Oradour: Villages des Martyrs

De: James Stephens

Narrado por: Robert V. Gallant

At the heart of the Haute Vienne region of France, there is a village some 10 km from Limoges. The name of this village is Oradour sur Glane. On the 10th of June, 1944, this quaint village was the scene of a barbaric massacre, at the hands of the evil Nazis. Over 150 heavily armed SS soldiers entered this peaceful village and rounded up 642 men, women, and children. After hearing false reports that they were part of the resistance movement, upon orders, these vile men systematically murdered these innocent civilians, with few survivors! Before fleeing the scene, they torched the village, in an attempt to erase the atrocities. Under orders of France's General de Gaulle, the remains of the village have been preserved, as a reminder of what happened on that fateful day.

©2016 Stephen Briggs (James Stephens) (P)2016 Stephen Briggs (James Stephens)

Oradour: Villages des Martyrs--Superb in Every Way

If you could sum up Oradour: Villages des Martyrs in three words, what would they be?

gripping and tragic

What was one of the most memorable moments of Oradour: Villages des Martyrs?

The initial surprised reaction to the attack and destruction is touching and articulate.

What about Robert V. Gallant’s performance did you like?

Robert V. Gallant's voice has a wise and mature resonance--an expressiveness appropriate to the sad events at Oradour. His voice carries the narrative forward and holds the listener from start to finish.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Well done. I would be interested to know of future books narrated by Mr. Gallant.

Sad compelling story

The author spent a considerable amount of time outlining what a typical day in this peaceful village was like and it’s really set the stage well for the horrors that followed

Well written and narrated!

Would you listen to Oradour: Villages des Martyrs again? Why?

Yes! The story is tragic, but told in good detail. The narrator's ability to pronounce the French words within the text added to the feel of being in France, where the story took place. Bravo!

The Truth?

I have known of the story of Oradour since I watched the first episode of World at War many years ago. It is not a story told in our history classes so I picked up this audible book to learn more. I do think the author glossed over the massacre itself. And I am sure there is more to the story to be revealed when the archives are opened long after I am gone.

However I don't believe the Nazis were going out of their way to help women out of the burning Church. I think they may have erred on the selection of which town named Oradour as well as been angry at the death of 4-5 of their comrades. I am sure the Germans felt that killing 640 to avenge 5 was great Hitlerian math.

The story was definitely worth listening to.

Well done

To this day I regret not going to Oradour the last time I was in France. But this book has brought this martyred village back to life. The reader is quite excellent as he tells the story of this doomed village and its inhabitants as the German threat looms over them. To say I enjoyed this book would be incorrect. Rather, I was captivated.

A true story masked at first by detail

At first I thought it a novel, with the protagonist, The Sleepwalker. I skipped ahead, and realized it was a factual account. I learned a lot.