Charles N'Tchoréré

Charles N'Tchoréré (born November 15, 1896 in Libreville , † June 7, 1940 in Airaines ) was a captain of the French army from equatorial Africa (now Gabon ). He was shot by the German Wehrmacht in Airaines on June 7, 1940 after he was taken prisoner . N'Tchoréré's military career and tragic death became a symbol of the commitment and courage of the 80,000 African-French soldiers who fought for France. His is thought of in different ways.

Military service and death

N'Tchoréré already served in the First World War as a French soldier with the Tirailleurs sénégalais and was appointed sergent . In June 1940 he served as a captain in the 5th Company of the 1st Battalion, 53rd Infantry Regiment (53 RICMS) in the French Army on the Somme . After a long battle, he and his company were captured. Because of his skin color, he was referred to by the Wehrmacht officers as " Untermensch ", separated from the other French officers and shot in the back of the head by Wehrmacht soldiers of the 7th Panzer Division - which was under the command of Erwin Rommel . His body was then ground up under the chains of a tank.

Avenue N'Tchoréré

Commemoration

The career and tragic death of Captain Charles N'Tchoréré became a symbol of the commitment and courage of the 80,000 African-French soldiers who fought for France. A monument to N'Tchoréré was erected in Airaines. One street in the city was renamed "Avenue N'Tchoréré". A postage stamp was dedicated to him in Gabon in 1962 and the Saint-Louis Military Academy in Senegal now bears his name.

Film adaptations

• June 1940: le grand chaos - by Christophe Weber

See also

• Crimes of the Wehrmacht

literature

• David Gardinier: Historical Dictionary of Gabon 2nd ed. (The Scarecrow Press, 1994) pp. 242-243.
• Louis Bigmann: Le Capitaine Charles N'Tchoréré (Abidjan: NEA, 1983).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ prytanee.sn (French), accessed on September 13, 2013