccessful search in the forest.
The German War Graves Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge) searches for war dead abroad and also takes care of the laying out and maintenance of graves of German soldiers of both world wars at home and abroad.
Sources: DPA, “Volksbund.de”.
