Memorial Marengo Harsin

The monument of Marengo (translated from the information board):

This monument was inaugurated on Saturday October 1, 2016 and is a tribute to the Moroccan sniper Boualio Baïza. This monument was opened in the presence of Hassan Touri (consul of Morocco and Belgium), André Bouchat (mayor of Marche-en-Famennel), Marc Quirynen (mayor of Nassogne and Joseph Relnard (delegate for Belgium for "the friendships of the friends of Horgne and Spahis ") who took the initiative to build this place of remembrance.

The history of the soldier Baïza
Born in Morocco (in protected area of ​​France) on an unknown date Boualio was also called "Bonatio" Baïza. He voluntarily joined the army. He was stationed in the fifth regiment of the Moroccan snipers (5RTM) in Bourgen-Bresse in the department of Ain. In 1939, this regiment became part of the African army that consisted of 300,000 men at the time. Boualio Baïza was captured by a German offensive and was found dead on 7 June 1940 between Jemeppe-Hargimont and Harsin in the direction of the Bande. The street where he was found was called "Marengo".

The drama of Marengo
According to the archives of the French army, Boualio Baïza was part of 1000 prisoners. These prisoners had to walk in rows of 4 and were checked by German invaders on their bikes. Baïza stepped out of the queue briefly because he had to pee. This movement was interpreted by the German guards as an evasive maneuver whereby they then opened the fire and hit him in the chest.

The intervention of the Renard family
In Harsin at the beginning of the summer of 1940, the residents lived with the memory of the repeated massacre by the German army in August 1914. The Renard family is one of the few that the path of the exodus of a part of the residents of not followed. They were confronted with the destruction of their home. The head of the Renard family emptied the water from the basins meant for the growth of potatoes while they were on their way. The hungry prisoners skipped the village and went on hurriedly. At the end of June, a German officer, Nicolas Renard and his fourteen-year-old son Joseph asked if they could evict the cadaver of a French soldier at the bottom of the dyke of a street named Marengo. Armed with a small horse, they discovered a cord that was hung next to two branches. The father and son performed the penile work of evacuating and excavating the body of Boualio Baïza. They then went to the cemetery of Chavanne-Harsin.

The remark "death for France" (1941) is dedicated to Boualio Baïza.

In July 1969 his body was excavated on behalf of "the national necropolis of Chaste" that was dedicated to the French soldiers who had fallen on Belgian soil.

In 1978 Joseph Renard and his wife got wood from Marengo. A few years later, the owners decided to set up a monument on their property to remind future generations of Boualio Baïza: a French soldier of Moroccan origin who died in Belgium for our freedom.

While walking by, remember the sacrifice of Boualio Baïza. Long live Morocco, long live France and long live Belgium

The history of the fifth regiment of the Moroccan snipers.
The fifth RTM (Régiment de Tirailleurs Marocains) was founded in Morocco in 1920. It was then called the "fifth regiment on foot of the Moroccan snipers" and three Moroccan aid battalions were associated with them. After the operations during the Second World War in France, Italy and Germany they also went to the war in Indochina. They later also went to Madagascar and Morocco. The regiment was lifted in 1965.

During the "Drôle de guerre" period (from September 1939 to May 1940) the fifth RTM was successfully stationed in the Alps, Champagne, in the Meuse, in Lorraine and in l'Aisne. On May 10, 1940, the "headquarters of the general" was stationed in l'Oise.
On 13 May they moved with a boat through Valenciennes, via Trélon to the front together with Belgium.

On May 16, the first battalion (1 / 5RTM) was deployed in Ohain, the second battalion fought in Anor in the south of Ohain. At the same time the third battalion arrived in Valenciennes. During the evening, the German troops succeeded in transferring to Trélon just outside of Ohain. Further in the north, the seventh army of General Rommel managed to pierce the defense of Avesnes.

In the afternoon of May 17, the first and second battalion of the snipers moved to the east (Rocquigny). Part of the second battalion went to La Capelle and was captured there.

On 18 May, the first and the second battalion moved at Rocquigny before retreating in the direction of Catillon and Petit-Chambrésis. Meanwhile, the third battalion moved on to Le Quesnoy. The next day the sector of Petit-Cambrésis was attacked and they retreated to Wassigny. In the afternoon of 20 May they were circled, but they resisted until they had no more ammunition. On 21 May, the defensive units of Quesnoy and the Andigny forest were completely circled. Eventually they surrendered at the beginning of the afternoon. At the end of this operation of the 5th RTM, 327 men lost their lives. The rest of the men were captured.

The end of prisoners of war of the colonies
Because of their racial ideology, Germany refused to accept African, Asian or Antillean prisoners within its borders because they posed a risk to the purity of the Aryan blood.

After the campaign of May 1940, these colored prisoners were collected in transit camps and were awarded reparations for the damage caused by the fighting. In the month of September they were transported to camps in occupied France.

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!

Source

• Text: Eva Fiolet
• Photos: Ricky van Dyck