Illustration
Helmut Kämpfe (31 july 1909-10 june 1944) was a German officer (Sturmbannführer) in the Waffen SS during the Second World War (1939-1945). He was captured on 9 June while driving alone ahead of his men near the town of Sauviat-sur-Vige, near Limoges, in the south-west of France. His capture was used as a pretext for the massacre of civilians that took place in Oradour-sur-Glane on 10 June 1944 during which 643 civilians where killed by soldiers from the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich. Kämpfe was killed on the same day, either executed by local resistance leader Georges Guingouin or while trying to escape. His body was burned and buried anonimously in the town of Breuilaufa before being transfered to the German military cemetery in Berneuil, Charentes Maritimes in 1963.
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Original image by Unknown Photographer. Uploaded by Babeth Étiève-Cartwright, published on 24 March 2025. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Public Domain. This item is in the public domain, and can be used, copied, and modified without any restrictions. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
Related Images
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The Martyred Village of Oradour-sur-Glane
Massacre d'Oradour-sur-Glane
Map of the Oradour-sur-Glane Massacre
Remember Oradour-sur-Glane, France
Church of Oradour-sur-Glane, France
Cite This Work
APA Style
Photographer, U. (2025, March 24). SS-Sturmbannführer Helmut Kämpfe. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20255/ss-sturmbannfuhrer-helmut-kampfe/
Chicago Style
Photographer, Unknown. "SS-Sturmbannführer Helmut Kämpfe." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 24, 2025. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20255/ss-sturmbannfuhrer-helmut-kampfe/.
MLA Style
Photographer, Unknown. "SS-Sturmbannführer Helmut Kämpfe." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 24 Mar 2025. Web. 31 Mar 2025.
