A dig for the bodies of dozens of German occupation troops said to have been executed in central France by Resistance fighters in 1944 has failed to uncover any remains, authorities said Thursday, August 24. "The area turned out to be empty following the excavation. Rocky veins 1.7 meters (six feet) below ground could explain the radar echoes recorded at the spot," the Corrèze prefecture said.
Local authorities had said in July that a potential "mass grave" had been identified near the town Meymac in Corrèze, after a 98-year-old former Resistance fighter went public with claims of the killings. Edmond Réveil told Agence France-Presse that the small Resistance group, with only around 30 members, had to kill the Germans because it did not have the means to keep them prisoner. "If we had let the Germans go, they would have destroyed Meymac," he said.
Although 11 bodies had been recovered in the 1960s, the group of prisoners is believed to have numbered 46 Germans, plus a Frenchwoman suspected of collaborating.
The most recent search of the wooded area turned up some World War II relics, including 20 bullets and cartridge casings from pre-1944 French, German, American and Swiss weapons, as well as five pre-1943 coins. "These elements confirm the presence of a group of Resistance fighters at this spot in 1944," the prefecture said. Nevertheless, "searches around where these objects were found did not allow identification of any human remains," it added.
The joint French-German dig has been called off, but the prefecture said there would be further analysis of ground-penetrating radar and topographical data as well as historical documents. Any new information could prompt further digs, it added.
France's National Office for Former Fighters and War Victims (ONACVG) led this month's search, in cooperation with Germany's VDK war graves authority.