Transport from Wloclawek, Wloclawek, Warszawa, Poland to Ozarow, Opatow, Kielce, Poland on 02/12/1939

At the outbreak of the war, a wave of Polish and Jewish refugees left the city. This exodus continued during the first deportations. In most cases, the refugees took few belongings with them. Their remaining possessions were subsequently seized by the Germans. In October and November 1939, the Jewish refugees reached nearby places such as Kutno and Zychlin, some getting as far as Warsaw and Lublin.^[1]

The city of Włocławek was conquered on September 14, 1939, and the persecution of Jews began immediately. Jews were arrested and shot; two synagogues were burned.  From October 25, 1939, Jews were forced to wear a yellow badge. After its annexation into the Reich, the Germans renamed the city Leslau and placed a number of people in official positions: SS-Sturmbannführer Hans Cramer was appointed mayor, SA-Sturmbannführer Elliot Hesemeyer became his deputy, and the Volksdeutsche Max Dunkhorst was made “advisor for Jewish affairs.” All three were responsible for the persecution and deportations of the Jews from the city. Dr. Hans Burkhardt was appointed head of the Hohensalza (Inowrocław) Regierungsbezirk (administrative district).^[2]

As part of the "Nahplan", (short-term plan), the first three deportations of Jews from Włocławek took place between December 2, 1939 and mid-February 1940. The destinations included Ożarów, Zamość, Włoszczowa, Szczebrzeszyn, and Tarnów.^[3]  On December 1–2, 1939, in order to make space for "Baltendeutschen" (ethnic Germans from the Baltic states), the Germans brutally evacuated people living in the poor neighborhood of Grzywno. They also took a few dozen inhabitants and shot them in a nearby forest. On December 2, 1939, the Germans deported 1,000 Poles and Jews—about 400 of them Jews—from Włocławek to Ożarów in the Radom district.^[4]...