On Wednesday, a ceremony commemorating the Luxembourgers who were forcefully drafted by the Nazis during World War II will be held in Limpertsberg.
On 30 August 1942, Gauleiter Gustav Simon announced compulsory military service in the Grand Duchy. Close to 10,200 young Luxembourgs aged 18 to 24 were forcibly conscripted into the German army during the Second World War. The Nazi occupiers also forced a total of 3,614 women to join the ‘Reichsarbeitsdienst’ (Reich Labour Service) and even the ‘Kriegshilfsdienst’ (War Support Service).
Minister of Justice Sam Tanson will participate in Wednesday’s ceremony.
As a result of the conscription, a general strike was organised in Wiltz in 1942. The Nazi occupiers subsequently arrested 125 strikers. 21 were sentenced to death and executed.
On Thursday, a second commemorative event will thus be held in honour of the strikers. Minister Marc Hansen will take part in this event.
