Balard shooting range
Encyclopedia
During the Second World War, the Balard shooting range (stand de tir de Balard) was the site of Nazi torture and executions, now disappeared with the construction of the Boulevard périphérique de Paris.
(now situated with Paris in the 15e arrondissement). The Air Ministry now occupies the site, and it also forms part of the parc Suzanne Lenglen
situated on the old héliport de Paris, opened in 1957. It was bounded by the quai d’Issy, the boulevard Victor, the rue de la porte d’Issy in Paris
15ème, and by the rue Jeanne d’Arc, the rue Guynemer, the boulevard Gambetta
and the boulevard Gallieni in Issy-les-Moulineaux
. It was here that the first French attempts at powered flight occurred in 1905, which in 1911 accidentally killed Maurice Berteaux, minister for war.
.
A plaque commemorating the names of the 143 people executed here was unveiled on 23 April 1961 on the wall of the air ministry (BA 117) on the range's exact site.
Location
It was situated on the training area at Issy-les-MoulineauxIssy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. On 1 January 2003, Issy-les-Moulineaux became part of the Communauté d'agglomération Arc de Seine along with the other communes of Chaville, Meudon, Vanves and Ville-d'Avray...
(now situated with Paris in the 15e arrondissement). The Air Ministry now occupies the site, and it also forms part of the parc Suzanne Lenglen
Suzanne Lenglen
Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen was a French tennis player who won 31 Championship titles between 1914 and 1926...
situated on the old héliport de Paris, opened in 1957. It was bounded by the quai d’Issy, the boulevard Victor, the rue de la porte d’Issy in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
15ème, and by the rue Jeanne d’Arc, the rue Guynemer, the boulevard Gambetta
Léon Gambetta
Léon Gambetta was a French statesman prominent after the Franco-Prussian War.-Youth and education:He is said to have inherited his vigour and eloquence from his father, a Genovese grocer who had married a Frenchwoman named Massabie. At the age of fifteen, Gambetta lost the sight of his right eye...
and the boulevard Gallieni in Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. On 1 January 2003, Issy-les-Moulineaux became part of the Communauté d'agglomération Arc de Seine along with the other communes of Chaville, Meudon, Vanves and Ville-d'Avray...
. It was here that the first French attempts at powered flight occurred in 1905, which in 1911 accidentally killed Maurice Berteaux, minister for war.
History
200m and 50m firing ranges were created here in 1938 for police training, and taken over by the German Geheime Feld Polizei (GFP) after the defeat of France in the 1940 Battle of FranceBattle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
.
Victims
The first massacre occurred on 6 July 1942, with the Kommando für Kapital Verbrechen charged with "managing" the firing range, on the orders of Karl Oberg, chief of SS and police. 143 people were tortured then shot here, including :- The five lycéensFive Martyrs of the lycée BuffonThe Five Martyrs of the Lycée Buffon were five students from the Lycée Buffon shot by the Germans in Paris at the Stand de tir de Balard on 8 February 1943 for their activities with the French Resistance. Also, their families were taken hostage...
of the lycée BuffonLycée BuffonThe lycée Buffon is a secondary school in the XVe arrondissement of Paris, bordered by boulevard Pasteur, the rue de Vaugirard and the rue de Staël. Its nearest métro station is Pasteur. Jean-Claude Durand is its current proviseur....
, - Robert Beck's network
- French members of the Francs Tireurs et Partisans
- Members of the colonial FTP-MOI
- Some Gaullists
- Unidentified resistors arrested under the Nacht und NebelNacht und NebelNacht und Nebel was a directive of Adolf Hitler on 7 December 1941 signed and implemented by Armed Forces High Command Chief Wilhelm Keitel, resulting in the kidnapping and forced disappearance of many political activists and resistance 'helpers' throughout Nazi Germany's occupied...
decree
A plaque commemorating the names of the 143 people executed here was unveiled on 23 April 1961 on the wall of the air ministry (BA 117) on the range's exact site.
Filmography
- The stand de tir de Balard appears in some scenes of Jean-Pierre Melville's film Army of Shadows, 'played' by the firing range at the SatorySatorySatory is an area south of Versailles in France. It is mostly known for its military camp, housing:* Weapon-testing facilities of GIAT Industries* Barracks and facilities for gendarmerie including the GIGN headquarters and the gendarmerie armored squadron...
military camp.