“Thus 7 men, 6 women, and 14 children were killed, most of them still in their beds at the early hour when this happened.
“On 10 June, at about 1900 hours, five Luftwaffe aircraft attacked the town of Tarbes for half an hour with bombs and machine guns. Several buildings were destroyed, among them the Hôtel des Ponts et Chaussées, and the Academic Inspectorate. There were 7 dead and about 10 wounded who were hit by chance among the population of the town. On this occasion the general in command of the VS-659 at Tarbes immediately informed the Prefect of the Department of Basses-Pyrénées that the operation had been neither caused nor ordered by him.
“Following each of these events the Regional Prefect of Toulouse addressed to the general commanding the HVS-564 letters in which in dignified and measured terms he protested against the acts in question, through which innocent women and children were deliberately killed. He asserted very rightly that under no circumstances could children in the cradle be considered as accomplices of the terrorists. He requested finally that instructions be given to avoid the recurrence of such painful events.
“Replying on 19 June to the three letters of the Regional Prefect of Toulouse, the chief of staff of the general commanding the head liaison staff 564 announced the principles which determined the position taken by his chief, which justified the acts of reprisal quoted on the following grounds:
“The duty of the French population is not only to flee from terrorists but also to render their operations impossible, which will avoid any reprisals being taken against innocent people. In the struggle against terrorism the German Army must and will employ all means at its disposal, even methods of combat new to Western Europe.