26 March 1944: the Brehmer division starts its sweep operation in search of the maquisards.
During the night of the 2nd to the 3rd April: the Brehmer division leaves the Dordogne with the result that 271 people are shot, including 116 Jews, about 260 deported, and hundreds of people are drafted for the STO.
4th April: new sweep operations around Échourgnac and Saint-Laurent-des-Hommes by the 273rd Panzer Division reserve commanded by General Hellmut Von der Chevallerie. The SD (Sicherheitsdienst, security police) of Bordeaux and the political affairs section (SAP) supported it.
At the beginning of 1944, the German General Staff decided to send the 325th Security Division (325. Sicherungs-Division) to the Dordogne to eradicate the resistance movements in the south-west. Better known as the Brehmer Division or B Division, the unit was placed under the command of General Walter Brehmer. It was the only security division engaged against the resistance on the Western Front during the Second World War.
The Brehmer Division had a twofold mission: to disable the Resistance and its alleged supporters by attacking civilian populations, and to hunt down Jews. The « Sperrle Ordinance » of 3 February 1944 and its implementing decree of 4 March encouraged « the execution of « francstireurs », the burning of houses, farms and entire villages, and above all the extension of repressive measures to the civilian population. » It foreshadowed the systematic actions carried out in the spring and summer of 1944 by the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich and the 11th Armoured Division of the Wehrmacht.
The headquarters took up residence in the Hôtel du Commerce in Ribérac. On 26 March, at dawn, from the command posts set up in the villages and hamlets, small units combed the terrain. It was a failure. Well-informed, the maquisards were able to leave the Double forest. The occupying forces then attacked civilians. On 26 March, 20 people were arbitrarily killed, women were raped, many houses were looted and burnt down, and raids were organised.
In this context, the refugees from Moselle were particularly at risk. Born in Moselle and Alsace, annexed by the Third Reich in 1940, they could be drafted into the German army. When they refused, many of them were deported to the Buchenwald and Dora camps on 12 May 1944.
On the night of the 2nd to the 3rd of April, the Brehmer division returned to Paris after having spread fear for ten days. The toll of this bloody week was heavy: 271 shot, including 116 Jews, around 260 deported (mainly Jewish women and children), and hundreds of those required to serve the STO. On 4 April, the 10,000 soldiers of the 273rd Panzer Division reserve took over. The objective was to sweep the sectors that had not been swept a week earlier in search of « terrorists », maquisards or STO draft dodgers. He was assisted by the SD of Bordeaux and the political affairs section (SAP) led by commissioner Pierre Poinsot. Known for his cruelty in tracking down resistance fighters, he was shot after the Liberation. The occupying forces targeted Échourgnac and Saint-Laurent-des-Hommes in particular.
The occupying forces carried out other arrests and deportations. Among those deported were people who provided effective logistical support to the FTP maquis in La Double; in particular two gendarmes from the Échourgnac brigade, Gérard Mignon and Sylvain Colombet, but also Jeanne Mazeau (Nanou) and her father Hippolyte, the mechanic Gustave Berthier, the butcher Henri Gilson and the baker Ernest Mathieu, from Festalemps. Seven Jews were arrested and shot as hostages in the Souges camp (Gironde) on 19 April. At the beginning of 1944, the German general staff decided to send the 325th Security Division (325. Sicherungs-Division) to the Dordogne to eradicate resistance movements in the south-west. Better known as the Brehmer Division or B Division, the unit was placed under the command of General Walter Brehmer. It was the only security division engaged against the resistance on the Western Front during the Second World War.
General Brehmer (centre) during the Bloody Week (Dordogne/Corrèze).