“The population gathered in the church was informed that the men
would be deported and the women had to leave the village because
it would be destroyed.
“150 houses were burned down (the total amount of houses in the
built-up area being about 2,000).
“Eight people, amongst whom a woman who tried to escape, were
shot.
“The men were taken to the concentration camp at Amersfoort.
Amongst them were many accidental passers-by who had been
admitted into the closed village but who had been prevented from
leaving the place.
“At Amersfoort about 50 people were selected; and during the
transport, 12 jumped out of the train. 622 men were eventually
deported to Auschwitz. The majority of those died after two
months.
“From the 622 deported men, only 32 inhabitants of the village
of Putten and 10 outsiders returned after the liberation.”
In Belgium, we will cite only a few facts which are related in Document
Number F-685, already submitted under Exhibit Number RF-394. This
document is to be found on Page 48 in your document book. It describes
the murder of a young man who had sought refuge in a dug-out. He was
killed by the Germans who were looking for soldiers of the Belgian
secret army.
At Hervé the Germans fired on a lorry filled with young men and killed
two of them. The same day some civilians were killed by a tank.
On Page 49, the summary executions of members of the secret army are
described. I quote:
“At Anhée, shots having been fired upon them, the Germans
crossed the river Meuse. They set fire to 58 houses and killed
13 men. At Annevoie, on the 4th, the Germans came across the
river and burned 58 houses.”
Then follows a report on destruction, useless from the military point of
view:
“. . . At Arendonck, on the 3rd, 80 men were killed, five houses
were burned. At St. Hubert, on the 6th, three men killed and
four houses burned. At Hody, on the 6th, systematic destruction
of the village, 40 houses destroyed, 16 people killed. At
Marcourt, 10 people were shot, 35 houses were burned. At
Neroeteren, on the 9th, 9 people were killed. At Oost-Ham, on
the 10th, 5 persons were killed. At Balen-Neet, on the 11th, 10
persons were shot.”
Page 50 contains the description of German extortions at the time of the
temporary stabilization of the front.
“At Hechtel, the Germans having withdrawn before the British
vanguard, the inhabitants hung out flags. But fresh German
troops came to drive out the British vanguard and reprisals were
taken; 31 people were shot; 80 houses were burned, and general
looting took place. At Helchteren 34 houses were set on fire and
10 people were killed under similar circumstances. The same
thing took place at Herenthout . . . .
“The circumstances in which these men were executed are always
identical. The Germans search the cellars, bring the men out,
line them along the highway, and shoot them, after having given
them the order to run. In the meantime, grenades are thrown into
the cellars, wounding women and children.”
Another example:
“At Lommel, the unexpected return of the German soldiers found
the village with flags out. Seventeen persons who had sought
refuge in a shelter were noticed by a German. He motioned to a
tank which ran against the shelter crushing it and killing 12
people.”
In the case of Norway we shall take an example from a document already
submitted under Exhibit Number RF-323, Pages 51 and 52 of your book:
“. . . on 13 April 1940, two women 30 years of age were shot at
Ringerike. On 15 April, four civilians, of whom two were boys of
15 and 16 years of age, were shot in Aadal. One of those
murdered was shot through the head, and had also been bayonetted
in the stomach. On 19 April four civilians, of whom two were
women and one a little boy 3 years of age, were shot at
Ringsaker.
“To avenge the death of the two German policemen, who were shot
on the 26th of April 1942 at Televaag, the entire place was laid
waste. More than 90 properties with 334 buildings were totally
destroyed, causing damage to buildings and chattels (furniture
and fishing outfits) amounting to a total of 4,200,000 Kroner.”
In this document the Tribunal will find the continuation of the
descriptions of German atrocities committed in Norway, without any
necessity of a military character, simply to maintain the reign of
terror.
In France massacres and destructions without military purpose were
extremely numerous, and all of them were closely associated. We submit
Document F-243 as Exhibit Number RF-412. The Tribunal will find this
document on Pages 178 to 193 of the document book. It is a long list,
drawn up by the French Office for Inquiry into War Crimes, of the towns
that were destroyed and looted without any military necessity. The
Tribunal will undoubtedly be enlightened by the reading of this
document. We shall give but a few examples. In submitting this Document
F-909 as Exhibit Number RF-413, we intend to relate the conditions under
which a whole section of Marseilles was destroyed—Pages 56, 57, and 58,
of your document book.
It is estimated that about 20,000 people were evacuated. This evacuation
was ordered on 23 January. It was carried out without warning during the
night of the 23rd to the 24th. I quote:
“It is estimated that 20,000 persons were evacuated. From Fréjus
some of them were shipped by the Germans to the concentration
camp of Compiègne. . . .
“The demolition operations began on 1 February at about 9
o’clock in the morning. They were carried out by troops of the
German engineer corps. . . .
“The area destroyed is equivalent to 14 hectares: that is
approximately 1,200 buildings.”
Inquiry was made to find those who were responsible for this
destruction. After the liberation of Marseilles the German consul in
Marseilles, Von Spiegel, was interrogated. His testimony is in Document
F-908, which we submit as Exhibit Number RF-414, Page 53 of your
document book. Spiegel stated:
“I know that a very short time after the evacuation of the old
port the rumor spread that this measure had been brought about
by financial interests, but I can assure you that in my opinion
such a hypothesis is erroneous. The order came from the higher
authorities of the Reich Government and had only two
motives—the security of troops and the danger of epidemics.”
We do not intend to give you a complete description of the attacks
committed by the Germans but merely a few examples. We submit Document
F-600 as Exhibit Number RF-415, Page 59:
“At Ohis (Aisne) a civilian wanted to give an American soldier
some cider to drink. The Germans returned. The American soldier
was taken prisoner, and M. Hennebert was also taken away by the
Germans to a spot known as the ‘Black Mountain’ in the village
of Origny en Thiérache where his body was later discovered
partly hidden under a stack of wood. The body bore the trace of
two bayonet wounds in the back.”
I submit Document F-604 as Exhibit Number RF-416, Page 61 of the
document book. A civilian was killed in his vineyard. Young men and
girls walking along the road were killed. The motive was given as
“presence of Maquis in the region.” All these victims were completely
innocent.
Document F-904, which I submit as Exhibit Number RF-417, Page 62 of your
document book. At Culoz “. . . young boys were arrested because they had
run away at the sight of the Germans. . . .” They were reported. “. . .
not one of them belonged to the resistance.”
At St. Jean-de-Maurienne—Document F-906, submitted as Exhibit Number
RF-418, Page 63 of your document book:
“On 23 August the gendarmes, Chavanne and Empereur, dressed in
civilian clothes, and M. Albert Taravel were arrested by German
soldiers without legitimate reason. The lieutenant who was in
charge of the Kommandantur promised the officer of the gendarmes
to release these three men. This German later surreptitiously
ordered his men to shoot these prisoners.
“Mademoiselle Lucie Perraud, 21 years of age, who was a maid at
the Café Dentroux, was raped by a German soldier of Russian
origin, under threat of a pistol.”
I will not mention any more of the atrocities described in this
document.
I now come to the Vercors. This region was undeniably an important
assembly center for French Forces of the Interior. Document F-611, which
we submit as Exhibit Number RF-419, describes the atrocities committed
against the innocent population of this region in reprisal for the
presence of men of the Maquis. This document appears in your book on
Page 69 and following. In Paragraph 3 is an enumeration of police
operations in the Vercors area.
On 15 June, in the region of St. Donat: rape and looting. Execution at
Portes-les-Valence on 8 July 1944 of 30 hostages taken from among the
political prisoners interned at Fort Montluc at Lyons. Police raids
carried out against the Maquis of the Vercors region from 21 July to 5
August 1944. Rape and looting in the region of Crest, Saillans, and Die.
Bombing by aircraft of numerous villages in the Vercors area and in
particular at La Chapelle and Vassieux-en-Vercors; summary execution of
inhabitants of these places; looting. Execution, after summary judgment,
of about a hundred young men at St. Nazaire-en-Royans; deportation to
Germany of 300 others from this region. Murder of 50 gravely wounded
persons in the Grotto of La Luire. On 15 June 1944, attack by German
troops at St. Donat. I quote, “The Maquis had evacuated the town several
days earlier . . . 54 women or young girls from 13 to 50 years of age
were raped by the maddened soldiers.”
The Tribunal will forgive me if I avoid citing the atrocious details
which follow. Bombing of the villages of Combovin, La Baume-Cornillanne,
Ourches, _et cetera_:
“The losses caused by these bombings among the civilian
population are rather high, for in most cases the inhabitants,
caught by surprise, had no time to seek shelter . . . 2 women
were raped at Crest . . . 3 women were raped at Saillans . . . .
“A young girl of twelve, who was wounded and pinned down between
beams, awaited death for 6 long days unable either to sit down
or sleep, and without receiving any food, and that under the
eyes of the Germans who were occupying the village.”—A medical
certificate from Doctor Nicolaides, who examined the women who
were raped in this region.