Germany and French colonial troops.

[David Lehmann]

GERMANY AND FRENCH COLONIAL TROOPS


LA HONTE NOIRE
"L'Allemagne et les troupes coloniales françaises 1914-1945"
by Jean-Yves Le Naour

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/2012356745.08.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

The "black shame (= la honte noire)" is an expression used by the Germans after WW1. It is in fact a worldwide propaganda campaign organised by Germany against the presence of French colonial troops in Germany. It is based on lies and systematic accusation of rapes of white women in the occupied areas. These rumors had to convince the German people and the world public opinion that France was an ennemy of the "Kultur" and of the European civilisation. They wanted to depict France as hateful and militarist country, a country that wanted to introduce bastards and syphilis in the "pure German people". Hitler used these accusations also in "Mein Kampf" and in 1935 he ordered to sterilize all the metis children born from some normal black/German couples, before killing them later. In France, Jean Moulin (prefect of Chartres) makes his first resistance action by protecting black troops but thousands have already been executed ... these executions are the results of the German propaganda ... the same that will depict the Soviets as "Untermenschen" that they have the right to kill.

AFAIK, in 1940 the German POWs were treated well, the French "white" POWs also (but generally deported in Germany in working camps and forced workers in industries) but all the black troops were badly treated by the Germans and many warcrimes have been committed.
Near Lyon there is a memorial monument, the "Tata", dedicated to the French colonial troops, especially the Senegalese tirailleurs. The 19th and 20th June 1940, 188 men of the 25th RTS (régiment de tirailleurs
sénégalais) + 4 men of the 405th RADCA (régiment d'artillerie de défense contre avions) + 19 European officers and NCOs who were POWs had been simply slaughtered by the Germans. All the French WIA of these units had also been executed. Many bodies and been burned ond others crushed by german panzers and the other white POWs from metropolitan units had to contemplate that. The Germans units involved were from the Grossdeutschland regiment and the SS Totenkopf division.
In the Oise region, next to the village of Erquivilliers 74 tirailleurs had also been executed and found in a common grave.
And the problem is that only few cities in France hold an inquiry about such slaughters commited in 1940. Often the only documented ones are the ones committed under the following occupation. Also 20 senegalese in the Haute-Marne, shot down, a bullet in the head and burned.
During the fights between the 53rd regiment of the 7th colonial infantry division and the 7. Panzedivision from Rommel, taking place in Airaines
(Somme) from 5th to 7th June 1940, the losses are heavy on both sides. Without munitions a French company surrenders. Black and white men are separated. The captain N'Tchoréré is simply shot down and later 109 bodies had been found in common graves. In Clamecy (Nièvre), in a POW camp, 42 black men are also executed and there are many other atrocities that aren't documented.
The Germans simply could not sustain that "Untermenschen" fought against them and considered them as beasts. The German propaganda also convinced the Germans that the colonial troops were used to eat the German POWs (!!!) and they also kill immediately the black men equiped with a machete. In fact the Germans really feared the French colonial troops since WWI and because of their skin colour they simply were not treated like the white French soldiers.

This was captain Charles N'Tchoréré, commander of the 5th company of the marine infantry regiment :

http://www.histoiredumonde.net/images/20_eme_siecle/texte/ntchorere/tchorere.jpg

Beside these warcrimes, already in 1940 the German troops and especially SS-Totenkopf division committed atrocities in northern France.
- slaughter in Paradis
- Mercatel : 5 British POWs hanged
- Pont de Gy : 23 civilians executed, a young woman and a baby burned in their house, the other people were hindered to help them
- Etrun : 5 civilians killed including
- Hermaville : 4 civilians mutilated, 1 civilian killed and 22 burned farms
- Aubigny-en-Artois : 94 civilians killed, including 5 women and 7 children.
- Berles-Montchel : 45 civilians shot
- Mingoval : several civilians shot
etc.

Several retaliations against civilians after the actions of the French resistance :
- In the Glières : 573 houses have been burned, 200 civilians killed and 40 deported
- Le Mont Mouchet : the towns of Clavières , Auvers , Pinols , Dièges and Paulhac have been destructed after the battle as a revenge.
and many other in too many French towns and cities …

And of course don't forget the massacres of Oradour-sur-Glane and Tulle in 1944.

And some still think that the whole French people liked the Germans.

Regards,

David

[Kitsune]

Please David.

Agreed, there were racist behaviourisms displayed by the Nazis and so especially by SS troops (but, I think,just about every person on this planet knows that). But in contrast to popular belief most Germans were not more racist than White Americans or British (or some French, despite strong egalitarian tendencies displayed by your people).
And lets not forget: It were FRANCE and also Britain who took these people from their colonies to fight for their cause in a war amongst "white people" on a distant continent. And to motivate them, they were told some stories abput the brutality, real and imagined, of German troops (may I remind you of the anti german propaganda campaign France and Britain waged during WWI? According to this stories, German troops literally raped and killed their way through Belgium, dutifully cutting the breasts of from every nun they passed...the "huns" was the term that was coined to defer to the Germans). Propaganda and lies.
Also these colonial troops used by British and French often came from people who displayed a considerable brutality. This goes for Black Africans from Senegal, Ghurkas from Nepal...during WW2 there was a Hindu warrior caste unit fighting in Africa (a place were no SS troops ever were used by the Germans, making this a "Wehrmacht only" style war, from the German side), who never took prisoners and cut the ears from killed German soldiers. Is it that surprising that the Afrika Korps did not go exactly to great lenght to take them prisoner, prefering to kill soldiers of these hindu unit instead?

As for the warcrimes, you so dutifully listed, how about the fact that France used German POWs after WWII to clear mines (not trained sappers, just any Kraut would do, untrained), which was a definite breach of the Genevan convention, which France did sign, remember? Death toll: at least 15.000 estimated, also the French made the effort to give precise numbers.

Do not get me wrong:
I am generally sympathetic with your efforts to "set the picture straight" as far as France is concerned. But with this post you fell into anti-germanism.
And thats were I come in. p-)
Astrocities were committed by either side, not only the German one.

[David Lehmann]

Well the thread was not about warcrimes in general and I am not at all anti-German .... surprising how everybody classifies you immediately as anti-something. I have French, Swiss and probably German blood in me since I was born in Alsace and I love Germany like many other countries. I also made my studies in Germnany, France and Switzerland with fellows from these countries.
I thought it was obvious that both sides committed warcrimes and that nothing is B&W ... there is no anti-German feeling in there just a listing of some facts that happened already in 1940 not mentioning the terror bombings made to throw millions of refugees on the road, the destruction of Rotterdam or Abbeville.
Long I thought that warcrimes happened later, not that much in 1939/40. POWs were shot by all the countries, not mentioning the Soviet behaviour in Germany (read Anthony Beevor's book about the battle of Berlin for example), there were German POWs killed by US troops, also by for example the British "Inns Of Courts" regiment in Normandy (read the History concerning the 21.PzD and the 12. SS HJ) etc.
That thread was not to display a political message at all but to remind the racial aspects and the fact that the Waffen-SS soldier was a political soldier not just a common soldier (despite the fact that I can be admirative by their battlefield achievements) is generally forgotten by today's youth.
Of course there was Allies rapes and crimes and many would say the bombings of cities was one of them (Dresden etc.).

I apologize if this post was misinterprated, hurt somebody or was perceived as anti-German.

Best regards,

David

[Kitsune]

Well the thread was not about warcrimes in general and I am not at all anti-German .... surprising how everybody classifies you immediately as anti-something.

No sweat, David. Actually I do it for fun. Nowadays, people start to classify somebody as "anti-semtic" if one dares to try to take a balanced view with regards to the Israel-Palestine conflict, or as "anti-american" if one voiced concern about OIF or some of the present US governments doings. So I started to call people anti-german, if it suits me. ;)

And, considering the still prevalent demonizing of the Germans, especially when it comes to WWI or WWII, it suits me quite often...

[David Lehmann]

Well depending from the forum and the topics I was already told to be anti-American, anti-French (!), anti-Arab because those people thought I was generally rather in favor of Israel though trying to have a balanced view etc. ... but it is the first time I heard I was anti-German ... especially after having been so much interested in the WW2 German army and equipments ... but I understand your fun ... if someone critizice Bush he is anti-American ... but if someone criticise Berlusconi I have never heard him being called an anti-Italian :)
Nevertheless could you give me a source concerning the claim of German POWs used after WWII to clear minefields ? And the 15,000 deaths ?

Regards,

David