Joseph Gans was the 4th child of Gerson Gans and Dina Rodrigues. He was an apprentice mechanic and lived still at home with his parents at Lepelstraat 62 3rd stock in Amsterdam. He was unmarried. Presumably Joseph Gans was sent to Camp Westerbork somewhere in September 1942. 5 October 1942 he was put on transport from Westerbork to Auschwitz. ”This transport of 2012 persons contained also the first contigent of 10.000 persons from the Jewish work camps. 550 persons had to leave the train at Kosel” . It is very likely that Joseph Gans belonged to the group of men, who were forcedly unloaded at the Kosel depot, to be “employed” as forced labourer in the surrounding camps. Eventually, Joseph Gans lost his life at Bergen Belsen 31 May 1945.
The period between 28 August till 12 December 1942 was known as the so-called “Cosel-period”. Named as such, as a number of transports with deported Jews from Belgium, France and Holland were stopped at Cosel station, about 80 km west from Auschwitz, where the Germans unloaded men who were suitable to work in the surrounding camps in the region. Those who remained in the train, were send on to Auschwitz.
During this period, about 9000 men from 39 trains to Auschwitz, were taken there by the Germans. From them, 3500 men in 18 trains came from Westerbork. Only 700-900 have survived the war and from those 3500 men from Westerbork, only 181, and from them, 126 from the camp Blechhammer.
The freight station/depot of Cosel, the location were selections took place, has not changed significantly since 1942. On 2 September 2016, a monument to commemorate the victims, was revealed by survivors of the victims.
About Cosel/Kozel:website https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kozle
Other sources: Cityh Archive of Amsterdam, archive card of Joseph Gans and Gerson Gans; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Joseph Gans en de website https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijst_van_Jodentransporten_vanuit_Nederland.