Normandy massacres
| 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. The killings ranged in scale from spontaneous murders of individual POWs, to premeditated mass executions involving dozens of victims. The massacres are among the worst war crimes committed against Canadian soldiers in Canada's history.