Transport from Wien, Vienna, Austria to Nisko, Nisko, Lwow, Poland on 20/10/1939

On October 10, 1939 the Central Office for Jewish Emigration in Vienna (Zentralstelle fuer juedische Auswanderung) gave Dr. Loewenherz, who had been appointed by the Nazis to head the Jewish community (Israelitische Kultusgemeinde), three days to compile a list of Jews for deportation to Poland. The list consisted of between 1,000 and 1,200 people in the prime of their lives and included many Jewish craftsmen under the age of fifty-five. The deportees included Jewish emigrants to Palestine whose departure from Vienna had been delayed, a group of "Young Maccabi" members who intented to emigrate to Bolivia, Jewish prisoners released from Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps on condition that they migrate within a defined period as well as some stateless Jews. Every deportee was required to pay five Reichsmark (RM) to cover the travel expenses. The Central Office for Jewish Emigration gave orders to the Jewish community to supply the deportees with tools and food for a four-week period and to provide ten physicians, equipped with appropriate supplies and equipment, as well as ten people with "organizational skills”. Each deportee was allowed to take 300 Reichsmark and personal effects to a weight of up to 50 kg. Adolf Eichmann assured Dr. Loewenherz that relocation would be conducted in a "humanitarian" way and that the purpose of the mission was to pave the way for other Jews to follow. Supposedly, in the area between the San, Bug and Vistula rivers, Jews would be given a fresh start in life, enjoy autonomy and would be free of the restrictions imposed upon them by the Third Reich. Eichmann's assistant, SS-Obersturmfuehrer Rolf Guenther cynically remarked at the train station that people on the transport “will be grateful later”. The transport departed on October 20, 1939 at 10 PM from the Aspangbahnhof in Vienna, and arrived to Nisko in the Polish district of Lublin on October 23 at 6 AM. The transport had been planned for 1005 men, but only 912 were sent in the end. 4 of the deportees were older than 61 years. The average age of the deportees was 41. It was guarded by 34 armed uniformed policemen (Schutzpolizei) under the command of a police officer named Laude. The train stopped at Maehrisch Ostrau (Moravska Ostrava), where the deportees were allowed to drink water under police supervision. At 9:55 AM the train continued on its way passing through Jaroslaw, Katowice, Tarnow and Krakow. At Katowice the deportees' money was changed into the local currency and each received 800 zloty....