There is said to be a mass grave with shot Wehrmacht soldiers near the southern French town of Meymac – but the search has been stopped for the time being after unsuccessful excavations. Only projectiles and shells were found.
After a reference to a mass grave with dozens of Wehrmacht soldiers shot by the French resistance in southern France, excavations have been unsuccessful. The Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge announced that the search would initially be stopped. The piece of forest soil identified as a possible pit is “empty,” said the Corrèze prefecture.
If new findings and the use of new techniques increase the chance of locating the mortal remains, work will be resumed, according to the War Graves Commission. The search revealed only projectiles and cases from pre-1944 French, German, American and Swiss weapons and pre-1943 coins.
This suggests the “presence of a group of resistance fighters at this location in 1944,” the prefecture said. However, no traces of human remains were discovered on the objects either.
Shooting after German massacre
47 Germans were shot dead in June 1944 – after the Waffen SS massacred the population of Tulle and the razing of the village of Oradour-sur-Glane. These war crimes became symbols of Nazi barbarism in France.
Hint from last survivor
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 exact circumstances for the rest of their lives.
The last surviving witness recently broke his silence at the age of 98. That started the investigation.
A mass grave with eleven bodies was located in 1967 with the greatest secrecy. During an excavation by the German War Graves Commission, the remains of eleven Wehrmacht soldiers were recovered and then buried in a German military cemetery in western France.
Search for German and French helpers
The remaining 36 Wehrmacht soldiers who are still missing are said to have been buried about 100 meters away. 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.