Transport VIII from Lodz, Ghetto, Poland to Chelmno, Extermination Camp, Poland on 01/03/1942

According to a statement of costs sent by the Reichsbahn Verkehrsamt (German National Railway — Transportation Authority) to the Gestapo in Litzmannstadt on March 23, 1942, the transport list of March 1 named 501 Jews who were removed from the ghetto. The train, marked as "Pj-Zug" (“Polnischer Judenzug” in German, for "train with Polish Jews") and "Transport VIII,” also had 13 policemen on board; they were guards from the Schupo (Schutzpolizei, the uniformed regular local German police force) and were added to the transportation costs. The Reichsbahn invoiced 2.80 Reichsmarks per person for the 140-km journey from Łódź to Kolo. For the total of 514 passengers, the bill to the Gestapo for Transport VIII was 1,439.20 Reichsmarks. The Gestapo checked the invoice and approved it on March 27, but handed it over to Hans Biebow, the chief of the Nazi administration of the Łódź ghetto who managed a special account (Sonderkonto 12300) on behalf of Gauleiter Arthur Greiser (the governor of the Wartheland). All revenue from the so-called evacuation actions — in other words, the money that originated from plundered and confiscated Jewish property — was deposited into this account. Biebow subsequently used this account to pay all costs associated with the murder actions. The cost of the transportation charges for the first 15 transports in March appears on the account statement of March 24. The Reichsbahn recorded that they accidentally received the money twice (per check, from March 24 and March 30). Three days before the impending deportation, most of the deportees were informed by mail about where to assemble. The deportation list of this transport has not been preserved. There is a list of deportees who petitioned the medical committee to be excluded from the transports for various health problems. Two candidates are recorded from Transport VIII: Alexander (Alexandra?) Rekosińska, of whom it was noted that an exemption was being considered; and "Kelm." Rozenfeld, about whom it was written that the commission could not decide… since he had escaped....