Robert Hébras (29 June 1925 – 11 February 2023) was one of only six people to survive the massacre of Oradour by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

's Waffen-SS Das Reich Panzer Division on 10 June 1944. He was born in

Oradour-sur-Glane Oradour-sur-Glane (; oc, Orador de Glana) was a commune in the Haute-Vienne department, New Aquitaine, west central France, as well as the name of the main village within the commune. History The original village was destroyed on 10 June 1944 ...

. Hébras died on 11 February 2023, at the age of 97. He was the last living survivor from Oradour-sur-Glane. Adolf Diekmann, the Waffen-SS officer who commanded the battalion that perpetrated the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre, was killed in action in Normandy on 29 June 1944, coincidentally Hébras's 19th birthday.

Awards and decorations

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

(13 July 2010) ** Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (9 June 2001) * Commander of the Ordre national du Mérit (25 January 2022) * Commander of the Ordre des Palmes académiques (30 November 2019) *

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

(2 June 2015)

Citations

References

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External links

Interview with Robert Hébras
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hebras, Robert 1925 births 2023 deaths Oradour-sur-Glane massacre French Resistance members Execution survivors Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite Commandeurs of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany People from Haute-Vienne