Henri Salmide: the German soldier who saved Bordeaux

Henri Salmide, born Heinz Stahlschmidt in Dortmund in 1919, is remembered in Bordeaux as « the man who saved the city ». A petty officer in the German Kriegsmarine and an explosives expert, he committed a heroic act of disobedience in August 1944, refusing to carry out the order to blow up the quays, the port buildings and the strategic installations of Bordeaux. This gesture, long overlooked, saved the monumental heritage of Bordeaux and prevented a human bloodbath. Today, a street and tributes in the Bassins à flot district reflect the city's belated recognition of this complex figure.

August 1944: the destruction order and the act that changed everything

Heinz Stahlschmidt joined the German navy before the war and specialised in explosives and mine clearance. He survived several shipwrecks, losing ships he was serving on, which pushed him to ask for a land posting. In 1941, he was assigned to Bordeaux, where he worked in port infrastructure and weapons depots. Among other things, he ran a depot near Blaye and coordinated explosive installations in the region.

In Bordeaux, he also built up local ties, in particular with a young woman called Henriette Buisson, who later became his partner.

His role gave him access to the destruction plans ordered by German forces as the Liberation approached. It is precisely this position that would give him the opportunity, and the anguish, of making a choice.

As the Germans retreated, the order came down: blow up the port installations over more than 12 km. Stahlschmidt made a few contacts, then acted alone. On 22 August 1944 at 8.15 pm, he blew up the blockhouse on rue Raze (quai des Chartrons), destroying around 100 kg of explosives and 200 detonators intended for the charges laid on the quays. The explosion killed several German soldiers, but averted a human disaster (roughly 3,500 lives saved) and preserved the port. He was then hidden by the local Resistance, notably by the Moga family.

Hunted by his own side, he stayed in France, was naturalised in 1947 under the name Henri Salmide, became a bomb disposal expert and then a port firefighter. Official recognition came late: he was awarded the medal of the City of Bordeaux by Jacques Chaban-Delmas on 19 May 1995, then made a chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 2000. He died in Bordeaux on 23 February 2010. His memory has taken root in the city: a street in the Bassins à flot district and, since 2012, the headquarters of Bordeaux Port Atlantique bear his name. His gesture remains a lesson in ethics and responsibility in the face of horror.

Motivations, post-war life and memory

Several factors converged to explain why Stahlschmidt acted: his deep rejection of the Nazi regime, his Christian convictions (he would speak of his conscience) and his attachment to Bordeaux, as well as to Henriette. He said he could not tolerate the destruction of a city already condemned.

After the explosion, Stahlschmidt was hidden until the Liberation. He was temporarily held, but chose to cooperate with French bomb disposal teams. Later, in 1947, he was naturalised French under the name Henri Salmide. He led a quiet life turned towards public service: he worked as a bomb disposal expert, then as a firefighter on the fireboat of the port of Bordeaux, until his retirement in 1969.

Public recognition came late. In 1995, he received the medal of the City of Bordeaux from mayor Jacques Chaban-Delmas, and in 2000, he was made a chevalier of the Légion d'honneur for his civilian service.

Henri Salmide died in February 2010 in Bordeaux, aged 90, and is buried in the city's Protestant cemetery.

To honour his memory, Bordeaux named a building of the port authority (Bordeaux Port Atlantique) in Bacalan after him. A rue Henri Salmide now runs through the Bassins à flot district, as a token of gratitude.

His story, long forgotten or downplayed, was rediscovered in the 1990s by historians and the local press, who highlighted the moral courage and the singular act of a German soldier refusing barbarism at the height of the war. Today, he is celebrated as a symbol of resistance through humanity, a man who chose moral objection over blind obedience.