A now-restored hay barn on the Plaine du Bois, on the outskirts of the village, was the scene of the massacre of 70 British soldiers by Hitler's personal guard on 28 May 1940.

The Wormhout massacre or La Plaine au Bois massacre is a war crime committed by the Waffen-SS against 80 French and British prisoners of war during the Battle of France in May 1940. It actually took place on the territory of Esquelbecq. La Plaine au Bois is a preserved memorial site, classified on the European 39-45 memory traces and open to the public 24 hours a day. The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to noon and from 3pm to 6pm

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Alexis Thiers

September 25, 2024

The Grange de la Plaine au Bois massacre, located in Wormhout, northern France, was a tragic event that occurred on 28 May 1940 during the Second World War, at the start of the French Campaign. This event is also known as the Wormhout massacre.

Background:

In the early months of World War II, German troops were advancing rapidly in northern France. British forces, part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), were attempting to slow the German advance to allow the evacuation of Dunkirk.

The events:

During fierce fighting around Wormhout, approximately 80 British and French soldiers were captured by a German Waffen-SS unit, the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Division. The prisoners were first disarmed and then forced to march to an isolated barn, called the Grange de la Plaine au Bois. German soldiers, violating the laws of war, locked the prisoners in the barn.

For no apparent reason, the SS threw grenades into the building, killing and wounding many prisoners. Some survivors, despite their injuries, were executed by shooting or bayoneting. However, a few soldiers miraculously escaped death and later testified about the massacre.

Consequences and memory:

The Plaine au Bois massacre was one of many war crimes committed by Waffen-SS troops during World War II. After the war, several attempts were made to try those responsible for the massacre, but these efforts were hampered by political and legal issues, and many perpetrators were never brought to justice.

Today, the site of the barn is a place of remembrance. A monument has been erected to honor the victims, and commemorations are held regularly to remember this atrocious war crime.

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Location: Esquelbecq, Dunkirk, Northern France, France

La Plaine au Bois Memorial (Wormhout Massacre Site)

1. Esquelbecq – Château d'Esquelbecq loop from Wormhout

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