I was pretty much done posting about WWII until last night when I was going through pictures with my sister and ran across the photos of the cemetery near Chasselay. I was telling her about the Africans and Asians who found with European troops during the war. My sister, who isn’t usually interested in history, was fascinated.

Most Americans think WWII began in 1941 with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Europeans will say 1939 and Asians will probably say 1937 with Japan moving into Korea and Manchuria. Africans would say 1935 when Italy invaded Ethiopia. While many celbrated 60 years of peace with the end of the war on 8 May 1945, Algerians remembered brutal, bloody battles with the French that began on that date and rolled into the Algerian war for independence.

Colonial citizens  fought for their European colonizers in both World Wars. When France fell at the beginning of the war, all that remained of its empire was its colonies in Africa and Asia and soldiers were heavily recruited to fight for the fatherland. Shortly after France fell in 1940, some troops continued to fight, including troops near Chasselay. Theses troops consisted of white French and black Sengalese soldiers. They were surrounded by the Germans who had a particular hatred for black soldiers. The Sengalese were shot at close range by machine guns and their remains were tragically violated. Due to the efforts of a white Frenchman who insisted that his comrades be remembered, the cemetery near Chasselay was built.

War is ironic and stupid. People of African descent also served in the German military.

I have found a couple of sources in google books you can read to learn more about this. 1  2  There are probably other sources in English, most of the ones I did see were in French but my French just isn’t strong enough for me to have purchased them. There are memorials in France that specifically honor the contributions of Aficans and Asians who fought in the war, we just need to be sure these contributions become part of the oral history we share as well.