Eighty-Four Years
It has been 84 years since the Nazi occupying regime introduced forced conscription in Luxembourg. The country commemorated this dark chapter in its history on Sunday. Ceremonies at Hollerich railway station and in Limpertsberg remembered the fate of thousands of young Luxembourgers affected by forced conscription during the Second World War.
On 30 August 1942, Gauleiter Gustav Simon announced in Limpertsberg that military service would become compulsory for Luxembourg men born between 1920 and 1924. The measure was later extended to those born between 1925 and 1927. Over the following years, around 10'200 young Luxembourg men were forcibly conscripted. The vast majority were made to fight in a uniform they had not chosen, many of them on the Eastern Front. Nearly 3'000 of those forcibly conscripted either did not survive the war or never returned home.
Young women were also directly affected. A total of 3'614 Luxembourg women were forced to serve in the Reichsarbeitsdienst and the Kriegshilfsdienst. "Forced conscription was and remains the Nazis' greatest war crime against Luxembourg's youth", said Josy Lorent, president of the Federation of Forced Conscripts.
Resistance met with deadly reprisals
Forced conscription was met with widespread resistance. Strikes broke out in several parts of the country the day after Simon's announcement. The Nazi regime responded with brutal repression. Twenty-one strikers were sentenced to death and executed. Those who tried to evade forced conscription, as well as their families, also faced severe punishment. The consequences were so far-reaching that hardly any Luxembourg family escaped being directly or indirectly affected.
Looking to the present
Eighty-four years later, the commemoration is not solely about the past. Against the backdrop of political developments in Europe and the growing popularity of far-right parties, organisers and political representatives raised the question of how democratic values can be protected for future generations. President of the Chamber of Deputies Claude Wiseler stressed the importance of individual responsibility. "It is also about taking action every day," he said. "And not just by clicking on the internet, but by putting all our energy into ensuring that our values are upheld every day, including for future generations."