Ascq massacre
Encyclopedia
The Ascq massacre is a massacre
of 86 men on April 1944 in Ascq
by the Nazis during the Second World War.
The 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
set out on rail trucks for Normandy
at the end of March, 1944. On April 1944, 1st, the train was approaching the gare d'Ascq
when an explosion blew the line apart : two trucks had been derailed. The commander of the convoy, SS Obersturmführer Walter Hauck
, ordered to search and arrest all male members of the houses on both sides of the track. Altogether 70 men were shot beside the railway line and another 16 killed in the village itself. Six other men were arrested, charged with bomb attack after an investigation by the Gestapo, and finally executed by firing squad.
At the end of the war, some SS men stood trial in a French Military Court at Lille
. They were sentenced to death, even though the sentences were later commuted to a period of imprisonment. Finally, Walter Hauck was released in July, 1957. Hauck was also the author of a similar massacre in Leskovice
in May, 1945.
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
of 86 men on April 1944 in Ascq
Ascq
Ascq is a former village in the Nord department in northern France on the Marque river. Today, it is part of the city of Villeneuve-d'Ascq. Ascq is unfortunately known for the Ascq massacre of 1 April 1944, where the Nazis massacred 86 men.-Heraldry:...
by the Nazis during the Second World War.
The 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
The 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend was a German Waffen SS armoured division during World War II. The Hitlerjugend was unique because the majority of its junior enlisted men were drawn from members of the Hitler Youth, while the senior NCOs and officers were generally veterans of the Eastern...
set out on rail trucks for Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
at the end of March, 1944. On April 1944, 1st, the train was approaching the gare d'Ascq
Gare d'Ascq
Gare d'Ascq is a railway station serving the former village of Ascq, now part of Villeneuve-d'Ascq city, Nord department, northern France.- History :In nineteenth century the industrial revolution is developing industry in northern France...
when an explosion blew the line apart : two trucks had been derailed. The commander of the convoy, SS Obersturmführer Walter Hauck
Walter Hauck
Walter Hauck is a German SS captain famous for the atrocities made under his command during the Second world war.- Second world war and massacres :Before the Second world war, he worked in the German police...
, ordered to search and arrest all male members of the houses on both sides of the track. Altogether 70 men were shot beside the railway line and another 16 killed in the village itself. Six other men were arrested, charged with bomb attack after an investigation by the Gestapo, and finally executed by firing squad.
At the end of the war, some SS men stood trial in a French Military Court at Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
. They were sentenced to death, even though the sentences were later commuted to a period of imprisonment. Finally, Walter Hauck was released in July, 1957. Hauck was also the author of a similar massacre in Leskovice
Leskovice
Leskovice is a village and municipality in Pelhřimov District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 101 ....
in May, 1945.