This article is based upon the books, "Richtstellungen zur Zeitgeschichte" (Corrections to History of our Time) Band 2, Seite 262 published by Grabert Verlag, D-72066 Tübingen, Postbox 1629, Germany

General Leclerc a war criminal

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It is well known that the French General Leclere, on 8 May 1945, the date of the surrender of the German Wehrmacht, shot twelve French soldiers in Bad Reichenhall, they belonged to  the Waffen-SS Division "Charlemagne," they were  shot without trial - a war crime.  Later it was known that Leclerc’s division, on the road from Normandy to German Brechtesgarden had committed many war-crimes.  None of these war-crimes were ever brought to court.  Contrary General Leclerc became a hero in France after WWII.

The French generals de Gaule. Leclerc and Join on 26 August 1944 at the Paris train station Montparnesse.  The next day found the massacre on the German POWs at the Paris Le Bourget Airport took place.

Director of Studies (not in duty). Frederick Pohl reported (1) the same did the French historian Daniel Guérain who investigation into what happened.  During his investigation he interviewed witnesses and visited the German and French sites of the fighting. He wrote down his findings in the book "the other side of the legend, history of liberation" (2).

The historian reports of eye witnesses, also reflected in the French Division. They tell of numerous, often gruesome murders of German prisoners, especially members of the Waffen-SS.  They said that, for example, soldiers of the Division Leclerc doused German prisoners of wars with gasoline and watched them burning.  At the airport, Le Bourget, near Paris, there had been a massacre of hundreds of German prisoners of war who were crushed by Leclerc tanks (3)  . Lieutenant Robert Galley was particularly brutal while this happened.  The French soldier Albert Bisson describes what happened at Andelot (Haute-Marne), during violent struggles between French and German troops.   .  The French suffered losses, but then broke the German resistance.  … A large number of "Boches" as the soldier called themselves surrendered  As they approach another 500 prisoners of war. Lieutenant Galley said "Wait!"  ... Feuer!.“ He drove the Germans in a barn, over his microphone and commands: "Turn to the left. Stop! Hand grenade! Fire!. " The grenade exploded in the middle of the ... the Boches.  The splinters tear their bodies, body parts stuck to the beams of the barn.  We shoot those who survive with machine gun, all still living. Today is the day of vengeance! "

Although Lieutenant Galley was guilty on ,ore war crime and, as Director of Studies Pohl, this outrages boasted openly on television, he was a minister under de Gaulle, Pompidou and Giscard d'Estaing and are active as treasurer of the party of French President Chirac to be ..

A former member wrote this about the reputation of the infamous Division Leclerc : "This division has among the French a flattering and largely unwarranted reputation had and is still intended him for a long time  It is part of the Gaullist myth, and so this still remains alive, is the "army Leclerc" meritorious and many other less fortunate teams in the history outshine. ....   . The second DB (2nd armored division), which became the maintenance of the Cross of Lorraine in operations of high prestige, but low risk (such as Paris, Strasbourg and Berchtesgaden) into catapults, has benefited in all circumstances of the overwhelming power of the Americans and from these a fairly easy victories disgusting superiority complex drawn.   Decorated with the feathers of the peacock and the established American Leclerc aura, could even afford the worst volunteer virtually everything and even despise each other French military unit, for example by refusing to officers, not the second DB belonged to greet ... committed before and after the cessation of hostilities, the second BDB in Bavaria

Before and after the cessation of hostilities committed the second BDB in Bavaria riots and looting in such an extent that the disgust Americans called themselves after a month their expulsion from their zone of occupation "(4)

About the French war crimes against Stuttgart in the German population reported one other post (5).

General Leclerx during the invation of Paris 1944

Comments

1 Friedrich Karl Pohl, in „Soldat im Volk“, November 2000, S. 270 f,

2 Daniel Guérain, L’Envers de la Légende..Historie d’une libération,“ Bonneville 2002

3 Philippe Gautier, „Deutschenangst – Deutschenha+“, Grabert, Tübingen 1999, S. 135 – 139

4 Gautier, aaO. S. 137 ff

5 Beitrag „Französische Verbrechen in Stuttgart 1945“