Last Stand at Le Paradis: The Events Leading to the SS Massacre of the Norfolks 1940

by Richard J. Lane

In early September 1939, the 2nd Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment were one of the first complete infantry units of the BEF to land in France. The first months of World War Two were relatively quiet but after deploying to the Maginot Line sector during January 1940 they came into contact with those Germans manning the West Wall or Siegfried Line. A patrol led by Captain Peter Barclay entered German territory and was attacked. As a result, the first decorations of the war were awarded. Barclay received the Military Cross and Lance-Corporal Davis the Military Medal while the remaining members of the patrol were mentioned in despatches. Two days later, the battalion suffered a tragic first when Lieutenant Patrick Everitt was mortally wounded while leading a daylight patrol. Everitt was the first British officer to be killed in action in the Second World War. When the Germans launched their offensive on 10 May, the BEF advanced to the River Dyle in Belgium. Within days the Allied Armies had been forced onto the back foot by the speed and ferocity of the German breakthrough. The Norfolks withdrew to the River Escaut where the BEF was to make a stand. On 21 May, the Company Sergeant Major George Gristock courageously destroyed some German machine-gun posts and won a posthumous Victoria Cross. As the Allies withdrew towards the Channel, the Norfolks were ordered to defend a section of the Canal Line between B�thune and Le Cornet Malo. Already down to around half strength, the Norfolks held their sector from 24 to 27 May. By the time the order was issued for them to withdraw, it was too late, Battalion HQ at Duries Farm, Le Paradis was surrounded and they had no alternative but to surrender, although 'C Company held out until the following morning. After the surrender, ninety-nine men of the Battalion were marched to a paddock where they were machine-gunned in cold blood by their SS captors. Miraculously, two men survived and were instrumental in bringing the SS officer responsible, Fritz Knoechlien, to justice after the war. When the remnants of the battalion reassembled in England, its strength was just five officers and 134 other ranks. The remainder had either been killed or captured as POWs.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, Military History, European History

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 19, 2009

Reviews

[JD · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this book describes exactly what this book is about. The author has really done his research very well and gives good detail about the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Norfolk Regiment from it's deployment to France at the start of the war in 1939 till its final battle on the 27th of May 1940.

They were there from the start of the Phoney War digging the defensive line on the frontier, doing duty with the French on the Maginot Line where their members won the first awards of the British Army at the front and went into Belgium after the start of the invasion, and then the retreat back into France. They were one of the units tasked to fight a rearguard action to the last man and bullet so that the BEF could make it's escape from Dunkirk, and then suffer the massacre at the hands of the SS, where there were only 2 survivors.

It is a very insightful book and gives good background on the campaign in the West in 1940. Interspersed throughout is the stories of the ordinary soldiers and the heroic deeds they did to stave of disaster for Britain. The last chapter is about what happened after the massacre and how the culprit who lead it was brought to justice. Good read and highly recommended.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a remarkable account of the massacre of the 2nd Battalion The Royal Norfolk Regiment at Le Paradis in 1940.

This book tells the story of how the 2nd Battalion The Royal Norfolk Regiment came to be massacred at Le Paradis by the SS Totenkopf division(DEATH HEAD DIVISION),after fighting a rearguard action to allow the rest of the B.E.F to be evacuated at Dunkirk in 1940,which allowed many British(and French) soldiers to be able to fight another day.Nearly 100 British POWs where lined-up against a wall and machined-gun down in cold blood.Only two British soldiers lived to tell the tale of this terrible event in history.

I found this book to be well written,well researched and easy to read.The author gets high marks for research. His account of the actions and ultimate fate of the Norfolks interweaves first-person reminiscences with official documents to create a vivid portrayal of men at war. The Norfolk officers and men truly come alive in the pages of Lane's book.

This book is a much-deserved tribute to the Soldiers who fought and died at Le Paradis in France in 1940.

A must-read book for anybody intrested in world war 2 military history.

Highly recommended.

[Ian Willey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Added more depth to the final battle and following events so recommended.