Gustave Mesny
Gustave Marie Maurice Mesny (born March 28, 1886 in Le Puy-en-Velay , † January 19, 1945 in Nossen ) was a French general de division in World War II . Mesny was the victim of a war crime in German captivity .
Second World War
Mesny commanded the 5th North African Division when the French army collapsed during the western campaign . In the summer of 1940 he was taken prisoner by Germany .
During his captivity, Mesny was housed at the Königstein Fortress, like a number of other French generals . During this time he was involved in General Henri Giraud's escape from the fortress.
On October 28, 1944, the German Lieutenant General Fritz von Brodowski was shot dead under largely unexplained circumstances in French captivity in the Besançon citadel . On November 8th and 9th, Swiss and British broadcasters reported that the Wehrmacht general, who was accused of participating in the massacre in Oradour-sur-Glane , had been shot while trying to escape. The German leadership assumed revenge for Oradour, without questioning the details of the circumstances. The incident was reported to Adolf Hitler , who then ordered retaliation for Brodowski's killing.
Based on this order, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel first had a list of the French generals imprisoned in Königstein drawn up. On the basis of the list, General De Boisse was initially selected for the retaliation demanded by Hitler. The further planning was then agreed between three authorities, the Reich Main Security Office (RSHA), the Foreign Office and the Head of Prisoner of War (KGW). The concrete planning was carried out by Gottlob Berger's chief of staff , Colonel Friedrich Meurer , Inspector General of POWs . Since, after the extensive agreements between the various offices, secrecy with regard to General De Boisse no longer seemed assured, Colonel Meurer arbitrarily selected Mesny from the list as a victim.
The act was carried out by two members of the SS ( Heinz Cohrs and x), who were wearing Wehrmacht uniforms. Mesny and a few other generals were officially relocated to Colditz Castle . Mesny was separated from the other generals because of a fictitious car breakdown. Shortly before Nossen , Mesny was shot from behind with a submachine gun volley.
On January 27, 1945, the general was buried with military honors in the Dresden garrison cemetery. On January 5, 1947, the body of General Mesny was exhumed at the garrison cemetery at the request of the representative of France in the Allied Control Council and transferred to the French sector of Berlin .
literature
- Sebastian Weitkamp: "Murder with a clean slate". The murder of General Maurice Mesny in January 1945. In: Timm C. Richter (Ed.): War and crime - situation and intention: case studies. Martin Meidenbauer Verlag / Peter Lang, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-89975-080-2 , pp. 31-40 - Review of the book in sehepunkte 2007, 7 .
- Ders: "Anatomy of a war crime - the murder of General Maurice Mesny in January 1945", in: Ders .: Brown diplomats. Horst Wagner and Eberhard von Thadden as functionaries of the “Final Solution” . J. H. W. Dietz, Bonn 2008, ISBN 978-3-8012-4178-0 , pp. 327-370, also 371-386 and 409-416.
Web links
- Sebastian Weitkamp: headshot in the twilight . In: one day of November 19, 2008.
- Werner Dolph: Shot while trying to escape . In: Die Zeit No. 33 of August 15, 1969.
- Institute for Contemporary History : Archive - Find aids online. Inventory Behm, Hans-Ulrich. Signature ED 411. (PDF; 127 kB) On the holdings: files for the preliminary investigation against the former Legation Councilor in the Foreign Ministry of the Inland II Department, Horst Wagner, plus materials and additional documents in the area, for example the investigation into the "Mesny case", the murder of the French general Maurice Mesny in January 1945. See also IfZ signature Ge 01.07 and Ge 01.02 for further holdings on Horst Wagner and Mesny.
Single receipts
- ↑ Sebastian Weitkamp: "Murder with a clean slate". The murder of General Maurice Mesny in January 1945. In: Timm C. Richter (Ed.): War and crime - situation and intention: case studies. Martin Meidenbauer Verlag / Peter Lang, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-89975-080-2 , p. 37.
- ↑ Sebastian Weitkamp: headshot in the twilight . In: one day of November 19, 2008.
- ^ The military cemetery Dresden Albertstadt (The North Cemetery) . Military historical writings of the working group of Saxon military history. Volume 6, Dresden 1998, p. 5.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mesny, Gustave |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mesny, Gustave Marie Maurice (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French general in World War II |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 28, 1886 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Le Puy-en-Velay |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 19, 1945 |
| Place of death | at Nossen |