Transport XII from Lodz, Ghetto, Poland to Chelmno, Extermination Camp, Poland on 15/05/1942

At 7 A.M on May 15, 1942, the last transport of May 1942, transport XII, left the Radegast station. This was the sixty-sixth deportation of Jews from the Łódź ghetto to Chełmno since the deportations began in January 1942. There were 606 Jews on the train. In total, almost 11,000 Jews were deported in May 1942 from Łódź to Chełmno—more than the number originally planned by the Nazis. According to The Chronicle of the Łódź Ghetto, the Nazis ordered the deportation of 1,500 Jews in the last two days but "agreed to accept 1,300."^[1]

Familiar with the practice of preparing a transport in two days, diarist Oskar Singer noted in his diary on May 13 that this (May 15) would be the last day of deportations.

“Today, the last transport leaves for the central jail. This is a critical day, and those who persevere will get away with the sheer shock —that's the watchword of the hour… . Will this chalice pass away from me? It's only about hours. Today May 13 is the last day to be caught for deportation and whoever manages to evade it will probably be saved.”^[2]...