Abbaye d'Ardennes, Chateau Audrieu and Authie -
the murder of Canadian PoWs.
Abbaye d'Ardennes.
Although we didn't actually get to the Abbaye d'Ardennes, we did see it, in the distance, on our way to other locations, such as the town of Authie, which I'll cover later in this post.
The Abbaye (or Abbey) is located on the western edge of the city of Caen and, in 1944 it was surrounded by open fields, although today, those that were to the east have now mainly been overtaken by the expansion of the City and the road network..
The Commander of 12th SS (Hitler Jugend) 12th Panzer Regiment (
not Division), Standartenfuhrer Kurt Mayer, arrived here late on the night of June 6th, and set up his Headquarters, using the high tower of the ancient building as an observation point, where he could clearly see all movement for miles around.
The following day, June 7th, the 12th SS engaged in heavy fighting during their attack against the exposed flank of the infantry of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, and the tanks of the Sherbrooke Fusiliers, who Mayer had watched crossing open ground to his front, as he stood on the Abbaye's tower.
A number of Canadians were taken as Prisoners of War and, whilst many were sent back behind the lines for onward transport to PoW camps, the SS took 20 Canadian soldiers to the Abbaye.
Here they were questioned, and later in the afternoon they were taken, one by one, at roughly hourly intervals, to the garden of the Abbaye, where they were shot in the head. Those Canadians still inside could hear the shots, and had to step over the bodies of their dead comrades before meeting the same fate.
The bodies were buried in two mass graves, and weren't discovered, by a local citizen, until the end of the war.
Today, there are memorials to the murdered soldiers at the Abbaye, along with a row of photographs on the wall near where they were shot, showing each man, his name, age and Regiment.
Chateau d'Audrieu.
The Chateau is situated roughly half way between Bayeux and Caen, and has its origins as far back as the 11th Century, with the De Seran family owning the present building from 1593 to the present day.
Set in extensive grounds, surrounded by woodland and far back from the road, it was taken over, on June 7th 1944, as Headquarters of the 12th SS Recce Battalion, commanded by Sturmbannfuhrer Gerhard Bremme.
On 8th June, after fierce fighting at Putot en Bessin (not to be confused with
Port en Bessin) between 12th SS and the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, a number of Canadians were taken prisoner, and 19 of these were taken to the Chateau.
When Canadian Officers and an NCO refused to answer questions, they were summarily shot on the spot. The rest of the Canadian soldiers were taken into the woods and either shot or clubbed to death by their SS captors.
Today the Chateau is a luxury hotel in the Relais et Chateaux group.
Authie.
The small town of Authie lies roughly 3 km (1.8 miles) north west of the outskirts of Caen, and was taken by Canadian troops from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders in the afternoon of June 7th, 1944.
Later that day, tanks and infantry of 12th SS Panzer Regiment attacked the town in force, and bitter fighting ensued, with the North Novas suffering very heavy casualties. Eventually, after being surrounded, and low on ammunition, the Canadians were forced to surrender to the SS.
It was then that one of the most barbaric acts of cruelty was perpetrated by the Hitler Jugend - mere boys mainly in their late teens, totally indoctrinated, brain washed in Nazi ideals, and most probably high on alcohol and "Pervatin" (basically crystal meth).
A few Canadian prisoners were immediately shot, and then dead
and wounded Canadian soldiers were dragged into the road and laid outside the Mairie (town hall), where a tank ran back and forth across the bodies.
It was so horrific, that the gruesome remains had to be shovelled into buckets.
Today a Memorial to those killed in the fighting and murdered by the SS, stands at the cross roads of the village, opposite the Mairie and, in season, is surrounded by red and white flowers, symbolising the Canadian flag.
A total of 156 Canadian soldiers were murdered by 12th SS Panzer during the Normandy campaign.
At the War Crimes Trials in 1946, Kurt Mayer was sentenced to death for his part in these executions. The sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment.
He was released after serving seven years.
Pics below showing the maps, satellite views and locations as they are today.
Pic.1 Map showing the locations of Abbaye d'Ardennes, Chateau d'Audrieu and the town of Authie.
Pic 2. Satellite view of the Chateau.
Pic 3. Abbaye d'Ardennes in the fields outside Caen.
Pics 4 and 5. Chateau d'Audrieu, taken from the main road.
Pics 6 to 8. The road outside the Mairie in Authtie where the Canadian soldiers were murdered.
Pics 9 and 10. The Memorial in the square at Authtie.
I'll post a few images tomorrow, briefly covering our very short visit to the Omaha beach area, and then round-off the tour with a selection of images taken during various stages of our travels.
Thank you for your continued interest, kind comments, and likes etc, and I'll be back sometime tomorrow.