THIL-LONGWY CONCENTRATION CAMP 1943-1944
National necropolis in 1984 in Thil, with a pedestrian path decorated with balconies intended to receive works of art
The camp was built in 1944 to replace the Pennemünde site, where the V1s were built. The region of Thil, rich in iron ore, was thus "ideal" and the first deportees, charged with developing the Tiercelet mine and then manufacturing armament equipment, arrived in May 1944. The factory began to operate on 10 May, but stopped at the beginning of September because the Americans were close by. A total of 1,963 deportees passed through the camp, many of whom died there, particularly in the last days before the evacuation in the face of the American advance, due to the lack of available wagons to transport them to the interior of Germany. To pay tribute to them, a crypt was built by subscription. It was inaugurated on 17 November 1946 in the presence of numerous personalities, including the MP Louis Marin, the founding president of the FNDIRP, Colonel Henri Manhès, and representatives of General de Gaulle and the head of the government, Georges Bidault. Thil-Longwy is on the official list of concentration camps and became a national necropolis in 1984. A memorial path, giving access to the crypt, was inaugurated in 2005. This footpath, embellished with balconies designed to accommodate works of art evoking the past, conveys a message of peace and hope. To never forget the Nazi barbarism, it is absolutely necessary to visit this place, it is an essential duty of memory.
