Chasselay massacre
The Chasselay massacre was the mass killing of French prisoners of war by German Army and Waffen-SS soldiers during the Battle of France in World War II. After capturing non-white French POWs during the capture of Lyon on 19 June 1940, German troops took approximately 50 black soldiers to a field near Chasselay, and used two tanks to murder them. After the massacre, local civilians buried the dead in a mass grave despite German warnings not to do so. Vichy official Jean-Baptiste Marchiani ordered the construction of a cemetery for the victims, which opened in 1942.
| Chasselay massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Battle of France | |
The graves of the prisoners of war murdered in the massacre | |
| Location | Near Chasselay, Rhône |
| Date | 20 June 1940 |
| Target | French prisoners of war |
Attack type | Mass killing |
| Deaths | ~50 killed |
| Perpetrators | German Army Waffen-SS |
| Motive | Racism |
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