The CENTRE DE SEJOUR SURVEILLE DE CHOISEL located at CHATEAUBRIANT sheltered ordinary prisoners and a certain number of "politicals" most of them being communist.
The camp administratively depended on the Sub-prefect and was kept by French gendarmes.
Following the execution of Colonel HOTZ, Feldkommandant of NANTES in October 1941, the Prefect representing the Minister of Interior Department was charged to draw up a first list of fifty hostages, which will be refused. It is then the Police Prefecture of Paris which will take care of the work and will draw up a second list made up with a majority of Communists and trade unionists.
October 22 afternoon, the CAMP OF CHOISEL was encircled by the SS and all huts were visited. 27 men were designated and removed by two trucks which lead them to the career of La Sablière where they were shot by a firing squad of 80 men. The youngest hostages, Guy MOQUET (son of a communist deputy), was hardly 17 years old!
Postcard from an internee dated 18-12-1941.
On the next postcard sent 1942 February the 5th, the control seal is different. It's a purple linear mark "CONTROLE DU CAMP".
Postcard from an internee dated 5-2-1942 and sent to VANNES.
The internee Albert JAOUEN, who sents this card, was transfered into the CENTRE DE SEJOUR SURVEILLE DE VOVES (Eure-et-Loir) in 1942 May the 7th, CAMP OF CHOISEL being closed in May.
18/01/2010