Draft:Retaliation for the death of Karl Hotz

• Comment: It doesnt warrant enough stand-alone article since we already have Assassination of Karl Hotz, so a merge is ideal. Kaizenify (talk) 15:58, 25 November 2024 (UTC)

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Advice from General von Stülpnagel, Paris, October 21, 1941.

On October 20, 1941, the head of the occupation troops in Loire-Inférieure,. Lieutenant Colonel Karl Hotz, was assassinated in Nantes by communist resistance fighters. In retaliation, on October 22, 1941, the German occupation authorities executed 48 prisoners taken as hostages in Châteaubriant, Nantes, and Paris.

Two days later, on October 24, 1941, 50 more hostages were executed at the Camp de Souge in Martignas-sur-Jalle, near Bordeaux, following the killing of another officer, Hans Reimers.

The October 20, 1941 Attack

Karl Hotz

From 1929 to 1933, Karl Hotz worked in Nantes as an engineer responsible for the infill of the Erdre River and the construction of the Saint-Félix tunnel. He led a team of German workers assigned by Brand, a public works company from Düsseldorf, as part of the reparations for World War I. Karl Hotz was thus a familiar figure in Nantes, particularly among the city's upper class, when he was appointed in June 1940 as Feldkommandant or commander of the occupation troops in the Loire-Inférieure department. From June 1940 to October 1941, he does not appear to have been a particular source of personal hostility among the population.

The Attack

On October 20, 1941, Hotz was shot on Rue du Roi-Albert in Nantes by a communist militant, Gilbert Brustlein, a member of a commando sent from Paris by the OS (the armed branch of the communist resistance). The commando also included Spartaco Guisco, a former officer of the International Brigades, and the very young Marcel Bourdarias.

Their mission was not specifically to target Karl Hotz but to assassinate any German officer, depending on the circumstances. Shortly before 8 a.m., the commando was positioned at Place Saint-Pierre, in front of Nantes Cathedral. At that moment, Karl Hotz passed by on his way to the Kommandantur (on Place Louis-XVI), accompanied by his aide-de-camp, Captain Sieger.

While Spartaco Guisco's weapon jammed as he aimed at Captain Sieger, Brustlein fired two bullets into Karl Hotz’s back. Both resistance members managed to escape,while Sieger witnessed Hotz's rapid death.

For more details on the organization and execution of the attack, see the page "Gilbert Brustlein."

Reaction of the German Authorities

Avis de la préfecture de la Loire-Inférieure, Nantes, October 21, 1941.

News of the attack was relayed to Hitler by von Stülpnagel, who initially considered executing 100 to 150 hostages immediately. Von Stülpnagel reduced the number to 100 on October 21 and divided it into two groups: 50 executed immediately and 50 more if the culprits were not captured by October 23.

On October 22, 1941, 48 individuals (instead of the planned 50) were executed in Châteaubriant, Nantes, and Paris.

Meanwhile, on October 21, another OS militant, Pierre Rebière, assassinated military administration advisor Hans Reimers in Bordeaux. This new attack led to the execution of 50 hostages on October 24 at the Camp de Souge in Gironde.

Despite this, the execution of the second group of 50 hostages in Nantes was postponed and then ultimately suspended.

The Composition of the Hostage List

German Hostage Policy

Starting June 19, 1940, the German occupation authorities ensured the security of their troops in Nantes and other regions by designating prominent citizens—such as elected officials and association leaders—as hostages. These individuals were detained for a few hours in designated gathering spots or confined to their homes. However, after November 1941, this practice fell out of use without any hostages being executed.

The wave of attacks initiated by Fabien at the Barbès-Rochechouart metro station in Paris on August 21, 1941, led the Germans to alter their hostage policy. They began to emphasize the “Judeo-Bolshevik” connection for any attack, even without evidence. This approach was articulated by the German ambassador in Paris, Otto Abetz, in December 1941:

"Even when it is proven that the perpetrators of attacks are French, it is wise not to emphasize this fact but to claim it concerns Jews and agents funded by Anglo-Saxon or Russian intelligence services, in line with our political interests."

From June 22, 1941, the start of the German invasion of the USSR, to October 22, 1941, the Resistance killed only four Germans. However, numerous acts of sabotage indicated a broader, organized wave of resistance. The Wehrmacht's military commander in France (Militärbefehlshaber in Frankreich, MBF), Otto von Stülpnagel, first reacted by asking the Vichy government to carry out its own repression. The new Minister of the Interior, Pierre Pucheu, set up special courts, the “Sections spéciales”, which, after summary judgment, sent a number of communist and related internees to the guillotine.

The Germans then took it upon themselves to execute hostages: three were shot on September 6, ten more on September 16. Hitler found this repression too mild, and instructed Stülpnagel to execute at least one hundred hostages for every German killed. Stülpnagel, arguing that German troops were not threatened, was in no hurry to initiate this policy of massive reprisals. He didn't want to alienate a population that was working for the greatest benefit of the occupying power. Nor did he want to antagonize the Vichy government, which, from his point of view, was cooperating satisfactorily. “Mass executions are not yet justified by the situation. They could lead to resistance from the entire French population, which, for political, military and economic reasons, could cause major difficulties [...]” he wrote to the Army High Command on September 11.

Despite this, Stülpnagel had to take account of the policy dictated by Berlin: on September 28, he published a “hostage code” for the heads of military regions, in which he called for lists to be drawn up according to the following priorities:

a) Former elected representatives of communist and anarchist organizations, as well as permanent staff;
b) People who have been involved in spreading communist ideology by word or deed, for example by writing leaflets (intellectuals);
c) Persons whose behavior has shown them to be particularly dangerous (e.g. assailants of members of the Wehrmacht, saboteurs, arms dealers);
d) Persons arrested for distributing leaflets;
e) Persons recently arrested following acts of terror or sabotage because of their relationship with the entourage of the alleged perpetrators of these acts.

The Selection of Hostages in Loire-Inférieure (October 1941)

Under these directives, on October 20, following the death of Feldkommandant Hotz, the military authorities of Military Region B, headquartered in Angers, were instructed to compile a list of 200 names from which 100 hostages would be selected for execution. However, the names gathered by the various German services involved were insufficient. Officers sent to the Choisel camp in Châteaubriant obtained the internment register, which allowed them to create the list of 200 names.

Hitler's directives regarding the Nantes attack, communicated to Stülpnagel through Wilhelm Keitel and Walter Warlimont, called for the immediate execution of 100 to 150 hostages. Stülpnagel implemented the directive by issuing a notice on October 21, ordering the immediate execution of 50 hostages and the conditional execution of 50 others if the perpetrators were not apprehended by October 23.

The List of 50 Hostages

Pierre Pucheu was tasked with creating an initial list of 50 hostages. In reality, he submitted a list of 61 individuals (leaving it to the Germans to remove 11), consisting of communist prisoners or trade union activists from the Châteaubriant camp. He did everything he could to ensure that communists, rather than "good Frenchmen," were designated as hostages.

However, the Germans amended the structure of the list to make it more "representative" so that the entire French population would feel affected. The list was to include 30 communists interned at the Châteaubriant camp and 20 resistance fighters from Nantes. Pierre Pucheu then compiled a second list of 36 hostages from Châteaubriant. Curiously, this new list included additional names compared to the initial 61, notably Guy Môquet and Claude Lalet. Ultimately, the Germans selected 27 names from this second list, including the two young men. As for the resistance fighters from Nantes—five of whom were taken from the prison at Fort Romainville—the process for finalizing this part of the list remains less well-documented.

Of the 23 hostages from Nantes, two—lawyer Fernand Ridel and a certain Dauguet—were ultimately removed from the list without being replaced. This was due to tensions between the army (the Abwehr) and the Nazis (the Gestapo), resulting in "only" 48 executions on October 22. Regarding Fernand Ridel, it is known that he benefited from the intervention of prominent figures in Nantes high society with connections to Karl Hotz, notably the Marquise de Sesmaisons. These individuals highlighted that Ridel was himself a friend of Hotz.

Suspension of the October 21 Ultimatum

Meanwhile, Vice President of the Council François Darlan had declared that he would do everything possible to identify the culprits. Pétain and his ministers had requested clemency from the Führer. Stülpnagel also highlighted to Hitler the unwavering loyalty of Jacques Benoist-Méchin, Secretary of State to the Presidency of the Council, and Pierre Pucheu.

On October 24, the ultimatum was extended by three days, and on the 27th, it was postponed indefinitely with Hitler's approval. Beyond the political considerations and the hostile reaction from the population, several local actions contributed to this decision: the denunciation of suspects (who were later confirmed to be the actual perpetrators, Gilbert Brustlein and Marcel Bourdarias) by a restaurant owner in Nantes (see the "Gilbert Brustlein" page for details); a petition initiated by the father of one of the executed on October 22, Mr. Glou; and possibly an intervention by the Kreiskommandant of Châteaubriant, Kristukat, who, according to Sub-Prefect Bernard Lecornu, was astonished by the heroic behavior of the 27 executed at Châteaubriant. These factors allowed local German authorities to justify abandoning the ultimatum.

There was a double-edged nature to these executions, which all parties recognized. While they instilled terror among the population, they also intensified hatred against the occupier by exposing its cruelty. This was despite German and Vichy efforts to emphasize that they were targeting only Jews and communists, not "good Frenchmen" in Vichy's sense. This policy created dilemmas within the Resistance. The Communist Party, for example, led a systematic campaign of assassinations against German officers. Even within the Party, these actions were criticized for provoking hostage executions. However, these reprisals also mobilized the population against the occupier, inspiring more people to join the Resistance.

Presentation of the Selected Hostages

The Hostages Executed in Châteaubriant

These were communist leaders targeted during the October 15, 1940, raid, likely ordered by Himmler but carried out by the French police. The activists arrested during this period were hindered by the lack of proper means to go underground, a mistake tied to the Party's then-neutral stance toward Germany. These leaders were initially incarcerated in Paris, then transferred to Clairvaux or Fontevrault, and finally to the Choisel camp in May 1941.

Other activists were arrested by the French police either due to denunciations (e.g., Guy Môquet), for posting flyers, or in connection with the August 13, 1941, protest. All these hostages formed the camp's third section, alongside Romani people and common criminals.

The Hostages Executed in Nantes

These individuals belonged to various resistance groups:

The Veterans' Group

This group included Paul Birien, Joseph Blot, Auguste Blouin, Alexandre Fourny, and Léon Jost. Marin Poirier, executed on August 31, and Fernand Ridel (removed from the list at the last minute) were also part of this group.

They were members of veterans' associations, often older individuals. Initially, these associations aided 50,000 prisoners of war detained in Loire-Inférieure during the summer of 1940 (through parcels, etc.). However, some members organized a network to help prisoners escape. Once freed, the escapees were transported either to England via Brittany or to the free zone.

The network operated from the offices of the Association of Disabled Veterans, located on Rue Saint-Léonard, under the leadership of Auguste Bouvron. One of their activities involved creating forged identity documents, handled by the secretary, Mlle Litoux. From July to December 1940, the network successfully facilitated the escape of 2,248 individuals.

The network fell in January 1941. Auguste Bouvron managed to flee to the free zone, but the guilt of the others remained unclear, and their status as veterans (some disabled, like Léon Jost) worked in their favor. Their trial was postponed several times before finally taking place on July 16, in the German military court (Feldgericht) on Rue Sully, presided over by SS officer Dormagen. The accused, with Bouvron's consent, placed blame on him.

Sentences included six months (Mlle Litoux), four and a half years (Marin Poirier), and three years for the others. Two appealed, and the appeal was heard on August 27. Marin Poirier was sentenced to death and executed on August 31, while Mlle Litoux's sentence was increased from six months to three years.

The Young Resisters

Michel Dabat, Frédéric Creusé, Jean-Pierre Glou, and Jean Grolleau were part of various resistance networks: "Vandernotte" for the first three and "Max Veper" for the fourth.

They were tried on August 8, 1941, along with Christian de Mondragon (17 years old) and older individuals such as M. Glou Sr., Mme Dupuy de Guigueron, and Mlles Le Lostec and Fonteneau. Due to insufficient evidence, only three sentences were handed down, all shorter than the pretrial detention period. These defendants should have been released, but the Gestapo reportedly intervened to keep them detained, despite Karl Hotz’s apparent desire to enforce the tribunal’s decision. Only Christian de Mondragon was freed a few weeks later, likely due to his youth.

The Communists

René Carrel, Joseph Gil, Robert Grassineau, and Léon Ignasiak were among this group.

Special Cases

Maurice Allano and André Le Moal were included on the list for engaging in fights with German soldiers.

On October 22, the Nantes hostages were distributed across two prisons: 13 in the central jail (Lafayette) under German control (led by Count von Zeppelin) and three in the Rochettes military prison, entirely under German authority.

The Hostages Executed in Paris

Marcel Hévin led the “Patt” network, to which Hubert Caldecott also belonged. Hévin was arrested on January 25 and transferred to Paris on October 1, along with Caldecott.

Philippe Labrousse was arrested on April 12 for attempting to help Max Veper after his arrest and was transferred to Paris on October 1.

Other hostages included André Ribourdouille and Victor Saunier. In Paris, they were detained at the Romainville fort.

The Executions (October 22, 1941)

In Châteaubriant and Nantes, hostages in each of the three detention sites were gathered early in the afternoon without being formally informed of the reason. French Catholic priests assigned to provide moral support were the ones to notify them of their fate. According to the priests’ accounts, their very presence in the room was enough for the hostages to understand their impending execution. The priests collected letters (later censored) and personal items to pass on to families.

The priests were not permitted to accompany the condemned to the execution sites, although German military chaplains were present.

The bodies were buried anonymously in different cemeteries. By dispersing the corpses, the Germans aimed to prevent the creation of pilgrimage sites that could fuel hostility against them. However, this dispersion did not stop the graves from being adorned with flowers from the very first days and throughout the war.

In Paris, the executions were carried out more swiftly.

Families of the executed learned of their deaths through the publication of the list of 48 names in the press on the morning of October 23.

Notice published in L'Œuvre on October 23, 1941: list of the 48 people shot on October 22, 1941.

Arrival at Choisel Camp

"Mr. Sub-Prefect was among the condemned, informing them of the horrific fate awaiting them and urging them to write farewell letters to their families without delay. It was under these circumstances that the priest arrived at the barracks entrance. In front of the barracks stood a line of German soldiers with weapons at the ready. Around the barracks, a cordon of French gendarmes was stationed at intervals of about six meters. Inside, the condemned were all writing their letters—some seated at the few benches in the room, others leaning against the barrack walls as they wrote..."

Departure for Execution

"Suddenly, the sound of vehicles was heard. The door, which I had ensured was closed earlier for privacy, abruptly opened. French gendarmes entered, carrying handcuffs. A German officer appeared—a military chaplain, as it turned out. He said to me, "Father, your mission is over; you must leave immediately." Turning to the condemned, I said, "My friends, I represent all your families. Allow me to bid you farewell on their behalf. If you would permit, I would like to shake hands with each of you." They all approached me, and we exchanged firm handshakes. At that moment, I felt deep pity and immense fraternal love. During this final circumstance, I truly loved these men on behalf of those who should have been there to love them.

I did not witness the handcuffing. Instead, I went to the French camp leader. All other camp detainees were confined to their barracks. From everywhere, the stirring strains of "La Marseillaise" could be heard. In just a few minutes, the condemned were placed in vehicles. They, too, sang "La Marseillaise," followed by "Le Chant du Départ" and "The Internationale." As the convoy began to move, I positioned myself at the front of the vehicles, hoping to stay with these dear men for as long as possible. Soon, however, the vehicles passed me, and their singing continued.

The quarry where the execution took place was strictly off-limits to all French citizens. I only know that the condemned were executed in three groups of nine, that none of them allowed their eyes to be blindfolded, and that the young Guy Môquet fainted before he fell. The last cry from these heroes' lips was a passionate 'Vive la France!'"

Châteaubriant: The Sablière Quarry

At Choisel Camp, the hostages gathered in Barrack 6 were assisted by Father Moyon, the priest of Béré (a working-class area of Châteaubriant; the town's main priest had refused to assist communists). At 2:00 PM, three German trucks arrived to collect them. They were taken to the Sablière Quarry on the outskirts of Châteaubriant. They were executed in three groups of nine at 3:50, 4:00, and 4:10 PM.

Among them was Guy Môquet, the youngest of the executed at 17 years old. He refused to let his comrades intercede on his behalf, saying, "I am as much a communist as you are," to Dr. Ténine. All refused blindfolds or restraints and died singing "La Marseillaise."

Other notable individuals among the executed included Charles Michels, a communist deputy from Paris's 15th arrondissement, and Jean-Pierre Timbaud, secretary of the Parisian CGT metalworkers' federation. Also present were two Trotskyists: Marc Bourhis and Pierre Guéguin, the mayor of Concarneau, who had broken with the French Communist Party after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

That evening, the bodies were taken to the town's château, which housed the sub-prefecture and placed haphazardly in a room. The following evening, they were placed in coffins and buried in groups of three across the cemeteries of nine nearby communes, including Moisdon-la-Rivière (Raymond Laforge), Saint-Aubin-des-Châteaux (Jean-Pierre Timbaud), Petit-Auverné (Guy Môquet), and Villepot.

Nantes: The Bêle Firing Range

At Lafayette Prison, the hostages were held in individual cells and not informed of events. When summoned, they were unaware of their fate. Assisted by Father Fontaine, the prison chaplain, they were taken to the Bêle firing range and executed in four groups of three or four. The interval between the first and last executions was 40 minutes.

At Rochettes Prison, the hostages were assisted by Father Théon, a professor at Saint-Stanislas College. They were the last to be taken to the Bêle grounds.

The bodies were buried in cemeteries in three communes southeast of Nantes: Basse-Goulaine, Haute-Goulaine, and Saint-Julien-de-Concelles.

Paris: Fort of Mont-Valérien

Here, events proceeded hastily. Called at around 2:30 PM, the hostages were taken directly to Mont-Valérien, where they were briefly assisted by Father Stock. They had just enough time to write farewell letters before being executed together at 3:30 PM.

List of the Executed on October 22, 1941

The list of the executed was published in the press on October 23, 1941, under the title "NOTICE." It provided each hostage's name, surname, place of origin, and the reason for arrest or conviction. The hostages were numbered from 1 to 48 in an order reflecting the reasons for their condemnation, though inconsistently.

Five categories of reasons were listed:

1. Communist deputy (1 case);
2. Secretary of a "Communist Union" (4 cases);
3. Communist (26 cases);
4. Violence against German soldiers (2 cases);
5. Actions aiding the enemy (15 cases).

The lists below are presented alphabetically, followed by brief biographical details (age, profession, roles, political activities, and dates of arrest or trial).

Those executed at Châteaubriant

27 people shot at the Sablière quarry

• Auffret Jules, 39, gas worker, from Bondy, Communist general councillor for the Seine.
• Barthélémy Henri, 58, from Thouars, retired from the Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF), Communist activist.
• Bartoli Titus, 58, from Digoin, honorary schoolteacher, Communist activist.
• Bastard Maximilien, 21, from Nantes, boilermaker, communist activist.
• Bourhis Marc, 44, from Trégunc, teacher, Trotskyist communist activist.
• David Émile, 19, from Nantes, dental mechanic, Communist militant.
• Delavacquerie Charles, 19, from Montreuil, printer, communist activist.
• Gardette Maurice, 49, from Paris, craftsman turner, Communist general councillor for the Seine.
• Granet Désiré, 37, from Vitry-sur-Seine, General Secretary of the General Confederation of Labour.
• Grandel Jean, 50, PTT employee, Communist mayor of Gennevilliers, Communist general councillor for the Seine, secretary of the CGT postal federation.
• Guéguin Pierre, 45, from Concarneau, teacher, Communist mayor of Concarneau and general councillor of Finistère, critical Communist: refused to accept the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and broke with the PCF, then joined the Trotskyists.
• Huỳnh Khương An known as “Luisne”, 29, from Paris, teacher, communist activist.
• Kérivel Eugène, 50, from Basse-Indre, coastal captain (fisherman), Communist activist.
• Laforge Raymond, 43, from Montargis, primary school teacher, Communist activist.
• Lalet Claude, 21, from Paris, student, leader of the Jeunesses Communistes.
• Lefebvre Edmond, 38, from Athis-Mons, metalworker, communist activist.
• Le Panse Julien, 34, from Nantes, house painter, Communist activist.
• Michels Charles, 38, from Paris, shoe worker, Communist deputy for the Seine, secretary of the CGT leather and skins federation.
• Môquet Guy, 17, from Paris, student, Communist activist, son of the Seine deputy Prosper Môquet.
• Pesqué Antoine, 55, from Aubervilliers, medical doctor, communist activist.
• Poulmarc'h Jean, 31, from Ivry-sur-Seine, general secretary of the CGT chemicals federation, Communist militant.
• Pourchasse Henri, 34, from Ivry-sur-Seine, employee of the prefecture, leader of the CGT railway workers' federation, Communist militant.
• Renelle Victor, 42, from Paris, chemical engineer, Communist activist, founder of the Chemical Industry Technicians' Union.
• Tellier Raymond, 44, from Amilly, printer, communist activist.
• Ténine Maurice, 34, from Antony, medical doctor, communist activist.
• Timbaud Jean-Pierre, 31, from Paris, bronze caster, general secretary of the CGT metallurgy federation, Communist militant.
• Vercruysse Jules, 48, from Paris, textile worker, General Secretary of the CGT Textile Federation, Communist militant.

Those executed in Nantes

16 people shot at the Bêle firing range in Nantes.

• Allano Maurice, 21, from Nantes, suspected of resistance (violence against a German soldier).
• Birien Paul, 50, from Nantes, commercial traveller, war veteran, suspected of encouraging prisoner-of-war escapes (tried on July 16, 1941).
• Blot Joseph, 50, from Nantes, veteran, vice-president of the “marins combattants”, suspected of encouraging prisoner-of-war escapes (tried on July 16, 1941).
• Blouin Auguste, 57, from Nantes, commercial traveller, war veteran, suspected of encouraging prisoner-of-war escapes (tried on July 16, 1941).
• Carrel René, 20 years old, from Nantes, communist activist, suspected of resistance.
• Creusé Frédéric, 20, from Nantes, suspected Resistance fighter, prisoner at Les Rochettes (tried on August 8, 1941).
• Dabat Michel, 20 years old, from Nantes, Resistance action: with Christian de Mondragon, installs a French flag at the top of one of the cathedral's towers, prisoner at the Rochettes prison (tried on August 8, 1941).
• Fourny Alexandre, 43, from Nantes, lawyer, general councillor, former deputy mayor of Nantes, war veteran, Knight of the Legion of Honour, suspected of promoting prisoner-of-war escapes (tried on July 16, 1941).
• Gil Joseph, 19, from Nantes, communist activist, suspected of resistance.
• Glou Jean-Pierre, 19, from Nantes, suspected of resistance (tried on August 8, 1941).
• Grassineau Robert, 34, from Nantes, Communist, suspected of resistance.
• Grolleau Jean, 21, from Nantes, suspected of resistance.
• Ignasiak Léon, 22, from Saint-Herblain, Communist, suspected of resistance.
• Jost Léon, 57, director of manufacturing and personnel at the LU factory in Nantes, president of the Loire-Inférieure veterans' and war victims' associations, Commander of the Legion of Honour, suspected of promoting prisoner-of-war escapes (tried on July 16, 1941).
• Le Moal André, 17, from Saint-Nazaire, violence against German soldiers, suspected of resistance.
• Platiau Jean, 20, from Nantes, suspected of resistance, prisoner at Les Rochettes (tried on August 8, 1941).

Those executed at Mont-Valérien

5 people shot at the Mont-Valérien fort.

• Caldecott Hubert, 35, from Nantes, member of a Resistance network.
• Hévin Marcel, 35, from Nantes, member of a Resistance network.
• Labrousse Philippe, 32, from Saint-Nazaire, member of a Resistance network.
• Ribourdouille André-Charles, from Nantes.
• Saunier Victor, from Nantes.

Reactions

American propaganda leaflet dropped after the execution of the Châteaubriant hostages; copy owned by the Musée de la Résistance Nationale de Champigny.

The execution of 48 hostages on October 22, followed by the execution of 50 hostages in Martignas-sur-Jalle (Bordeaux) on October 24, caused a massive wave of emotion in France and worldwide.

Distressed by the massacre, Marshal Pétain considered leaving Vichy to surrender himself as a hostage to the Germans. His ministers dissuaded him.

On October 25, General de Gaulle declared on London radio:

"By executing our martyrs, the enemy thought they would frighten France. France will show them that it is not afraid [...] I invite all French men and women to cease all activity and remain still, wherever they may be, on Friday, October 31, from 4:00 to 4:05 [...]" A symbolic five-minute strike was organized across France. On November 11, de Gaulle awarded the city of Nantes the title Compagnon de la Libération.

A leaflet dated October 25 was dropped across France between October 30 and November 4, 1941. On one side, it featured Winston Churchill's declaration regarding the hostages; on the other, Franklin Roosevelt's statement. This was especially significant as the United States had not yet entered the war. Speaking about the execution of non-combatant hostages, Roosevelt stated:

"Civilized peoples have long adopted the principle that no one should be punished for another's actions." He also noted that he believed such actions would only strengthen resistance to the Occupation:

"The Nazis might have learned from the last war the futility of trying to break men's courage through terror."

After the Liberation

After Liberation, the hostages were honored with national funerals, and their families were allowed to bury them as they wished. Some families chose not to move the bodies, such as Jean-Pierre Timbaud's family, who left him in Saint-Aubin-des-Châteaux. In 1945, the new boulevard created on the filled-in bed of the Erdre River in Nantes was named Cours des 50-Otages, and a monument to the Fifty Hostages was inaugurated in 1952 at its end.

The Memory of the Executions

Literary References

René Guy Cadou's poem Les fusillés de Châteaubriant evokes the executed men's final moments:

"They lean against the sky

They are thirty or so leaning against the sky
With all of life behind them
They are full of wonder for their shoulders
Which are monuments of love
They have no farewells to exchange
For they will never part again
[...]
They are punctual to the rendezvous
They are even early compared to others
Yet they say they are not apostles
And that everything is simple
Especially death, which is simple,

For all freedom endures beyond it."

Without the dedication, it is harder to discern that Louis Aragon's poem La Rose et le Réséda also refers to these executed men. The poem highlights the unity in the Resistance that transcended religious divides:

"To Gabriel Péri and d'Estienne d’Orves. As well as to Guy Môquet and Gilbert Dru.

He who believed in heaven

And he who did not
Both adored the fair one
Held captive by soldiers
[...]
Repeating the name of her
Whom neither betrayed
And their red blood flows
Same color, same brilliance
[...]
Say flute or cello
The double love that burned
The lark and the swallow

The rose and the reseda."

Historical Recognition

The Late Acknowledgment of Trotskyist Fighters Among the Executed

For a long time, Marc Bourhis's affiliation with the Trotskyist movement was ignored. In 1980, a controversy arose between a communist activist, a former internee at Châteaubriant, who denied that Marc Bourhis was a Trotskyist, and Alain Krivine, leader of the Revolutionary Communist League. However, the Dictionnaire biographique du mouvement ouvrier français by Maîtron and Pennetier unequivocally confirmed this affiliation.

The controversy extended to Pierre Guéguin, described as a "communist" by the French Communist Party (PCF), despite breaking with the party over the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and becoming a Trotskyist sympathizer. It was only in 2003 that L'Humanité acknowledged Guéguin's Trotskyist sympathies.

Fragmented Knowledge in Germany

German historian Eberhard Jäckel briefly mentions these events in his 1966 book Frankreich in Hitlers Europa – Die deutsche Frankreichpolitik im Zweiten Weltkrieg (France in Hitler's Europe, 1968).

Louis Oury’s book suggests that German historians he spoke to were largely unaware of the events. The city of Saarbrücken deserves credit for addressing this gap by publishing a book on this challenging topic.

Volker Schlöndorff's TV film La Mer à l'aube was broadcast on Arte in March 2012.

Notes and references

See also

Bibliography

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• Bloyet, Dominique; Gasche, Étienne (1999). Nantes – Les 50 otages. Montreuil-Bellay: Éditions CMD. p. 156. ISBN 978-2844770110.
• Gasche, Étienne (1991). 50 Otages, mémoire sensible. Nantes: Petit Véhicule. p. 197.
• Sesmaisons, Yves de (2003). Une nantaise dans la Résistance – Yolaine de Sesmaisons, 1940-1945. Nantes: Coiffard. ISBN 978-2910366445.
• Grenier, Fernand (1961). Ceux de Châteaubriant. Éditions sociales.
• "Les Fusillés de Châteaubriant" [The Châteaubriant shootings]. Mémoire et Citoyenneté (in French). 20. Ministère de la Défense. 1941.
• Gernoux, Alfred (1971). Châteaubriant et ses martyrs. 1946.
• Jünger, Ernst (2015). Sur les otages. Paris: Les Belles Lettre. p. 166. ISBN 978-2-251-31012-1.

Videography

• Obsèques du lieutenant colonel Hotz [Funeral of Lieutenant Colonel Hotz] (in French). Les Actualités mondiales. October 30, 1941.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
• 22 octobre 1941, mort à Chateaubriant [October 22, 1941, death at Chateaubriant] (in French). ORTF. October 29, 1941.

External links

• "Liste des otages de la Loire-Inferieure ou Loire-Atlantique fusillés" [List of hostages shot in the Loire-Inferieure or Loire-Atlantique]. chouannerie.chez-alice.fr (in French). Retrieved November 25, 2024.
• Môquet, Guy. "La lettre de Guy Môquet, les fusillés de la Sablière". chateaubriant.org. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
• "Le timbre commémoratif avec la liste détaillée des fusillés et les photos de leurs stèles" [The commemorative stamp with a detailed list of those shot and photos of their headstones]. phil-ouest.com (in French). Retrieved November 25, 2024.
• "Les troupes allemandes ont occupé l'Île Dagoë dans la mer Baltique" [German troops occupied Dagoë Island in the Baltic Sea]. La Croix (image) (in French): 1. October 23, 1941.

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Categories:

• Vichy France
• War crimes in France
• 1941 in France
• Collective punishment
• World War II