Transport from Westerbork, Camp, The Netherlands to Auschwitz Birkenau, Extermination Camp, Poland on 24/11/1942

On November 24, 1942 another mass transport left the Westerbork transit camp for Auschwitz-Birkenau. After the Jews at Westerbork selected for this transport had been registered, searched and expropriated, they had to board the deportation train on the camp grounds. Fred Schwarz, who had been imprisoned in Westerbork with his brother from July 1940 onwards, describes the departure in his memoirs. He recalls that the barrack leaders would typically call the deportees, and the men, women and children had to carry their luggage to the train. The Jewish camp staff (Ordnungsdienst) and the "flying column" (inmates in charge of taking the deportees to the train) helped the people onto the train. Food was distributed by the kitchen personnel and nurses usually took the invalids to the train on stretchers. Then the camp commandant would give the sign for departure. According to Fahrplananordnung (timetable order) No. 2928 dated October 29, 1942, the Nederlandse Spoorwegen announced that from November 2 the deportation trains ordered by HSSPF Rauter would depart directly from Westerbork instead of from Hooghalen. For this purpose a track had been laid from Hooghalen into the camp by Jewish inmates and Dutch railway workers from the Nederlandse Spoorwegen....