Hungarian Jews deported to Auschwitz

Recently the German historians Christian Gerlach and Götz Aly discovered a document which helps us to assess the number of the Hungarian Jews deported to Auschwitz, who were not gassed upon arrival, but rather were selected as fit for work and provisionally spared.

The document is mentioned in the book Das letzte Kapitel and comes from Yad Vashem archives. It is "The list of the transports (males) to concentration camp Auschwitz II Birkenau, arriving from 16 May to 20 September 1944" ("Zusammenstellung der in der Zeit vom 16.V. bis 20.9.1944 im Konzentrationslager Auschwitz II Birkenau eingetroffenen Transporte /Maenner/"). According to the document, it was typed on 5 August 1945 in Lambach, and Leo Glaser, director of the Austrian Insurance Company in Vienna ("Direktor der Versicherungsanstalt der österreichischen Bundesländer, Wien") confirmed its correctness. This 6-page document consists of the numbers of male Jews selected for labour from the transports coming to Auschwitz from May to September, 1944. Its value lies in the fact that it lists not only the registered Jews, but also the so-called "depot Jews" (Durchgangsjuden), who were neither killed nor registered on arrival.

According to Gerlach and Aly, 55,937 male Jews from Hungary were selected for labour from 16 May to 11 July. After examining the document, we can say that the authors are wrong, and only about 52,000 Hungarian Jews are listed for this period.

The authors reason that if these males constituted 50% of all Hungarian Jews selected for work, about 110,000 Hungarian Jews were selected for labour.

They prove that their assumption is reasonable by referring to Oswald Pohl's 24 May report to Himmler, according to which 50% of the Jews selected for work were women. They also list other pieces of evidence, supporting their hypothesis. For example, they refer to the statement by Dieter Wisliceny, who claimed that 458,000 Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschwitz during the Hungarian action (this number is too high) and that 108,000 of them were selected for work. According to the authors, both Hoess and Wisliceny estimated after the war that 25 to 30 percent of the Hungarian Jews were selected for labour.

Gerlach and Aly have found that 4 transports with about 15,000 Hungarian Jews were re-directed to Strasshof. Assuming that Veesenmayer’s figure of 437,402 deported Jews is correct, and subtracting 15,000 Jews who went to Strasshof and 104,000 Jews not gassed upon arrival, and rounding the result, we can conclude that about 320,000 Hungarian Jews were gassed, not about 400,000, as has been assumed by historians.

Since this drastic reduction is based on Glaser's list (as we shall refer to this document), one should ask whether this list is trustworthy. The main apparent problem with the document is that we don't know why it was prepared and on which sources it is based. But the trustworthiness and authenticity of the data in the document can be checked against Danuta Czech's "Auschwitz Chronicle", which lists the numbers of registered prisoners (but not of the depot inmates). The comparison table is in Appendix I.

From the comparison it follows that many transports listed in Glaser's list are not mentioned by Czech and vice versa. But it is also evident that the numbers of registered prisoners do correspond exactly or very closely in many instances.

The first conclusion does not prove that Glaser’s list is unreliable, because we should not assume that we have full information about the transports. The second conclusion proves that Glaser based his list on the sources from Birkenau, because, obviously, the correspondence of many entries in Glaser’s list to entries in Czechs “Auschwitz Chronicle” cannot be a coincidence. This is confirmed by several testimonies, which establish that Leo Glaser was a Kapo in the prisoners clothing chamber (Haeftlingsbekleindungskammer) in Birkenau (see Appendix II), and thus could easily have had an access to the information about the arrivals in Birkenau.

But since we know that Glaser did not mention many actual transports in his list, can we assume that his list of Hungarian transports is complete? The most complete list until now - the list of the Hungarian transports passing through Kosice - contains 136 entries for the period of 14 May to 9 July. Glaser’s list has 142 relevant entries for the period of 16 May to 11 July (Gerlach and Aly erroneously state that 141 transports are listed; if we disregard two entries which state that 3 and 5 Jews were selected, then there are 140 transports; if we take them into account, then we have 142 transports). Thus, Glaser’s information is the most complete.

Gerlach and Aly verify Glaser’s reliability in yet another way. They refer to the 1 July 1945 deposition of Otto Robicsek, who on 26 June 1944 had been deported from Oradea and selected for forced labour in a group of 206 men. A train with 206 selected men indeed appears three days later in Glaser’s list (three days represents the average time the trains had been in transit). There is also a correspondence between Glaser’s list and the Kosice lists. For example, there is a pause in deportations between 16 June and 25 June in the Kosice lists and between 18 June and 27 June in Glaser’s list.

Thus we can conclude that Leo Glaser’s list of Hungarian transports is indeed generally correct, and thus the number of the Hungarian Jews gassed in Birkenau upon arrival during the Hungarian action must be reduced to about 320,000.

APPENDIX I:

Table of comparison of the data in Glaser’s list with the information from D. Czech’s Auschwitz Chronicle (1989).

Month	Day	Qnty. of the depor-tees	Nationality	Total monthly sum	Qnty. of the Hungarian Jews	Hungarian action transport nos (16.5-11.7)	Correspondences with Czech	Comments
May	16	221	Hungarian Jews			1
	"	173	"			2
	17	247	"			3
	"	14	Polish Jews					46 prisoners from Kattowitz were registered that day, possibly these 14 are part of this group.
	18	309	Hungarian Jews			4
	"	441	"			5
	"	484	"			6
	"	33	"			7
	19	581	"			8
	"	468	"			9
	"	507	"			10
	20	503	"			11
	"	647	"			12		The first digit is not typed clearly, it could also be 5.
	"	19	Polish Jews				20.5: "19 prisoners sent in a group transport receive Nos. 188041-188059."
	"	992	Hungarian Jews			13
	21	412	"			14
	"	5	Polish Jews
	"	127	Hungarian Jews			15
	"	556	"			16
	"	362	"			17
	"	395	"			18
	22	487	"			19
	"	368	"			20
	"	471	"			21
	"	575	"			22
	23	205	"			23
	"	196	"			24
	"	345	"			25
	"	575	"			26
	24	499	"			27
	"	630	"			28
	"	288	Russians				24.5: "288 male and 202 female prisoners sent by the Minsk Sipo and SD receive Nos. 188089-188376 and Nos. 79626-79827."
	"	494	Hungarian Jews			29
	"	470	"			30
	25	224	"			31
	"	515	"			32
	"	528	"			33
	"	529	"			34
	"	2	Gypsies				25.5: "Two German Gypsies receive Nos. Z-10036 and Z-10037."
	"	510	Hungarian Jews			35
	26	551	"			36
	"	1	German Jew
	"	485	Hungarian Jews			37
	"	674	"			38
	"	509	"			39
	"	500	"			40
	27	528	"			41
	"	606	"			42
	"	520	"			43
	"	635	"			44		The first digit is not typed clearly, but most probably it is 6.
	"	441	"			45
	28	479	"			46
	"	625	"			47
	"	455	"			48
	"	477	"			49
	"	499	"			50
	"	282	"			51
	"	211	"			52
	"	304	"			53
	"	155	"			54
	30	506	"			55
	"	170	"			56
	"	457	"			57
	"	554	"			58
	31	538	"			59
	"	592	"			60
	"	2	Gypsies				31.5: "Two German Gypsies receive Nos. Z-10041 and Z-10042."
	"	466	Hungarian Jews	27629	27298	61
June	1	429	"			62
	"	519	"			63
	"	426	"			64
	"	696	"			65
	"	165	"			66
	"	277	Russians				1.6: "277 male prisoners and 204 female prisoners sent to the camp by the Minsk Sipo and SD and Mobile Kommando 9 are given Nos. 188589-188865 and 79892-79999, 81474-81493, 81495-81561 and 81563-81571."
	2	620	Hungarian Jews			67
	"	510	"			68
	"	379	"			69
	"	5	Gypsies				2.6: "Five female Gypsies from Czechoslovakia receive Nos. Z-10043-Z-10047."	Although Czech writes about female Gypsies, their numbers are from male series. Either Czech is mistaken, or for unknown reason 5 female Gypsies were registered under male numbers.
	"	419	Hungarian Jews			70
	3	576	"			71
	"	543	"			72
	"	497	"			73
	"	1	Gypsies				3.6: "Heinrich Adler, born in the Gypsy camp in Birkenau, receives No. Z-10792."
	"	286	Hungarian Jews			74
	"	443	"			75
	"	363	"			76
	"	3	Italians				3.6: "Jews arrive in an RSHA transport from Italy. … Three prisoners in this transport, from Trieste, are kept. They receive Nos. 188896-188898."
	"	358	Hungarian Jews			77
	"	496	"			78
	5	441	"			79
	"	404	"			80
	"	416	"			81
	"	397	"			82
	6	441	"			83
	"	524	"			84
	"	401	"			85
	7	376	"			86
	"	328	"			87
	"	269	"			88
	"	444	"			89
	8	405	"			90
	"	138	"			91
	9	280	"			92
	"	279	"			93
	10	166	"			94
	"	5	Gypsies
	11	329	Hungarian Jews			95
	12	3	"			96
	"	5	"			97
	"	84	"			98
	13	111	"			99
	"	162	"			100
	"	59	"			101
	14	208	"			102
	"	66	"			103
	"	389	"			104
	15	172	"			105
	"	256	"			106
	"	62	"			107
	"	620	"			108
	16	53	"			109
	"	9	Italian Jews				16.6: "Nine male Jews and 29 female Jews who arrive in an RSHA transport from Trieste are given Nos. A-14298-A-14306 and A-7225-A-7253."
	"	12	German Jews				16.6: "12 Jewish prisoners who arrive in an RSHA transport from Berlin receive Nos. A-14307-A-14318."
	"	355	Hungarian Jews			110
	17	195	"			111
	"	190	"			112
	"	5	Gypsies
	"	353	Hungarian Jews			113
	"	207	"			114
	18	405	"			115
	"	255	"			116
	26	17	Jewish "Mischlinge"
	27	215	Hungarian Jews			117
	28	2	Yugoslavian Jews					Czech notes that 112 female prisoners from Yugoslavia and Greece arrive.
	"	6	German Jews				29.6: "Six Jews, given Nos. A-15223-A-15228, are admitted to the camp after selection from an RSHA transport of 38 Jews from Wien."
	"	232	Hungarian Jews			118		The first digit is not typed clearly, it could also be 3.
	29	236	"			119
	"	206	"			120
	"	193	"			121
	"	12	Polish Jews
	"	5	"
	"	203	Hungarian Jews			122
	30	509	Greek Jews					Transport of 2,044 Jews from Corfu and Athens arrives. 446 men are registered.
	"	180	Italian Jews	20306	19258		30.6: "Nearly 1,000 Jews arrive in an RSHA transport from the Fossoli di Carpi transit camp. After the selection, 180 men, given Nos. A-15677-A-15856, and 51 women, given Nos. A-8457-A-8507, are admitted to the camp."
July	1	318	Hungarian Jews			123
	"	50	"			124
	"	339	"			125
	"	6	Russians
	"	2	German Jews
	"	1000	Czech Jews
	"	5	Italians					On July 1 five prisoners from the group transport are registered. On the next day four prisoners sent by the Trieste Sipo and SD are registered.
	4	400	Czech Jews
	"	398	French Jews				4.7: "After the selection from the seventy-sixth RSHA transport from France, from the Drancy camp, which arrived with 1,100 men, women and children, 398 men and 223 women, given Nos. A-16537-A-16934 and A-8508-A-8730, are admitted to the camp."
	6	2	Gypsies
	7	44	Russian POWs				7.7: "44 Russian POWs who are transferred from the POW camp in Lamsdorf to Auschwitz receive Nos. RKG-11574-RKG-11617."
	"	288	Hungarian Jews			126
	"	219	"			127
	8	300	"			128
	"	209	"			129
	"	356	"			130
	"	361	"			131
	"	335	"			132
	9	259	"			133
	"	193	"			134
	"	220	"			135
	"	85	"			136
	10	248	"			137
	"	183	"			138
	"	125	Czech Jews
	"	299	Hungarian Jews			139
	"	378	"			140
	11	426	"			141
	"	409	"			142
	14	10	German Jews				13.7: "After the selection of the 55. East-transport from Berlin, 10 men, given Nos. A-17533-A-17542, and six women, given Nos. A-9787-A-9792, are admitted to the camp."
	"	2	Italian Jews				14.7: "After the selection frm an RSHA transport from Trieste, two men, given Nos. A-17543-A-17544, and seven women, given Nos. A-9793-A-9799, are admitted to the camp."
	"	1	Gypsies
	19	3	"
	"	9	Polish Jews				18.7: "Nine men, given A-17547-A-17555, are admitted to the camp. After the selection from an RSHA transport from Sosnowitz of 47 Jews."
	22	371	Hungarian Jews
	"	11	"
	"	8	Poles					Mixed transport from Budapest arrives with 150 Poles and Polish Jews, of whom 21 males and 12 females are registered. Also, 25 prisoners from the group transport are registered. It is possible that 8 Poles were part of these groups.
	"	34	Russian POWs				23.7: "34 Russian POWs who were sent from Tschenstochau are given Nos. RKG-11618-RKG-11651."
	23	85	Polish Jews				23.7: "85 Jews, given Nos. A-17592-A-17676, are admitted to the camp after the selection from an RSHA transport from Ludwigsdorf."
	25	25	Poles					Four Poles and 23 Polish Jews are registered. Possibly, the list refers to them in this instance.
	"	2	Hungarian Jews
	26	1	Gypsies
	28	463	Polish Jews				27.7: "463 male Jews who were selected from an evacuation transport from the labour camp in Pustkow near Debica receive Nos. A-17954-A-18416."
	"	376	Poles				28.7: "378 male prisoners and 52 female prisoners who were sent from Radom by the Sipo and SD receive Nos. 189762-190139 and 82806-82857."
	"	21	Russian POWs				28.7: "20 Russian POWs who were sent to the camp from Radom receive Nos. RKG-11652-RKG-11671."
	"	3	Russian Gypsies
	29	684	32 French, 182 Germans, 243 Poles, 227 Jews				28.7: "An evacuation transport with male and female prisoners from Majdanek arrives in Auschwitz II. …Of the more than 1,000 evacuees, 681 men (among them 229 male Jews) and 165 female Jews arrive in Auschwitz. The 229 male Jews from Majdanek and a male Jews from the Pustkow labour camp receive Nos. A-18417-A-18646. The following day the female Jews are given Nos. A-13827-A-13982. The remaining 452 prisoners receive Nos. 190188-190639."
	"	2	Gypsies				28.7: "Two children are born in the Gypsy Family Camp, B-IIe."
	30	1298	Polish Jews				30.7: "1,298 men, given Nos. A-8647-A-9944, and 409 women, given Nos. A-13983-A-14391, are admitted to the camp after the selection from an RSHA transport of Polish Jews from labour camps in the Radom district."	The numbers Czech gives in this edition are wrong. In a later edition the numbers are A-18647-A-19944.
	31	26	Russians
	"	2	Hungarian Jews				30.7: "Two Jews sent from Hungary receive Nos. A-19945 and A-19946."
	"	25	Poles					51 prisoners from Radom are registered. If to 25 Poles we add 26 "Russians" (see above) we get 51 persons.
	"	1198	Polish Jews	12117	5861		31.7: "51 prisoners sent from Radom by the Sipo and SD receive Nos. 190656-190706. … 1,147 [sic] and 817 women are admitted to the camp after the selection from an RSHA transport of approximately 3,000 Jewish men and women from the forced labour camp for Jews in Pionki in the Radom District. The men receive Nos. B-1-B-1147..."	If we add 51 to 1,147, we get 1,198. 1,147 prisoners received numbers from the newly created B series. Before that the Jews were being given the numbers from A series, so it would seem that 51 prisoners were not Jews. However, there are many instances (including those in this table) of Jews who were given numbers not in A or B series in this particular period. (For the alternative interpretation of this number see above).
August		1616	Jews				31.7: "1,614 male Jews, given Nos. B-1160-B-2773, and 715 female Jews, given Nos. A-15211-A-15925, are admitted to the camp after the selection from an RSHA transport from Blizyn, an auxiliary camp of Majdanek."
	"	129	Polish Jews (children)				1.8: "129 Jewish boys from the ghetto in Kaunas who were transferred from Dachau to Auschwitz in an RSHA transport receive Nos. B-2774-B-2902."
	"	547	"				2.8: "Nos. B-2903-B-3449 are given to 547 Jews selected from an RSHA transport from the forced labour camp for Jews in Kielce."
	3	6	Italian Jews				3.8: "38 female prisoners and six male prisoners sent from Trieste by the Sipo and SD are given Nos. 82943-82980 and 190708-190713."	Although the numbers are not from A series, it cannot be excluded that these prisoners were Jews (cf. September 5 entry, for example).
	"	10	Misc. Jews				3.8: "After the selection from an RSHA transport from Trieste, which arrives with 49 Jews, 10 men are admitted to the camp and are given Nos. A-19952-A-19961."
	4	1441	Polish Jews				4.8: "1,443 male Jews who were selected from an RSHA transport from the forced labour camp for Jews in Ostrowiec, in the Radom District, receive Nos. B-3964-B-5406."
	"	109	Russian POWs				5.8: "109 Russian POWs who are transferred from the POW camp in Lamsdorf receive Nos. RKG-11672-RKG-11780."
	5	46	Polish Jews
	"	1432	"
	"	9	French Jews
	6	43	Polish Jews
	"	129	"
	"	140	"
	7	114	"
	"	344	Hungarian Jews
	"	23	Polish Jews				8.8: "The previous day, a transport of the RSHA with 165 men from an auxiliary camp of Gross-Rosen arrived. After the selection 23 Jews are admitted to the camp as prisoners and receive Nos. B-5546-B-5568."
	8	9	Italian "Mischlinge"
	"	2	Gypsies
	"	80	Italian Jews				8.8: "23 female Italian Jews and 80 male Italian Jews who are selected from an RSHA transport probably receive the Nos. 83018-83040 and B-5594-B-5673."
	"	148	Polish Jews					137 Jews from the forced labour camp in Pustkow are registered (B-5409-B-5545).
	9	288	Polish Jews from Lodz
	10	415	"
	11	16	"
	"	539	"
	"	440	"
	13	643	"
	14	1859	Polish Jews from Warsaw
	15	473	Polish Jews from Lodz
	16	496	"
	"	346	Greek Jews from Rhodes				16.8: "Approximately 2,500 Jews arrive in RSHA transport from the island of Rhodes. 346 men, given Nos. B-7159-B-7504, and 254 women, given Nos. A-24215-A-24468, are admitted to the camp."
	17	8	Croatian Jews from Lodz
	"	412	Polish Jews from Kattowitz
	"	10	"
	18	598	Polish Jews from Lodz
	19	434	"
	20	522	"
	21	469	"
	22	688	"
	23	557	"
	24	477	"
	"	435	"
	25	598	"
	"	546	"
	26	748	"
	"	589	"
	27	788	"
	"	545	"
	28	630	"
	"	568	"
	29	265	"
	"	784	"
	30	483	"
	"	925	"
	31	184	"
	"	245	"
	"	28	"
	"	116	French "Mischlinge" from Lyon	24544	344
September	2	6	Slovak Jews				1.9: "An RSHA transport of Jews arrives from Cadcy in Slowenia. After the selection, six men, given Nos. B-8202-B-8209, and eight women, given Nos. A-24982-A-24989, are admitted to the camp."	Most probably, Slovenia was confused with Slovakia.
	"	72	French Jews from Lyon
	3	5	Austrian Jews from Vienna				4.9: "From the 43 men delivered from an RSHA transport from Wien, five Jews are admitted to the camp and are given Nos. B-9103-B-9107."
	5	258	Dutch Jews from Amsterdam				5.9: "1,019 Jews arrive from Westerbork camp in an RSHA transport from Holland. … After the selection, 258 men, given Nos. B-9108-B-9365, and 212 women, given Nos. A-25060-A-25271, are admitted as prisoners to the camp."
	"	1995	Poles from Warsaw				4.9: "A second transport arrives from the transit camp in Pruszkow…. In it are 1955 men and boys who receive Nos. 193334-195288…"	Possibly, Glaser's typo.
	6	32	French Jews from Clermont-Ferrand				5.9: "32 French Jews, also some Belgian citizens, who were selected from an RSHA transport from Lyon receive Nos. 195464-195495."
	7	13	Italian Jews from Trieste				7.9: "Of the 69 Jews who arrive in an RSHA transport from Trieste, 13 are admitted to the camp as prisoners and are given Nos. B-9739-B-9751."
	8	17	German Jews from Berlin				7.9: "15 male Jews, given Nos. B-9752-B-9766, and 15 female Jews, given Nos. A-25341-A-25355, were selected from the fifty-seventh RSHA East-transport from Berlin."
	13	932	Poles from Warsaw				13.9: "The third transport arrives with civilians from the Pruszkow transit camp … 929 men and boys, given Nos. 195496-196424, and approximately 900 women and girls arrive with the transports."
	19	3022	"				17.9: "The fourth transport of civilians arrested since the outbreak of the Warsaw uprising arrives from the Pruszkow transit camp. In this transport there are 3,021 men and boys, who receive Nos. 196448-199468. They are put in Quarantine Camp B-IIa."
	20	31	Slovak Jews				20.9: "From the 177 Jews who arrive in an RSHA transport from Slovakia, 31 men are admitted to the camp and given Nos. B-10423-B-10453."
	"	8	Hungarian Jews from Budapest	6391	8		20.9: "From the 60 Jews who arrive in an RSHA transport from Budapest, eight men are admitted to the camp and are given Nos. 199522-199529."
Total:	Total:			90987	52769

APPENDIX II:

Witness statements mentioning Leo Glaser.

Statement of Wilhelm Boger in Ludwigsburg on 5 July 1945:
“Sie kennen am besten meine Arbeit und mein Verhalten gegenüber Häftlingen: Herr Direktor Leo Glaser, geboren 12.7.1893 in Brüx, aus Wien, zuletzt KZ Mauthausen, Arbeitslager Melk a.D., sein Aufenthalt dürfte durch seine geschiedene erste Gattin, einer Tochter des Delikatessengeschäfts-Inhabers Böhm, Stuttgart, Calwerstraße, leicht zu ermitteln sein. Dieser Ehe entstammt ein Sohn.”

Statement of Kurt Knuth-Siebenlist in Hamburg on 3 December 1959:
“Als weitere Zeugen für das Verhalten und die Tätigkeit von Broad möchte ich angeben: Generaldirektor Leo Glaser, ehemaliger Kapo der Häftlingsbekleidungskammer in Birkenau, jetzt wohnhaft in Wien, sowie Dr. Hans Eisenschimmel, Hilfskapo und Schreiber des Effektenlagers in Birkenau, jetzt Rechtsanwalt in Wien.”

Statement of Dr. Otto Wolken during the 20^th day of the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial (27 February 1964):
“Das war festgetretener Lehm. Und wenn es geregnet hat, dann ist man in diesem Dreck mit den Füßen steckengeblieben, wenn man nicht wie ich öfters in die »Sauna« hinübergekommen ist, also dort, wo die Kleidungsstücke ausgegeben wurden: Dort war ein Wiener, ein gewisser Glaser, der Kapo, und zu dem habe ich gesagt: »Geh, ich bitte dich, schau, in was für Schuhwerk ich renn'!« Und der hat mir so ein Paar Kanadierstiefel gegeben, also mit denen habe ich schon treten können. Aber die, die in diesen holländischen Holzschlapfen nur - und das war ja die Lagerbekleidung - gegangen sind, wenn so ein Regenwetter war, die haben dauernd die Schuhe verloren. Die sind steckengeblieben im Dreck und wieder barfuß weitergegangen.”

Hungarian Jews deported to Auschwitz

Last Update 18 September 2006