Wave of Deportation from Lodz, Ghetto, Poland to Auschwitz Birkenau, Extermination Camp, Poland on 04/08/1944

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, we cannot yet give full and accurate transport dates for this phase of massive deportations, which may have lasted until the beginning of September 1944. The approaching defeat of Nazi Germany and the chaos during the final months of the ghetto’s existence had a great impact on the documentation conducted by both the Germans and the Jews.^[2] Even though the Judenrat’s statistical department made notes until August 21, what is recorded about the first deportations in August was taken by the council’s members retroactively from their records of August 18 to 21, 1944. They listed deportations on 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 as early as August 4 and 5, and it is unclear whether the department noted differing deportation dates by mistake or intentionally.^[4]

On August 2, Hans Biebow, head of the Gettoverwaltung (German administration of the ghetto), ordered the heads of the tailors’ and metal workshops to his office, where the head of the Gestapo and mayor of the city, Otto Bradfisch, awaited them, among other people. After discussions with the Jews, Erich Czarnulla, Biebow’s deputy—who was also present at the meeting—resolved that the first deportation would include the employees of tailors’ workshops no. 1 and 2 from 45 Łagiewnicka Street (Hanseatenstrasse) and the tailors’ center from 34/36 Łagiewnicka Street.^[5] They would be deported along with their families on the next day, August 3, in two transports comprised of a total of 5,000 people. The Germans then scheduled the subsequent deportation, with Jews from other tailors’ workshops, for August 4–5. A break was planned for Sunday, August 6, and the deportation would continue afterwards, on August 7, with the transport of the Jewish employees from metal workshops no. 1 and 2.^[6]...