Assassination of Karl Hotz
Karl Hotz (29 April 1877,
Wertheim am Main,
Germany – 20 October 1941),
Nantes,
France) was a Lt. Colonel in the
German military during
World War II. With the occupation of
France by
Nazi Germany in June 1940, Hotz became the military governor of the
German military administration in Nantes. He was assassinated in Nantes by French
communists on 20 October 1941, one of the first German soldiers killed by the
French Resistance. His assassination led to a massive manhunt for his killers and the retaliatory execution of 48 French citizens by the Germans. Relations between the German occupiers and French officials in Nantes had been cooperative until the executions which contributed to worsening relationships between the French and their German occupiers.
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