The abbaye d'Ardenne (Ardenne Abbey) is the site of a Premonstratensian monastery in Saint-Germain-la-Blanche-Herbe, near Caen, France containing a chapel built in 1121 and other medieval buildings. It is most notorious, though, for being the site of a massacre of prisoners of war during World War Two.
In June 1944, during the Battle of Normandy, l'abbaye d'Ardenne was the ___location of the headquarters of SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 25, commanded by SS-Standartenführer Kurt Meyer. On June 7, eleven captured Canadian soldiers of The North Nova Scotia Highlanders and the 27th Canadian Armoured Regiment were taken to l'abbaye d'Ardenne and killed by the Hitler Youth 12th SS Panzer Division: Private Ivan Crowe, Private Charles Doucette, Corporal Joseph MacIntyre, Private Hollis McKeil, Private James Moss, Trooper James Bolt, Trooper George Gill, Trooper Thomas Henry, Trooper Roger Lockhead, Trooper Harold Philp, and Lieutenant Thomas Windsor.
Seven more North Nova Scotia Highlanders were killed there the next day: Private Walter Doherty, Private Reginald Keeping, Private Hugh MacDonald, Private George McNaughton, Private George Millar, Private Thomas Mont, Private Raymond Moore.
Elements of The Regina Rifle Regiment liberated l'abbaye d'Ardenne after an intense, bloody battle the following month, at which time evidence of the attrocity was discovered. Following the end of the war, the SS commander Kurt Meyer was charged with five war crimes, three of which he was convicted of. These included responsibility for the killings at l'abbaye d'Ardenne, and for ordering his men to take no prisoners. Meyer was imprisoned until 1954, when he was released from a West German prison.