From the Fall of 1943 onwards, the deportation of the remaining Jews from Berlin to Theresienstadt was carried out amid heavy aerial bombings (“The Battle of Berlin”). Allied air strikes caused severe damage to the German capital’s infrastructure and to the Nazi Security Services facilities. Under these circumstances it was difficult to organize transports, but they did not cease.
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In December of 1943, a memo signed by Heinrich Müller (Head of the Gestapo) was sent to all local Security Police offices. It stated that it was now possible to deport Jewish spouses of mixed marriages that were terminated by divorce or death to Theresienstadt. Documentation and information regarding the deportations from Berlin - not only those that took place during the last of phase of expatriation - are quite scarce since the majority of these records were destroyed in the air raids or were deliberately burned in the yard of the Jewish hospital during the last days of April 1945.

This transport departed from the Zossen train station in the late evening of 9 February and arrived in the late evening of 10 February 1944 in Theresienstadt. The transport consisted of 100 Jews, of whom 66 were women and 34 were men. The average age of the deportees was 57.3. The youngest of them was 2 years old and the oldest was aged 83. Two of the deportees were under 12, one of them was between the ages of 13 and 18, twelve of them were between 19 and 45, fourty were between 46 and 60, and fourty-five of the deportees were between the ages of 61 and 85.

Although the city of Berlin had been declared "Free of Jews", the Gestapo continued to search for and arrest individual Jews that met the criteria for deportation. The deportees were brought to the assembly site, where they were detained until a larger group of Jews was assembled and the Reichsbahn had supplied one or two railway cars for their transport.

Among the preferable targets of the allied bombing raids was the railway infrastructure and Anhalter Bahnhof was sometimes closed for short periods of time, until it was heavily damaged and closed permanently in February 1945. During these periods of inactivity, all trains, including the deportation trains, left from alternative locations. The testimony linked to this transport recalls the transportation in moving vans from Grosse Hamburger Strasse assembly camp to Zossen, a town about 50 km south of the center of Berlin, where they had to board two old third-class rail cars, which were connected to a regular train that left the station for Dresden. In Dresden the cars with the Jews were connected to another regular train headed for Prague

The train's route took the deportees from Zossen to Dresden, and along the river Elbe to Decin (Tetschen), Usti nad Labem (Aussig), Bohusovice (Bauschowitz) and finally to Theresienstadt. From 1 June 1943 on the trains went directly into the ghetto, as the prisoners had built a connecting railway line from Bauschowitz station to Theresienstadt. The transport was given the reference I/107 in the Theresienstadt ghetto listings, where the Roman numeral I refers to Berlin. In Theresienstadt many of the elderly Jewish deportees who had arrived on these transports died of hunger and disease during the following months. Others were later transferred to extermination camps in the East, where they were murdered.

According to historian Rita Meyhöfer, 68 deportees from this transport are known to have survived.

This was the 107th of 123 transports from Berlin to Theresienstadt during the war that were made up mainly of elderly Jewish deportees (Alterstransporte).

Testimony by Egon Hugo Strassburger

"At 12 I was in the assembly camp Hamburgerstrasse. They led me into a big room, where I had to sleep on a musty-smelling mattress. In the course of the next 14 days, all kinds of interesting people arrived. […]

After two weeks in prison, suddenly we heard the rumor that after the next day we would be transported to Theresienstadt. The inspection of our possessions began, and the Jewish helpers were eager to make my luggage light: Trousers, a complete suit, a thermophor, some new shirts were taken out. I never found out were they went. I only know that some of these helpers helped themselves to the best items. The next day we were given a decree, edited by the “Geheime Staatspolizei, Staatspolizeistelle Berlin.” It read as follows: “According to § 1 of the Law Regarding Confiscation of Communist Property, issued on 29 May 1941, […] the entire holdings will be confiscated in accordance with the Decree of the Fuehrer and Chancellor about the Utilization of the Confiscated Property of Enemies of the “Reich”. […]

The departure: Twelve o’clock at night: As usual in case of the Gestapo, this “Aktion” happened in the dark of the night. Therefore, the Aryans scarcely had the chance to get obtain any information on what was happening. The next day, our loved ones were supposed to visit us. Now they would have to leave with long faces.

It was icy cold; they just handed us two slices of bread with marmalade and one with margarine. The departure had to be from Zossen, because the “Anhalter Bahnhof” had been destroyed thoroughly by bombs. 120 people were crammed into three arthritic moving vans, that groaned and queaked during the ride. The snow fell in heavy flakes, and through them the moon was shining. The voyage was quite romantic, especially when a huge fellow-traveller - wearing shoes size 47 - trampled on my best corn. “Thanking him” for his kindness, I got the short laconic answer: “What is the significance of a corn when we probably go to our death.”

On our way, the first van suddenly broke down; then the engine of the third failed. With the effort and resourcefulness of an engineer, the two vans moved again, and after loosing a lot of time, we arrived at the station.

The voyage lasted a long time. Anyhow, this time, we enjoyed the benefit of being transported in an Italian 3rd class passenger car, instead of a cattle car. The company around me was not quite entertaining and encouraging. Almost everybody told the story of his suffering; everybody showed the picture of those who remained at home. One was morally obliged to find all these faces charming and noble.

Much more delighting than the stories of the suffering was the landscape, the snow, shining in the early morning sun. White fields, blue sky!

In the course of the day, three women fainted. With coffee and Eau de Cologne, we got them slowly back to life. […] No one was allowed to leave the compartment; we were still prisoners. In the evening, SS-officers replaced the police. The tone became harsher. The cigarettes were quietly put out. Here and there, someone was scolded without any reason. […]

About eight o’clock in the evening, a woman expressed the feeling that we would never reach our destination alive. Then she went into a crying fit, and it was difficult to return her to her senses.

At ten in the evening, after endless manoevering, we arrived at our destination. We took our luggage from the luggage rack and disembarked. At this moment I decided to become indifferent and stoic to whatever happened to me. No matter if it would be death by gas or death by hunger. These feelings accompanied while I was getting off the train.

We were received by self-important Jewish policemen. Their caps were black with golden ribbon[s]. Without interruption they had to report about us to a group of young Czech policemen. This was not performed in a military way. Instead, the Jews had to take off their caps in front of the policemen. […]

The police made an excellent impression: almost all of them were good-looking men, their green uniform with crimson facings giving them a well-groomed appearance, making them look sympathic.

The rapport was made: “Arrival of 120 prisoners.” The respective policeman thanked, and now the registration began. In rows of four we marched there.

In a brightly lightened big hall, an “Oberwachtmeister” gave a speech, full of threats:
“Whoever has cigarettes and doesn’t give them away, will immediately be sent to Poland. Whoever has some hidden money, will go to Poland at the next occasion. Whoever has secret documents hidden in his luggage, will be carried off and sent to Poland.” […]

Those who had started full of courage, suddenly became cowards: A few thousand Marks and a lot of tobacco appeared . Even a marvellous diamond ring had to be sacrificed. In the name of National Socialism. One lady, who had clumsily hidden 100 Marks in her backpack, disappeared the same night and was never seen again.

And now the “Check-In” began: A very sharp body-search was made. Bend your knees, lower your trunk - just as during a gymnastics session. Valuables could have been hidden anywhere. […] They also inspected our provisions of food. Most of it, such as sausages, sugar and bread, were taken away. I was able to save 125 gr. of butter. An expert gendarm stirred it with a tiny stick, obviously thinking there was a field of diamonds hidden on the bottom. He tested it with his tongue, and then stated: “It may pass”.

When I got back my luggage a few days later, about half of the contents was lacking. I could never find out by what criteria they stole or "confiscated" our things. Everything, I think, was done “ad libitum” [At one’s pleasure]. […]

After all the losses we had already endured, it was time for the lice. The so-called lice doctor examined everyone. This evening he was lucky: his efforts had been successful. Two gentlemen and two ladies showed signs of lice. Immediately they were separated and got an intense treatment. Then the vaccination followed. People over 60 were not vaccinated; they were considered to be too old and therefore immune."
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