Narrator: Marchand Steenkamp.
About the story: The massacre at Le Paradis is one of the earliest and most brutal war crimes committed by the Waffen-SS in Western Europe. On 27 May 1940, during the final days of the Battle of France, the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Norfolk Regiment became surrounded near the small French village of Le Paradis. After hours of fierce fighting, their farmhouse headquarters was destroyed, their ammunition exhausted, and many of their men wounded. Believing they would be treated as prisoners of war, ninety-nine British soldiers stepped forward with a white flag. What awaited them was not captivity, but slaughter. Led by SS-Hauptsturmführer Fritz Knöchlein of the SS-Totenkopf Division, the British prisoners were marched to a nearby farmyard, lined up against a barn wall, and machine-gunned at point-blank range. Ninety-seven were murdered; only two men — William O’Callaghan and Albert Pooley — survived by crawling into a pigsty and hiding for days. Their testimony after the war exposed the atrocity to the world. The Le Paradis massacre became a defining example of SS brutality in the West. Despite German attempts to cover up the killings, investigations after the war traced responsibility directly to Fritz Knöchlein. His claims of innocence, excuses about “illegal bullets,” and accusations of mistreatment during interrogation failed to save him. In 1949, he was found guilty of war crimes and executed by hanging.
This documentary examines the events leading to the massacre, the actions of the Totenkopf Division, the fate of the survivors, and the long pursuit of justice that followed — revealing a crime that shocked Britain and remains a symbol of SS ruthlessness in World War II.
Join World History channel and get access to benefits:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKKy_pNKZBX4KcCct8505HA/joinDisclaimer: All opinions and comments below are from members of the public and do not reflect the views of World History channel.
We do not accept promoting violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on attributes such as: race, nationality, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation. World History has right to review the comments and delete them if they are deemed inappropriate.
► CLICK the SUBSCRIBE button for more interesting clips:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKKy_pNKZBX4KcCct8505HA/?sub_confirmation=1#WWII #ww2 #LeParadismassacre #leparadis #nazi #kommando #history #holocaust #documentary #europe #france #french #worldwartwo #warcriminals #warcrime #wehrmacht #warcrimes #germanarmy #ww2documentary #ww2history
Nazi occupation of France, Le Paradis massacre, German war crimes, Nazi war crimes, WW2 war crimes, War trials, Nazi criminals, War criminals, War criminals WW2, German invasion of France, German occupation of France, France World War 2, France WW2, France during WW2, Fall of France, Battle of France, France in WW2, When did Germany invade France, Invasion of France, Battle of France 1940, Battle of Dunkirk, WW2 France, Occupied France WWII, 2nd Battalion of the Royal Norfolk Regiment, British Army WW2, British soldiers WW2, Britain soldiers WW2, UK World War 2, Fritz Knöchlein France, SS-Totenkopf Division, William O'Callaghan and Albert Pooley, Erich Hoepner in France, Theodor Eicke in France, 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division, Nazi executions,