Macron Honors WWII 'Malgré-nous' and Announces Marc Bloch's Panthéon Induction

On the 80th anniversary of Strasbourg's liberation, President Macron calls for recognition of forcibly conscripted Alsatians and Mosellans while commemorating resistance hero Marc Bloch.

President Emmanuel Macron marked 80 years since the liberation of Strasbourg by Free French forces, highlighting the significance of the event in France's World War II history.
Macron called for greater recognition and education about the 'Malgré-nous,' 130,000 Alsatians and Mosellans forced into the German army during Nazi occupation, many of whom faced tragic fates.
The president announced the panthéonization of Marc Bloch, a historian, resistance fighter, and co-founder of the Annales School, who was executed by the Gestapo in 1944.
Macron emphasized the need to confront the complex legacy of the 'Malgré-nous,' whose forced service in the Wehrmacht has long been a sensitive and misunderstood chapter in French history.
Commemorative events included a military ceremony in Strasbourg, a visit to the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp, and tributes to General Leclerc and the Second Armored Division's role in the city's liberation.