The Chasselay Massacre, June 1940

Murdered Warriors: The Chasselay Massacre, June 1940 | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans

A group of Senegalese soldiers occupied a small castle at the village of Chasselay, fighting on all day and night until they spent their last bullet on June 20 and surrendered. Afterwards, the Germans marched the black soldiers and their white officers to a nearby field. The officers were led aside and told to lie face down. Then the Senegalese were ordered to assemble in front of two German tanks, and told to run away. As they ran, the tanks opened fire on the Tirailleurs with machine guns, and then drove over the dead and wounded. A German soldier then walked over to one of the white French officers and shot and wounded him; but otherwise they were left unharmed.

Mistreatment of French Colonial Troops