Oradour-sur-Glane

[Wapping]

It's the ONLY place on Frogland that one is able to get a PROPER CHIP BUTTY !!!:
The betting cafe up by the square in the new town

A good point and very well made

O sur G is not alone. A much smaller village that was wiped off the face of the earth should not be ignored http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...forgotten-Nazi-massacre-hope-for-justice.html nor probably hundreds that stretch from the eastern borders of modern day Germany to the gates of Moscow.

Of course, some sites are much closer to home. This one, which we pass through on one of Wapping's Wanders is not far from the French coast and Dunkirk http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...dt-Every-day-I-thank-God-we-did-our-duty.html

PS The Belgians (for all their many faults) are kings of the chip, just the same.

 

[paul1961]

I along with others would say allow 4 -5 hours for this sombre trip round OSG. One of the thigs France does so well is keep its memorials and castles free to the public, none of the English rip off gate prices.

642 men women and children were murdered on 10th June 1944 and 328 buildings were destroyed.

It is likely the Germans actually targeted the wrong village as it was Oradour sur Vayres that was the important centre for the resistance.

 

[(RIP) orbit]

It seems a shame to ride that far and not spend some time looking around the rest of the Limousin, a very undiscovered area. Lots of good twisty roads and plenty of other sites to see . Most town have reasonably priced municipal camp sites.

 

[Bilks]

OSG is well worth a visit- hard to grasp especialy if you visit the grave yard.

Just up the road is:

http://www.route66hotel.com/ 4 accomadation.

Having Lived in Samour - the Tank Museum is amazing, more WW2 than Bovington, but No photos allowed ! ?

 

[Riders Rest]

The Chip Butties are indeed down to me, I like to leave my mark, Ben the guy who owns the PMU asked me on one of my umpteenth visits last year (I go about 20 times a year with groups) what would attract English tourists to have a snack at his cafe as they seemed to turn their nose up when looking at the menu, I suggested a "Chip Buttie" which has taken off like a storm and now enjoy a free one every time I call in.
I would say that on average it takes a biker 2 .5 hours to do the visitors centre and the old town, they also have an exhibition of the Nuremburg Trials in the centre at the moment.

If you are looking for other places to visit whilst in the region check out http://ridersrest.eu/rides.aspx

for the story of Oradour-Sur-Glane,

Oradour-sur-Glane

During World War II, the village of Oradour-sur-Glane, on the outskirts of Limoges, was destroyed and its people were massacred by Nazis. The site of one of the most horrific massacres of the Second World War Oradour-sur-Glane is now a memorial to the events of June 10th, 1944. On that day, Nazi troops killed virtually the entire village population - only six people out of 648 inhabitants survived. to tell this crucial piece of history, part of the village remains the same as it was after it was destroyed, with everything left in place just as it was on that day. The cars are still on the street exactly where they were left, furniture still in place in the houses that survived the fires. Oradour-sur-Glane is truly a unique memorial and one that genuinely evokes the meaning of one of the awful events of that time. http://www.dasreich.ca/oradourindex.html

 

[Glyno]

I can vouch for the chip butties ! had one there last week. Yummy

 

[(RIP) Proff]

I can vouch for the chip butties ! had one there last week. Yummy

Yup, you've got me and Barb lusting after another one now

 

[Riders Rest]

Yup, you've got me and Barb lusting after another one now

What a good looking bloke - Remember the day well. did you get the Scooter sorted ?

 

[(RIP) Proff]

What a good looking bloke - Remember the day well. did you get the Scooter sorted ?

Yes, found a great place near LaRochelle...
€60 fork kit as against £100 in UK

 

[Baron von Munchausen]

and do not forget to put it in the context of total war

Britain was area bombing German cities with 1000 bomber raids.

USA was firebombing defenceless wooden Japanese cities

French had surrendered in 1940 unyet civilians were attacking a German Panzer division on its way to Normandy.

No time for a 'Good friday Agreement'

and the 'terrorist' attacks stopped straight after Ouradour and Tulle

RIP all innocent people murdered in the cause of nationalism, Religion and wealth.

 

[Riders Rest]

of course the victors get to write the history books.

 

[MasterDabber]

If you want some sort of a perspective on what happened at O sur G, read Das Reich by Max Hastings before you visit.

Agreed. It puts it in context with the overall journey of Das Reich from Montauban up to Normandy. It's back in print now.

Available from Amazon

 

[Bury_Dave]

I was there on Friday of last week.

I thought it was more of a tourist hot spot than a memorial. The grass was well mown, there were no weeds in the houses, there was lots of signs of maintenance to keep everything as it is. strategically placed Singer sewing machines in just about every house. And as for the church, it all seemed too clean and the thought of allowing people to walk in there where around 100 women and children were fragged and burned .......

What happened was tragic - no doubts at all - but I've been to more moving places that have a lot less evidence of what passed on the ground remaining.

As to spending a whole day there ..... to each their own.

Incidentally, I have a map of sites in France relating to WW2 and there were over 40 other towns that were torched. Curiously though, there is no mention on the map of where Frenchmen informed to the Germans on their countrymen (and women) and the site of the Jewish detention centre for children in Paris never gets a mention ...... I suppose the 'winners' always get to write history How would we have been in similar circumstances I wonder ?