Wave of Deportation from Lodz, Ghetto, Poland to Auschwitz Birkenau, Extermination Camp, Poland on 06/08/1944

Of about 206,000 Jews living in the Łódź (Litzmannstadt) ghetto, only 68,516 remained on August 1, 1944—40,023 females and 28,493 males, including 4,635 children.^[1] By the end of August, the ghetto had been liquidated and almost the entire remaining population had been deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and murdered.

Despite extensive research, one cannot fully state yet the accurate transport dates of this phase of massive deportations, which might have been lasted until the beginning of September 1944. The war situation and the chaotic circumstances of the last months of the ghetto’s existence had great impact of documentary of both – the Germans and the Jews.^[2] Even though the statistical department of the Judenrat made notes until August 21, what is recorded about the first deportations of August was taken by the council’s members retroactively from their records of August 18 till 21, 1944. They counted deportations on the days of August 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 13 with a total of 12,400 deportees.^[3]  However, according to our research, it seems highly likely that the first two August-transports left the ghetto already on August 4 and 5, and the source base does not allow to explain if the department noted differing deportation dates by mistake or on purpose.^[4] Another deportation wave left the ghetto on August 6 and 7, but, given the limited sources we have, it is impossible to properly separate the two transport days.

On August 2 Hans Biebow, head of the Gettoverwaltung (German administration of the ghetto), ordered the head of the tailors and metal Resorts (factories of the ghetto), to his office, where among others they were awaited by head of the Gestapo and mayor of the city, Otto Bradfisch. After discussions with the Jews, Erich Czarnulla, deputy of Biebow and also at the meeting, decided that the first deportation would include the employees of tailor-Resorts no. 1 and 2 from Łagiewnicka (Hanseatenstrasse) 45 and tailor center from Łagiewnicka 34/36 street^[5], with their families, and that they were to be deported the next day, on August 3, with two transports of totally 5,000 people. The Germans then scheduled the next deportation for August 4–5 with Jews from other tailors-Resorts. For Sunday, August 6, a break was planned, to continue thereafter, on August 7, with the deportation of the Jewish employees of the metal-Resorts 1 and 2.^[6]...