Here is my own little understanding from what I read from that chapter. I do hope I got this correct. If not, I hope someone notices so that I can correct the information:

"The group of 40 prisoners were held in the barn of the “MOULIN” farm where they had been given water and first aid for the wounded soldiers (2 stretcher cases?) and were held for a few hours, until they were brought to the front of the Moulin farmhouse, then formed into columns, under guard and escorted/marched up a footpath to within sight of the Caen-Fontenay Road. They were halted at a road junction just NE and less than a mile from the Village of Fontenay-le-Pesnel. At that point they soon were ordered (Mohnke’s orders but this was never proven for sure that he was the one who ordered it) marched to a grassy area by a grainfield, ordered to be bunched together and all sitting in the field, facing East, the wounded on stretchers in the middle. They weren’t there in the field very long (minutes?) before they were faced by an SS execution troops with “machine pistols” … and fired on, all but five men murdered.

Five men at the rear of the group were able to escape during the shooting, but they were soon re-captured by German SS and taken to POW camps, where they were held for months before they were repatriated from POW captivity and were able to tell their stories of what had happened."

I find it especially hard to read some details from the book, and from other places of witness statements (the 5 survivors) about those moments. It’s hard knowing details of what the last horrifying and painful moments of my Uncle, and the other men, were like. They were originally being led to be held as POWS, but along comes Mohnke in a raging snit and orders them executed at once, enmasse. Why? I’ve heard it was to teach the Canadian’s a lesson for what will happen for not talking when interrogated.

Mohnke was never brought to trial for these murders. He lived free of accountability for the murders. His death recently at age 91. SS-Brigadefuhrer Wilhelm Mohnke, March 15, 1911 – August 6, 2001

Pauline, in your Uncle’s records, you’ll probably receive some pages of witness statements. These brief statements are by the survivors of that event and day. Other things you’ll receive are copies of any telegrams and correspondences between the forces and your parents. I received a photocopy of a letter, handwritten by my Grandfather when Uncle Eddie was still classified as missing. I can’t describe the belly-punch feelings I had when I first saw this copy of the letter knowing I was looking at images of my Grandpa’s actual handwriting and wondering about his fears and hopes, how he must have been thinking and feeling as he wrote that letter about his son, not knowing his fate. How many fathers and mothers went through that?

Karmen.