On 16 October 1942, a deportation train left Westerbork for Auschwitz with a total of 1710 deportees. During a stop in Cosel, ±80 km west of Auschwitz, 570 "arbeitsfähige" (labor suitable) boys and men were forced to leave the train and were generally of the age group of ±15 to 50 years, in some individual cases something older.
Those who remained on the train to be transported to Auschwitz were, broadly speaking, the older, weak or sickly men and the women and children. In general it can be said that the latter groups were gassed immediately upon arrival at Auschwitz.
The route followed by most of the transport (camps in which the 570 boys and men have stayed successively): St.Annaberg or Sakrau - Bobrek or Malapane - Blechhammer and further a few to Bismarckhütte/Monowitz. A separate group to the Gross Rosen resort.
From the 16 October 1942 transport, arriving in Blechhammer:
A): 10 representatives at different times (Oct. '42, Mar. '43 and Feb. and Mar. '44) from Bobrek. The transports of October '42 and February and March '44 included 5, 50 and 100 to 150 Dutchmen respectively. Of the 10 representatives referred to, 4 went along with the evacuation transport and 3 were liberated in Blechhammer. Furthermore, 1 left in September 1943 and 1 in November 1944 to Bismarckhütte, and 1 in November 1944 to St.Annaberg.
B): 1 representative (x) on 15-4-'43 from St.Annaberg via Sakrau.
C): 1 representative (x) on 26-5-'43 from St.Annaberg as "Sanitäter" (paramedic)
D): 4 representatives in March/April '44 from Malapane with probably ±20 Dutch people. Of these 3 (A, B and C), 2 went with the evacuation transport and 2 were liberated in Blechhammer.
E): 1 representative (xx) in May '43 from Reigersfeld (or Sackenhoym) with 24 Dutch people.
F): 1 representative (x) ± 4-20-'43 from Anthoniehütte, via St.Annaberg.
G): 2 representatives (x) at the end of May '43 from Sakrau with 200 Dutchmen.
H): 1 representative in the summer of '44 from Auschwitz (in a special function). He fled from Blechhammer in November '44.
I): 1 representative (x) on 31-8-'43 from Brande
J): 1 representative (xx) on 3/23/44 from the Börsigwerke" in Breslau-Hundsfeld
K): 1 representative on 17-8-'43 from Laurahütte. This left on 19-12-'43 to Bismarckhütte.
L): 1 representative on unknown date from unknown place. Further route also unknown. (x) Joined the evacuation transport(xx) Liberated in Blechhammer.
From the 16 October 1942 transport, arriving in the Gross Rosen resort:
A): 1 representative on 22-11-'42 from Sakrau in Tränke, with 70 Dutchmen, of which 30 from St. Annaberg. Worked in Tränke as an electrician. Further route: 14-12-'43 to Wisau with 64 Dutchmen. 29-2- '44 to Kittlitztreben, as an electrician, with 2 other Dutchmen. 10-2-'45 liberated there.
B): 1 rep. on 17-1-‘43 from Ottmuth in Neukirch with 100 to 120 Dutch people. Further route: Oct. '43 to Görlitz with ±8 Dutch people. 15-3-‘44 to Kittlitztreben. 9-2-'45 on evacuation transport to Buchenwald.
C): 1 rep. start Mar. ’43 from Johannsdorf in Ludwigsdorf (probably a small transport). Further route: July '43 via Faulbrück to Graditz. May '44 back to Ludwigsdorf. Aug.'44 to Faulbrück and shortly afterwards to Sportschule Reichenbach, where liberated.
From the 16 October 1942 transport, arriving in the Auschwitz resort:
A): 1 representative on unknown date after 1-4-'44 from Blechhammer in Bismarckhütte. Transferred to Monowitz on unknown date, where 27-1-'45 liberated.
B): 1 rep. in '44 from St.Annaberg in Birkenau (correct date not given). Joined the evacuation transport.
C): 1 rep. in the autumn of 1943 from Bobrek in Auschwitz. Was transferred to Blechhammer in the summer of 1944, where he fled on 8-11-'44.
D): 1 rep. on 8-11-'44 from Blechhammer in Bismarckhütte with 70 to 80 Dutch people. From Bismarckhütte was employed as a welder in Königshütte (daily back and forth). Joined the evacuation transport via Gleiwitz.
E): 1 rep. on 20-12-‘43 from Blechhammer in Bismarckhutte. Was transferred to Jawischowitz in the summer of 1944 and from there to Adorf on 12/17/44. Joined the evacuation transport.
The individual transports from the 16 October 1942 transport:
About half of this (large) transport (± 570 men disembarked in Cosel) was also taken from Cosel to St. Annaberg and the other half to Sakrau. Subsequently, in October 1942, by far the largest part of the transport was divided between the camps Bobrek and Malapane. A smaller transport (a total of 70 men, of which 40 from Sakrau and 30 from St. Annaberg, however, not all of the present transport, but partly of the transports of 23 and 30-10-1942 and of 16-11-1942), went ±22-11-'42 to the Gross Rosen district (Tränke and later to Wisau and Bunzlau). Thanks to extensive information provided by returnees, almost all names of this last transport and also their (probable) dates of death are known.
Even smaller groups and individuals in special functions have followed an exceptional route (via Reigersfeld, Anthoniehütte, Breslau-Hundsfeld, Laurahütte or Königshütte-Johannsdorf-Johannsdorf-Brande to Blechhammer, or via Ottmuth-Neukirch or Königshütte-Johannsdorf-Ludwigsdorf to the resort Gross Rosen), but these are separate cases and should be treated as such. The main thing is therefore to draw a general conclusion for those who have been deported to Bobrek and Malapane. There are also quite extensive data from these camps, from which the individual fate of numerous people can be determined.Many died in the camps mentioned or were put on sickness transport. The survivors were transferred to Blechhammer around 23 March 1944, when the Bobrek and Malapane camps were abolished. A total of 129 men were found in Blechhammer.
For those who have not been spotted in Blechhammer and about whom nothing else is known, the conclusion can therefore only be drawn that they must have died no later than the end of March 1944, while in view of possible unknown dislocations the place of death would have been note: "one of the labor camps in Silesia (Poland)".
After Blechhammer, more groups were taken to Bismarckhütte/Monowitz. For them and for those found in Blechhammer, about whom no further individual data are known, the general conclusions as already mentioned in paragraphs 12 and 13 of this chapter apply.
Summary of the conclusions re. the transport of 16-10-1942. (Annex III):
Those who did not disembark in Cosel, unless it appears that they have lived longer, must be presumed to have died on or about 19 October 1942 in Auschwitz II (Birkenau).
Those who traveled directly to Auschwitz and who did not die immediately upon arrival, must be deemed to have died in or in the vicinity of Auschwitz after October 19, 1942, but no later than February 28, 1943.
Those who have been placed on a patient transport from any camp and who have not been heard from since then, must be deemed to have died in the course of the month in which the patient transport departed. The place of death for those who were deported from Blechhammer: Auschwitz II (Birkenau) and for those who left from other camps: “one of the labor or concentration camps in Silesia (Poland)”.
Unless it appears otherwise in individual cases and with due observance of the general conclusions stated, the men of the transport of 16-10-1942 who disembarked in Cosel must be deemed to have died after October 19, 1942, but no later than March 31, 1944 in “one of the labor camps in Silesia (Poland)”.
Source: Abbreviated and best possible excerpt of the 16 October 1942 transport from the publication "Auschwitz III", including pages 8, 12, 13, 24, 25, 30, 31, paragraph III pages 35, 36, 48, 49 and Appendix III.
Dates to be read as dd-mm-yyyy