an identity check, that the absence of their husband, sons or brothers would not last long so not to bother packing supplies". "We were led by the SS down to the docks of Rigny. [...] A larger group joined ours. [...] We slowly approached Souilhac: the half-tracks, the tanks in good order, parked along the sidewalks. [...] Our group joined with others; other groups joined with ours; and as concern grew, our hands started to shake. [...] We walked with heads high, the better to hide our anxiety". The members of the [French paramilitary] were gathered in the barracks of the and taken away to the weapons factory. In total, close to five thousand men and boys were assembled in front of the weapons factory. Selection In accordance with the agreement with Kowatsch that authorized the release of those essential to the resumption of normal activity in the city, French officials went to the arms factory to negotiate who among those rounded up would be counted among these. "It was soon noticed that the mayor (Colonel Bouty) was accompanied by several people, department heads, the director of industrial energy, the stationmaster, and other staff with their large gold caps, the school inspector—among us—but these gentlemen stood up there on the road with the German officers... it smelled of collaboration. " The representatives of the French government obtained the release of 3500 of the 5000 men and young people. Among them, employees of the State and of the prefecture, of the mayor's office, of the Post, Telegraph, and Telephone company, of the gas company, of the water company, financiers and holiday camp workers, electricians, foremen and supervisors of the factory in La Marque and of the weapons factory, bakers, grocers, gardeners, and doctors... but neither dentists nor teachers. "This first part of the selection of the hostages had been designed by the SS to undermine local authority; when questioned in 1962 General Heinz Lammerding said that the mayor pointed out the Resistance fighters. " Among those tortured there were certainly some members of the Resistance, including and his brother-in-law, . After the intervention of the French authorities, a second selection of the hostages was made, this time by the Germans themselves. The main person responsible for this second selection was the spokesman of the SD unit, , who had survived the fighting of the previous two days. Though Schmald without a