Transport from Beuthen, Beuthen O. S. (Oppeln), Silesia (Upper), Germany to unstated place on 23/06/1942

The ninth transport from Beuthen allegedly went on June 23 to Krzepice (in German Krippitz, also Kschepitz), as indicated in the handwritten note under the heading "Liste 9" ("ab Krzepice"). The Gestapo entry specifies that 155 Jews from 27 so-called Jew Houses in Beuthen were deported (Bismarckstraße 41, 82, Friedrich-Wilhelm-Ring 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16 and 17, Gleiwitzerstraße 13, Hohenzollernstraße 14, Iserbachstraße 15, Kasernenstraße 4, Kattowitzerstraße 43, Kirchstraße 1 und 5, Krakauerstraße 1, 2, 6, 8, 31 und 44, Langestraße 4, 8 und Poststraße 32). Krzepice, a small town in the newly created Blachstädt District (part of the Oststreifen in East Upper Silesia), neighboring Częstochowa (Tschenstochau) had a large Jewish community, constituting 43% or 1,800 of the town’s total population. In early 1940, the Germans set up an open type ghetto, along with Judenrat and the Jewish police. There were two waves of deportations, aiming to liquidate the ghetto. The first one occurred in June, starting on June 22, and the second in July. Krzepice is about 90 km from Beuthen, up north, i.e. the opposite direction of Auschwitz. The deportation of Beuthen Jews to Krzepice offers the strongest indication that the Upper Silesian transports in May and in June 1942 were not heading for Auschwitz. From Krzepice to Auschwitz is about the same distance than from Krzepice to the death camp Chelmno (Kulmhof). It would have been pointless, to bring the 155 Jews from Beuthen to Krzepice if they had not been destined to another killing site or extermination camp. A group of 104 Jews from Gleiwitz were deported the same day. It is likely that they were deported together, possibly with other Jews from Upper Silesian cities. There are no known reports about the further destiny of the Beuthen Jews deported on June 23. Apparently nobody survived.