| Normandy massacres | |
|---|---|
 Kurt Meyer on trial in Aurich, Germany for his involvement in the Normandy Massacres, December 1945 | |
| Location | Normandy, France |
| Date | June 7–17, 1944 |
| Deaths | 158 POWs |
| Victims | North Nova Scotia Highlanders, the 27th Armoured Regiment (The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment), the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, and other units |
| Perpetrators | 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend |
| Convicted | Kurt Meyer |
The Normandy massacres were a series of killings in-which approximately 156 Canadian and two British prisoners of war (POWs) were murdered by soldiers of the 12th SS Panzer Division (Hitler Youth) during the Battle of Normandy in World War II. The majority of the murders occurred within the first ten days of the Allied invasion of France.[1] The killings ranged in scale from spontaneous murders of individual POWs, to premeditated mass executions involving dozens of victims. Colonel Kurt Meyer, a commander in the 12th SS Panzer Division, was the only perpetrator charged for his role in the atrocities.[2]
The massacres are among the worst war crimes committed against Canadian soldiers in Canada's history.[2] One out of every seven Canadian soldiers killed between June 6–11 were murdered after surrendering — a figure that rises to one in five if the range is reduced to June 7–11, when Canadian units started engaging with elements of the 12th SS Panzer Division.[3]
- ^ Margolian 1998, p. 116.
- ^ a b Foot 2023.
- ^ Margolian 1998, p. 123.