At the beginning of 1945, Nazi Germany faced military defeat. Allied forces liberated France, Belgium and most of the Netherlands. In Eastern Europe, the Red Army had advanced into the Baltic States and Eastern Poland.
Show more
On January 10, the Soviet forces launched a large-scale offensive in Eastern Prussia and Poland (Operation Vistula – Oder). By the end of the month, Soviet forces had advanced to the Oder River - approximately 60 kilometers east of Berlin. Along with the advance, heavy aerial bombardments destroyed the infrastructure of the cities. The German transportation system was thrown into chaos. However, the Gestapo continued to issue deportation orders.

In a letter, dated January 15, the RSHA (Reich Security Main Office) declared the end of protection for Jewish spouses in "Mischehen" (mixed marriage had protected Jews from Deportation until that date) and ordered their inclusion in deportations to Theresienstadt.

The tenth transport from Hamburg to Theresienstadt left the city on February 14, 1945. It consisted of 294 Jews. About 30% of the deportees on board came from towns in the vicinity of Hamburg and from other cities including Neumünster, Kiel, Bremen, Osnabrück, Delmenhorst, Leer, Oldenburg, Wilhelmshaven and Emden. They were ordered to report to the assembly site in the building of the former Talmud-Tora-School at Grindelhof 30 by 2 pm on February 14, for an "external work assignment". Their luggage, which was limited to 50 kilograms, was searched at the collection point. The deportees were forced to provide an inventory of their remaining property and to sign a document transferring all their remaining assets to the Reich.

On the day of the transport, the Jews were transported to the Hannoversche Bahnhof (Hanover Station), an isolated cargo station located in the harbor area, which served as the embarkation point for all the deportations from Hamburg. They were forced to board several train cars which were then attached to a regular train.

Instead of one or two days, the transport took a full nine days to arrive at its destination. It can be assumed that the delay was at least partly caused by the bombing of Dresden. This series of air raids, which lasted from the February 13-15, destroyed large parts of the city and severely damaged the railway system in the area. Dresden was an important railway hub and most of the deportation trains to Theresienstadt passed through the city.

The transport arrived in Theresienstadt on February 23, 1945, and was listed as VI/10 in the Ghetto records. The Roman numeral VI referred to Hamburg as the city of origin, the number 10 stood for the tenth transport from that city. Due to their late arrival at the camp, the number of survivors among the deportees on VI/10 was high. Out of 294 Jews who arrived with this transport, 292 were liberated by Russian troops in May 1945.

Alice Kruse, who was deported with VI/10, described her experiences before and during the train ride:

"I received an order to report for work duty at the assembly point on Grindelhof on February 14, 1945. This was the same assembly site that was used for the transports of Jews. It was clear from the start what this order meant. It was the last step of persecution, presumably without any hope of return. My desperation was bottomless (…), my husband had to struggle hard to keep me from committing an act of despair […] I packed some tools, a lot of warm clothing because it was a cold winter, some provisions and as much useful things as I could carry - no valuables. […]
That’s how we went to the assembly site. There was a short examination to see if we were fit for transportation and then I had to go on this bitter journey together with 60 other mothers and 300 men from mixed marriages. […]
We were then driven in cars through Hamburg to the freight station. Our family members were still allowed to accompany us to that place. The SS made it clear from the start which tone would be used towards us from now on. Many people were so intimidated that they would not dare to speak. Then it was time to board the freight cars and for a final Goodbye. Inside the freight cars, (seperate ones for women and men) were a few wooden benches. There were some makeshift lamps as well which proved to be unusable during the journey. Here they were, these women between 30 and 70 years of age, a picture of misery. They tried to store their luggage and to get used to the situation. They all came from more or less stable and wealthy backgrounds and some of them were pretty helpless. The more educated and well-situated women were best in maintaining composure. Most of the women began to lament and to talk about all the things they had to leave behind and the fate they had had to endure since 1933. The youngest woman had been forced to leave her five children behind and she was completely apathetic.
After a long and exhausting wait, the train began to move. The way to Leipzig was a constant rocking back and forth. While we were still in Germany the doors were closed and they were locked during the night. Time after time the train stopped on storage tracks. There were heavy air raids and we were trapped, gripped by panic, in the middle of this deafening noise created by sirens and bombs falling from the skies. […]
German police was guarding the transport. […] They did not behave badly towards us; they even gave us some small perks and looked the other way on some occasions. During the day, we were handed cold food, which of course did not help to warm us in the cold. This lasted for ten long days and nights.
When the mood began to drop too low, some women suffered heart attacks and their despair weighted us down even further. Some of us tried to create some distraction by telling stories, playing games and singing songs. This may sound paradoxical, but the mood improved slightly. Once we left Germany the doors were opened a bit during the ride. We travelled through snowy winter landscapes, some of them very beautiful. For a short while, one could almost forget about the appalling reason for this journey.
[…] Upon arrival at the border, it became apparent to us that we wouldn't be treated any better than the people on earlier transports. The Czech SS replaced the police. The tone became harsher. We reached our final destination Theresienstadt […]
Dazzling light illuminated the train station. Armed SS-soldiers had formed two lines facing each other. We were driven through these lines and had to carry our luggage. It was tough for us. The ground was muddy, we were exhausted, frightened and the reception looked hostile. […] We passed through the fortified walls and reached the cellars of the fortress, called "the lock". All the new arrivals had to pass through there. Some older inmates shouted words of encouragement, as they knew we did not know what awaited us.
In the cellar, we had to wait for registration. We became a number. I was transport VI 10 - 163. And were handed the yellow badge."
Show less