The Maillé Massacre refers to the murder on 25 August 1944 of 124 of the 500 residents of the commune of Maillé in the department of the Indre-et-Loire. Following an ambush a few days before and in reprisals against activities of the French Resistance, Second Lieutenant Gustav Schlüter and his men organized the massacre and burnt the village. Forty-eight children were among the dead. The SS unit believed to be responsible for the massacre is the SS-Feldersatzbataillon 17 of 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen (Lieb, 2007). In contrast to Oradour-sur-Glane, the village was rebuilt after the war to its pre-war state (Delahousse, 2008).
Development of events
On the evening of August 24, 1944, skirmishes between the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) and German troops took place near a farm in the commune of Maillé. Gustave Schlüter, commander of the German control post at Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, mobilized his men and two train-mounted artillery pieces (Chevereau & Forlivesi, 2005; Delahousse, 2008; Payon, 1945; Lieb, 2007).
The next morning, Maillé was closed off by German forces. One artillery piece was destroyed by the attacking RAF. The first farms were then set on fire and their residents killed. About noon, the SS entered the village and the systematic killing began. Some wounded who had pretended to be dead were later shot down when they attempted to escape (Chevereau & Forlivesi, 2005; Delahousse, 2008; Payon, 1945).
About 1:00 pm the artillery bombardment began, demolishing the village and any who might have survived the initial onslaught. The soldiers were also there to ensure that survivors were shot on sight. By late afternoon calm returned, and the few survivors could only look upon the spectacle with sadness. The intervention of abbot André Payon was needed so that they could leave to take shelter in neighboring villages.
In less than four hours, entire families were slaughtered by the Waffen SS, many of whose soldiers were only 16 and 17 years old (Chevereau & Forlivesi, 2005; Delahousse, 2008; Payon, 1945).
Victims
Paul Auger, age 60
Eugénie Auger, née Deplaix, age 58
François Audevard, age 41
Achille Barret, age 37
Germaine Beck, age 14
Jean Beck, age 8
Jacques Beck, age 2
Yvonne Blanchard, age 17
Marie Brion, née Boyer, age 60
Magdeleine Bruneau, née Moreau, age 89
Suzanne Brunet, née Desale, age 29
Marcel Brunet, age 6
Yolande Brunet, age 5
Jacques Brunet, age 9 months
Marie Bruzeau, née Poirier, age 30
Louis Bourguignon, age 74
Marie-Louise Bouguignon, née Page, age 68
Edwige Champigny, née Ouvrard, age 37
Jacques Champigny, age 10
Jean Champigny, age 4
Marie Champigny, née Morne, age 73
Andrée Charpentier, née Rocher, age 35
Pierre Charpentier, age 10
Lucien Charpentier, age 20 months
Jeanne Charret, née Rousseau, age 32
Nadine Charret, age 10
Michel Charret, age 11
Henri Chedozeau, age 53
Julien Chieppe, age 45
Charles Chevalier, age 83
Véronique Chevalier, age 79
André Chevillard, age 19
Maria Confolent, née Gambier, age 46
Pierre Confolent, age 22
Jehanne Confolent, age 20
Yves Confolent, age 19
René Confolent, age 17
Hélène Confolent, age 14
Jean Confolent, age 13
Claude Confolent, age 11
Henri Coulombeau, age 64
Joséphine Coulombeau, née Robin, age 58
Germaine Creuzon, née Page, age 37
Pierrette Creuzon, age 10
Gérard Creuzon, age 4
Monique Creuzon, age 15 months
Charles Creuzon, age 68
Jeanne Creuzon, née Terrason, age 67
Paulette Creuson, age 14
Théodore Creuzon, age 43
Fernand Creuzon, age 18
André Didelin, age 40
Jeanne Didelin, née Longe, age 38
Jeannine Didelin, age 18
Andrée Didelin, age 11
Charles Didelin, age 10
Michel Didelin, age 7
Valérie Fialton, née Sorin, age 60
Gérard Fialton, age 12
Jean Fournier, age 6
Gustave Gabillot, age 51
Renée Gabillot, née Guiton, age 45
Marie Gambier, née Bertrand, age 84
Auguste Glais, age 36
Pierre Granet, age 56
Ernest Gouard, age 43
Renée Gouard, née Brion, age 37
Camille Gouard, age 11
René Gouard, age 3
Henri Guérin, age 51
Jeanne Guerrier, née Prouteau, age 31
Michel Guerrier, age 3
Alexandre Guillochon, age 42
Renée Guillochon, née Binois, age 37
Éliane Guillochon, age 10
Charles Guiton, age 79
Charles Guiton, age 46
Robert Guiton, age 30
Marie Guiton, née Page, age 25
Yvette Guiton, age 6
Arlette Guiton, age 4
Jackie Guiton, age 2
Colette Guiton, née Blanchard, age 26
Éliane Guiton, age 6
Gérard Guiton, age 3
Germaine Guiton, née Hodin, age 38
Jacqueline Guiton, age 6
Anne Guiton, née Voisin, age 77
Joséphine Hinderscheid, née Raimbault, age 45
Gisèle Hinderscheid, age 10
René Jamain, age 36
Henriette Lerasle, née Renault, age 31
Claude Lerasle, age 9
Pierre (ou Charles) Martigue, age 43
René Martin, age 34
Renée Martin, née Charpentier, age 29
Raymond Martin, age 9
Josiane Martin, age 4
Danielle Martin, age 6 months
Marguerite Menanteau, née Delaveau, age 32
Huguette Menanteau, age 15
Cyrille Menanteau, age 12
Edgard Menanteau, age 6
Mireille Menanteau, age 2
Hubert Menanteau, age 3 months
Jules Métais, age 31
Simone Métais, née Goy, age 24
Jackie Métais, age 6
Jeannine Métais, age 4
Justine Métais, née Méry, age 60
Annie Meunier, age 4
Jean Meunier, age 2 ans et demi
Paul Millory, age 45
Jean Millory, age 14
Monique Pérouze, age 4
Ernestine Ricottier, née Tartre, age 44
Joseph Sondag, age 21
Baptiste Sornin, age 43
Louise Tard, née Drouard, age 75
Armand Tartre, age 52
Justine Tartre, née Cognault, age 71
Auguste Thermeau, age 44
Joseph Vincent, age 78
Désirée Vincent, née Gatillon, age 70
Commemoration
The principal bibliographic resources are the memoirs of abbot André Payon, published for many years by the Conseil Général of the Indre-et-Loire (Payon, 1945).
Since March 9, 2006, a memorial museum, La Maison du Souvenir, has been open to the general public in the Café Métais, in Maillé. The museum shows collections of photos and artifacts commemorating the village of Maillé and those killed during the massacre (Chevereau & Forlivesi, 2005; Delahousse, 2008; Payon, 1945). A German study on German anti-partisan warfare in France during the Second World War revealed some new facts on the possible SS perpetrators (Lieb, 2007).
Prosecution
Gustav Schlüter was condemned in absentia in Bordeaux in 1953, yet he died peacefully at his home in Germany in 1965 (Chevereau & Forlivesi, 2005; Delahousse, 2008).
On August 1, 2005, the public prosecutor of Dortmund, Ulrich Maass, reopened the inquiry, resulting in a visit to Maillé in July 2008. It was clarified that Germany has no statute of limitations on war crimes (as long as the accused are Germans or were in the service of the Axis during World War Two), and German judicial system reserves the right of initiative in such cases.
(Chevereau & Forlivesi, 2005; Delahousse, 2008)
* Chevereau, Sébastien; Luc Forlivesi (8 June 2005). "Histoire et mémoire d'un massacre: Maillé, Indre & Loire"(PDF). Actes du colloque organisé par la Fondation de la Résistance et la ville de Saint-Amand-Montrond à Saint-Amand-Montrond.
* Delahousse, Mathieu (24 June 2008). "Maillé, ce village martyr qu'on avait oublié". Le Figaro.
* Payon, André (abbé) (1945). Un village martyr, Maillé, récit du massacre du 25 août 1944. Tour: Arrault.
* Vincent, Elise (27 June 2008). "Enquête sur un crime de guerre oublié". Le Monde.
* Lieb, Peter (2007). Konventioneller Krieg oder NS-Weltanschauungskrieg? Kriegführung und Partisanenbekämpfung in Frankreich 1943/44. Munich: Oldenbourg.
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