47:
346:
266:, the administration preferred to work with established Belgian political and social elites, largely ignoring fringe political groups such as the Rexists. In order to acquire more influence and German support, Rex attempted to bring itself closer to the occupation authorities. On 1 January 1941, Degrelle announced Rex's total support for the occupation authorities and for the policy of collaborationism and its political influence in German circles rose after the
762:
462:) and is commemorated by a plaque. An annual commemoration of the massacre has been held on 18 August in subsequent years in memory of the victims of the massacre. A small chapel was also erected. The Courcelles massacre remains the most famous example of collaborationist reprisals against the civilian population in Belgium.
405:
News of the attack reached Rexist officials, both in
Charleroi and Brussels, shortly afterwards and sparked violent reprisals. A 150-strong Rexist militia unit arrived in Courcelles. Two civilians were murdered in the street and several houses set alight. In the night of 17–18 August, there were
332:
in the same region. Assassinations of Rexist officials became common, especially in
Charleroi where two Rexist burgomasters would be assassinated during the conflict. These attacks sparked retaliation by Rexist militias against civilians and suspected resistance sympathisers, often with tacit
415:
at the present-day rue des
Martyrs near to the site of Englebin's assassination; 19 of them were killed. The victims were local notables including lawyers, engineers, doctors, and senior police officers. The killings were supervised by leading party members, including its leader
443:) began. It was estimated that the Courcelles massacre involved 150 perpetrators of whom 97 were identified. 80 were arrested in the following months and tried. 27 of these were sentenced to death and executed at Charleroi on 10 November 1947.
613:
409:
The main killing occurred at dawn on 18 August when 21 civilians rounded up in
Courcelles the previous day were taken to the cellar of a requisitioned house, part of a row of inconspicuous
823:
30:
654:
259:
427:
Entirely separately, the German occupation authorities in
Belgium retaliated for Englebin's assassination by executing 20 hostages already held for other resistance activities.
147:
374:
who was also a Rexist. On 17 August 1944, Englebin was shot dead, together with his wife and son, Philippe, as they returned to their house in the
Charleroi suburb of
155:
668:
255:
in which it received 11.5 percent of the national vote, but experienced a decline in the following years before the German invasion and remained marginal.
399:
744:
725:
706:
337:
in June 1944. It has been argued that by the end of the German occupation, "Rex was essentially caught up in a process of local civil war."
46:
786:
833:
25:
772:
828:
390:
assigned as a guard. The identities of the resistance members involved have never been established. The attack happened as the
766:
345:
803:
505:
436:
252:
317:
818:
813:
782:
808:
228:
446:
The road with the house in which the majority of the killings took place was renamed the rue des
Martyrs (
363:, Rex's first burgomaster of Greater Charleroi, was assassinated on 19 November 1942. He was succeeded by
391:
387:
175:
466:
353:
364:
267:
421:
383:
375:
236:
163:
60:
470:
406:
numerous arrests and killings in the
Courcelles region, where three more civilians were killed.
379:
321:
179:
99:
740:
721:
702:
395:
334:
196:
499:
279:
224:
200:
171:
718:
Mayoral
Collaboration under Nazi Occupation in Belgium, the Netherlands and France, 1938-46
204:
131:
697:
Maerten, Fabrice (2008). "Courcelles, Tuerie de". In Aron, Paul; Gotovitch, José (eds.).
358:
199:
in May 1940, Belgium had several political parties that were broadly sympathetic to the
417:
369:
295:
244:
797:
737:
Joining Hitler's
Crusade: European Nations and the Invasion of the Soviet Union, 1941
411:
263:
248:
21:
386:, resistance members opened fire on the vehicle killing all its occupants except a
313:
220:
208:
159:
151:
649:
290:
with German support. This was particularly true in the industrial region around
287:
240:
95:
278:
Over following years, especially after 1943, Rex consolidated its control over
146:), involved the killing of 27 civilians in a number of separate instances by a
329:
325:
309:
305:
300:
291:
167:
64:
761:
776:
316:
units. However, the deterioration of the German military position on the
283:
232:
216:
212:
669:"Courcelles: un monument du Patrimoine attribué par erreur aux rexistes"
614:"Old wounds Reopened, Guilty Memories Revived: Collaboration in Belgium"
378:. As his vehicle passed through the Bois du Rognac neighborhood between
262:
was created to govern the occupied territory. Preferring a strategy of
68:
117:
344:
333:
approval of the German authorities, and these escalated after the
435:
Belgium was liberated by Allied forces in September 1944 and the
672:
286:
and an increasing number of party members were installed as
739:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 260–287.
51:
Monument at the site of the main killings on 18 August 1944
735:
Wouters, Nico (2018). "Belgium". In Stahel, David (ed.).
595:
593:
591:
589:
576:
574:
572:
402:
towards Belgium and German forces were in full retreat.
655:
Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890
178:
in revenge for the killing of a Rexist official by the
699:
Dictionnaire de la seconde guerre mondiale en Belgique
258:
After the Belgian surrender on 28 May 1940, a German
227:. This had originated as a faction of the mainstream
424:, as well as the regional leader Joseph PĂ©venasse.
113:
105:
89:
74:
56:
39:
162:. The killings occurred on 17–18 August 1944 near
500:"Plaque commémorative de la tuerie de Courcelles"
824:German occupation of Belgium during World War II
783:Moordenaars in de stad (De Tijd der Vergelding)
701:. Brussels: André Versaille. pp. 119–20.
8:
447:
349:Memorial built on the scene of the killing.
231:, but split in 1935 to form an independent
251:. It achieved some early success, peaking
36:
312:activism, where Rex even formed its own
637:
599:
580:
563:
551:
539:
527:
488:
247:made it sympathetic towards aspects of
469:devoted the final episode of his 1988
219:, the largest of these groups was the
658:, Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1990, p. 330.
494:
492:
166:, a suburb of the industrial city of
7:
235:party. Ideologically, Rex supported
268:German invasion of the Soviet Union
14:
787:Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep
16:Episode of mass murder in Belgium
760:
45:
191:Rex and German-occupied Belgium
78:17 and 18 August 1944
720:. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
480:) to the Courcelles massacre.
274:Rex and the Belgian Resistance
1:
506:Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles
437:pursuit of Nazi collaborators
324:which were also active among
304:, historically a centre for
150:militia associated with the
420:and his eventual successor
98:in retaliation against the
850:
612:Fox, C.J. (3 March 1994).
138:), sometimes known as the
400:already advancing rapidly
44:
504:Democratie ou barbarie (
253:at the elections of 1936
834:1944 murders in Belgium
478:The Time of Retaliation
465:The Belgian journalist
260:Military Administration
156:German-occupied Belgium
26:Infobox civilian attack
829:World War II massacres
716:Wouters, Nico (2016).
675:. BELGA. 1 August 2014
474:De Tijd der Vergelding
350:
239:, but its support for
207:ideals represented by
135:
31:considered for merging
348:
176:Liberation of Belgium
174:, shortly before the
804:Massacres in Belgium
773:Tuerie de Courcelles
769:at Wikimedia Commons
767:Tuerie de Courcelles
136:Tuerie de Courcelles
109:27 civilians (total)
542:, pp. 262–263.
282:in German-occupied
237:Belgian nationalism
195:At the time of the
128:Courcelles massacre
40:Courcelles massacre
819:Belgian Resistance
814:August 1944 events
471:documentary series
396:landed in Normandy
380:Monceau-sur-Sambre
351:
322:Belgian Resistance
180:Belgian Resistance
100:Belgian Resistance
809:Massacres in 1944
775:at Belgium-WWII (
765:Media related to
746:978-1-316-51034-6
727:978-3-319-32840-9
708:978-2-87495-001-8
566:, pp. 245–6.
335:Normandy Landings
330:socialist workers
270:on 22 June 1941.
124:
123:
841:
764:
750:
731:
712:
685:
684:
682:
680:
665:
659:
647:
641:
635:
629:
628:
626:
624:
609:
603:
597:
584:
578:
567:
561:
555:
549:
543:
537:
531:
525:
519:
518:
516:
514:
496:
467:Maurice De Wilde
461:
458:
455:
452:
449:
373:
362:
354:Prosper Teughels
280:local government
172:Hainaut Province
148:collaborationist
144:Tuerie du Rognac
85:
83:
49:
37:
34:
849:
848:
844:
843:
842:
840:
839:
838:
794:
793:
757:
747:
734:
728:
715:
709:
696:
693:
688:
678:
676:
667:
666:
662:
648:
644:
636:
632:
622:
620:
618:The Independent
611:
610:
606:
598:
587:
579:
570:
562:
558:
550:
546:
538:
534:
526:
522:
512:
510:
498:
497:
490:
486:
459:
457:Martyrs' Street
456:
453:
450:
433:
367:
365:Oswald Englebin
356:
343:
320:emboldened the
276:
205:anti-democratic
197:German invasion
193:
188:
140:Rognac massacre
92:
81:
79:
52:
35:
19:
17:
12:
11:
5:
847:
845:
837:
836:
831:
826:
821:
816:
811:
806:
796:
795:
790:
789:
780:
770:
756:
755:External links
753:
752:
751:
745:
732:
726:
713:
707:
692:
689:
687:
686:
660:
642:
640:, p. 120.
630:
604:
602:, p. 119.
585:
583:, p. 246.
568:
556:
554:, p. 266.
544:
532:
530:, p. 261.
520:
487:
485:
482:
432:
429:
418:Victor Matthys
398:in June, were
342:
339:
275:
272:
245:anti-communism
229:Catholic Block
192:
189:
187:
184:
122:
121:
120:paramilitaries
115:
111:
110:
107:
103:
102:
93:
90:
87:
86:
76:
72:
71:
58:
54:
53:
50:
42:
41:
18:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
846:
835:
832:
830:
827:
825:
822:
820:
817:
815:
812:
810:
807:
805:
802:
801:
799:
792:
788:
784:
781:
778:
774:
771:
768:
763:
759:
758:
754:
748:
742:
738:
733:
729:
723:
719:
714:
710:
704:
700:
695:
694:
690:
674:
670:
664:
661:
657:
656:
651:
646:
643:
639:
634:
631:
619:
615:
608:
605:
601:
596:
594:
592:
590:
586:
582:
577:
575:
573:
569:
565:
560:
557:
553:
548:
545:
541:
536:
533:
529:
524:
521:
509:
507:
501:
495:
493:
489:
483:
481:
479:
475:
472:
468:
463:
444:
442:
438:
430:
428:
425:
423:
422:Louis Collard
419:
414:
413:
407:
403:
401:
397:
393:
392:Allied forces
389:
385:
381:
377:
371:
366:
360:
355:
347:
340:
338:
336:
331:
327:
323:
319:
318:Eastern Front
315:
311:
307:
303:
302:
298:known as the
297:
293:
289:
285:
281:
273:
271:
269:
265:
264:indirect rule
261:
256:
254:
250:
249:Nazi ideology
246:
242:
238:
234:
230:
226:
225:LĂ©on Degrelle
222:
218:
214:
210:
206:
202:
201:authoritarian
198:
190:
185:
183:
181:
177:
173:
169:
165:
161:
157:
153:
149:
145:
141:
137:
133:
129:
119:
116:
112:
108:
104:
101:
97:
94:
88:
77:
73:
70:
66:
62:
59:
55:
48:
43:
38:
32:
28:
27:
23:
791:
736:
717:
698:
691:Bibliography
677:. Retrieved
663:
653:
645:
638:Maerten 2008
633:
621:. Retrieved
617:
607:
600:Maerten 2008
581:Wouters 2016
564:Wouters 2016
559:
552:Wouters 2018
547:
540:Wouters 2018
535:
528:Wouters 2018
523:
511:. Retrieved
503:
477:
473:
464:
445:
440:
434:
426:
410:
408:
404:
352:
314:paramilitary
299:
288:burgomasters
277:
257:
221:Rexist Party
209:Nazi Germany
194:
160:World War II
152:Rexist Party
143:
139:
127:
125:
114:Perpetrators
24:
650:Philip Rees
368: [
357: [
296:La Louvière
241:corporatism
96:Mass murder
91:Attack type
20:‹ The
798:Categories
484:References
394:which had
384:Courcelles
376:Trazegnies
186:Background
164:Courcelles
82:1944-08-18
61:Courcelles
679:8 January
623:7 January
513:8 January
441:Ă©puration
431:Aftermath
326:communist
310:communist
306:socialist
301:Pays Noir
292:Charleroi
223:, led by
168:Charleroi
65:Charleroi
29:is being
777:Cegesoma
388:gendarme
341:Massacre
284:Wallonia
233:populist
217:Brussels
213:Wallonia
57:Location
33:. ›
22:template
451:
158:during
80: (
69:Belgium
743:
724:
705:
412:corons
132:French
118:Rexist
106:Deaths
372:]
361:]
211:. In
741:ISBN
722:ISBN
703:ISBN
681:2021
673:RTBF
625:2013
515:2021
448:lit.
382:and
328:and
308:and
294:and
243:and
215:and
203:and
126:The
75:Date
785:at
170:in
154:in
800::
671:.
652:,
616:.
588:^
571:^
502:.
491:^
370:fr
359:fr
182:.
134::
67:,
63:,
779:)
749:.
730:.
711:.
683:.
627:.
517:.
508:)
476:(
460:'
454:'
439:(
142:(
130:(
84:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
