27 Belgian Civilians Executed by Rexist Militias: The Courcelles Massacre
Recently Added
•
12m
On 17–18 August 1944, as Allied forces advanced through France and Nazi Germany’s grip on Western Europe began to weaken, violence erupted in German-occupied Belgium. After resistance fighters killed Belgian Nazi collaborator Oswald Englebin near Charleroi, Rexist militias loyal to the occupiers launched a brutal reprisal in the nearby town of Courcelles.
Civilians were dragged from their homes, imprisoned in a cellar, and executed one by one. Among the victims were respected members of the community, including Father Pierre Harmignie, the dean of Charleroi. In total, 27 Belgian civilians were murdered in what became one of the most infamous acts of collaborationist violence in Belgium during the Second World War.
After the liberation of Belgium, investigations identified dozens of participants in the massacre. Many were arrested and tried, and in 1947 several leading perpetrators were executed by firing squad in Charleroi.
The Courcelles massacre remains a stark reminder of the brutality of occupation, the dangers of collaboration, and the tragic consequences of revenge and ideology in wartime Europe.
Up Next in Recently Added
-
Stanisław Kosior: Architect of the Uk...
Stanisław Kosior was one of the most powerful Communist leaders in the Soviet Union and a key figure behind the policies that led to the Holodomor, the Great Ukrainian Famine of 1932–1933 that killed millions.
As First Secretary of the Communist Party of Ukraine, Kosior helped enforce collectivi...
-
Axis Sally: The American Voice of Naz...
During the Second World War, millions of Allied soldiers heard a strange voice on German radio. She spoke perfect American English, joked about home, and warned soldiers they would die far from their families.
Her name was Mildred Gillars — better known as “Axis Sally.” From Berlin she broadcast...
-
The Execution of Eight Soviet General...
On 11–12 June 1937, one of the most devastating political purges in military history unfolded in the Soviet Union. Eight of the Red Army’s most prominent commanders — Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky, Iona Yakir, Ieronim Uborevich, Robert Eideman, August Kork, Vitovt Putna, Boris Feldman, and Vitaly ...
