Oignies and Courrières massacre
Occurring amid the Battle of France, the Oignies and Courrières massacre involved mass killings of French civilians in the two nearby town of Oignies and Courrières in Nord-Pas de Calais on 27–28 May 1940. The number of victims is reckoned at between 114 or 124. The unit responsible for the atrocity was the 487th Infantry Regiment of the 267th Infantry Division in the Wehrmacht. The massacre was one of the largest to occur during the Battle of France. Altogether, it is thought a total of 500 French civilians were murdered by German forces in Nord-Pas de Calais in May 1940.
Modern-day view of the town hall in Oignies
Modern-day view of the Église Saint-Piat in Courrières, dating to 1534. The bell tower survived the burning in May 1940.
Modern-day view of the mausoleum at Oignies
The Vinkt massacre was a war crime committed by German soldiers in the villages of Vinkt and Meighem in East Flanders on 26–28 May 1940 during the Battle of the Lys. Between 86 and 140 civilians were deliberately killed by Wehrmacht troops from the 377th Infantry Regiment of the 225th Infantry Division, supposedly in retaliation for the Belgian Army's resistance in the village.
Modern-day view of the village of Vinkt where the massacre occurred
Memorial to the victims of the massacre