Macron honours Alsace and Moselle men forced into German army during WWII

WWII veterans Francois Dochter (L), Alfred Young (C) and Alfred Wolgroth (R) at the inauguration of a plaque in memory of the soldiers from the Alsace and Moselle regions, at the Invalides monument in Paris, 11 November 2025. © Christophe Petit Tesson/Pool via AP

French President Emmanuel Macron, marking the anniversary of the 1918 Armistice, paid tribute to men from Moselle and Alsace who were forcibly conscripted into the German army during the Second World War.

As part of the annual ceremony marking the end of the First World War, Macron and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu unveiled a plaque in memory of the men, often referred to as malgré-nous ("despite ourselves"), at the Hôtel des Invalides.