Transport, Train Da 32 from Nuernberg, Nürnberg (Nürnberg), Bavaria, Germany to Jungfernhof, Camp, Latvia on 29/11/1941

The deportation of Jews that left Nuremberg on November 29, 1941 and arrived on December 2 at the Jungfernhof camp, was the first of seven transports from Nuremberg to ghettos and extermination camps, and the second transport of German Jews to reach Riga. On October 31, the "Aussiedlung" (lit. resettlement; Nazi euphemism for the deportations) of Nuremberg's Jewish citizens had already been ordered by the RSHA together with a request for a deportation train from the "Reichsbahn" (the German railroad company). According to Alfred Gottwaldt, the empty train designated "LpDa 129" arrived in Nuremberg on November 28 from Riga (actually Kovno). It set off for the following day designated as Sonderzug (special train) "Da 32". The Nuremberg-Fuerth Gestapo, under the command of Dr. Benno Martin and his deputy Dr. Theodor Grafenberger (also head of the Gestapo's "Jewish Desk"), was in charge of all deportations from Franconia (northern Bavaria, known at the time as Main Franconia). However, the regional Gestapo offices in Wuerzburg under Ernst Gramowski, and in Bamberg under Karl Bezold, as well as police in other smaller towns and townlets of Franconia implemented the transportation from those places to Nuremberg. The Gestapo established four "Evakuierungsgruppen" (evacuation groups): for Nuremberg (I), Middle Franconia (II), Lower and Upper Franconia (III, IV), each provided with a head, a deputy, typists and at least 16 SS members. Preparations for this transport had already begun when Bernhard Kolb, executive director of the Nuremburg Jewish community, was informed by the Gestapo of the upcoming deportations on October 18, but was bound to silence. The general RSHA-guidelines recommended that Gestapo branches force the Reich Association of Jews in Germany and local Jewish leaders to assist in preparing the transports. As Bernhard Kolb recollected in 1946, the Nuremberg Gestapo, namely Christian Woesch, the right hand of Grafenberger, demanded a list of 1,000 Jews for the first transport from Franconia. After negotiations with the Jewish community the number of deportees from Nuremberg was lowered to 500. However, the Gestapo added other Jews – men, women, elderly people, children and babies – from several surrounding towns instead: Bamberg (118), Bayreuth (46), Coburg (25), Erlangen (4), Forchheim (8), Fuerth (89), Nuremberg (516) and Wuerzburg (202). In all, at least 1,008 Jews were included in the deportation....