Variant 1 - Departure of Schloss crates from Laguenne for the Banque de France in Limoges

Variant 1 - At 7am, the gendarmes were relieved and replaced by a fresh contingent. At 10:30am, the new crew was told to return to Tulle. At around 2pm, Mssrs. Petit and Favier returned to say that the truck was following them. The bank staff called the Préfet. He was absent. The truck arrived carrying six people, including a German, who appeared to be the leader of the pack. Petit and Renaud opposed the transfer of the crates and were told that those where the orders and, waving guns around, they ordered the removal. The bank officials were separated and placed in separate rooms while the crates were loaded onto the truck: Schloss plus the 13 crates. The operation lasted one hour. Mr. Petit, who hailed from Limoges, asked if he catch a ride. Upon the departure of the truck, Renaud called the Préfecture and demanded an explanation. Once Préfet Musso was briefed on the situation, he ordered gendarmes to block the roads leading out of Laguenne so that the truck could not leave the Corrèze. A police barricade was erected on the road outside of Masseret; Musso called Vichy to ask for orders. He was told to allow the truck to go to Limoges where the crates would be dropped off at the Banque de France.