I am trying to fill in some gaps, as my grandmother who is a survivor
from Auschwitz and was liberated i believe by the Russians in January
1945 There are a couple of things which she seems unsure about or does
not remember such as how come she was still in Auscwitz then when most
people had been taken on a 'death march' into Germany, And then if it
were the Russians who liberated her how come she ended up in Sweden
rather than taken back into Russia? And i am trying to gather info as
she is recently become fairly eager to talk and i just feel if i had
more info i could ask her the right questions. Once i get an answer
from this as this is the first time using this service i have lots
more questions on Auscwitz and about my grandma in particular, she
mentions the fact that the red cross were there, and i dont think she
is sure how long it took but she ended up in Sweden in care, I also
want to know if there is any way one can trace inmates of Auscwitz by
the number she has on her arm, as she had a friend who was number
different than hers. Many thanks and hope to hear from you soon.

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Clarification of Question by nejoshie-ga on 02 Feb 2005 04:13 PST

Also wondering as My grandma seems fairly willing to talk about her
experiences in Auscwitz and the Ghettos before,(she was in Auscwitz
for one and half years!) and she has never before just kept it bottled
inside for 60 years whether i could find someone experienced to
interview her fully as when i try she talks but hard to steer her to
the answer the right questions as i dont know all the facts!!

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Request for Question Clarification by cynthia-ga on 01 Mar 2005 00:19 PST

nejoshie,

I noticed your Question is expiring soon, and we were unable to assist
you.  Since it appears your Grandmother's story and others like her,
is largely undocumented, why not get her story in full, as much as she
can remember, and post it here as a Comment...  I, for one, would love
to read it.

After your Question expires, you can still Comment (as can anyone),
but there will be no "Answer" button available to the GA Researchers.

That way, others can find her story online. In any event, get the
story.  It's history.

~~Cynthia

PS, I posted this as a clarification to alert you via email to read this...

Hello nejoshie,

I couldn't find much evidence of people being moved to Sweden after
the liberation of Auschwitz, but I did find this...

"Red Cross evacuates about 7,000 women from Ravensbrück to Sweden"
http://www.ravensbrueck.de/mgr/english/camp/


"on 27 January 1945 -- Soviet Red Army soldiers liberated the few
remaining inmates of Auschwitz-Birkenau."
http://rfe.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/01/58a75845-d54f-413b-bc87-74cd903d51df.html

"There were 5,800 prisoners, including 611 children, left behind by
the Nazis at Birkenau, and 1,200 abandoned to the Russians at
Auschwitz I. The Nazis had marched approximately 60,000 of the
prisoners in the three Auschwitz camps to other camps farther west, as
the Soviet army approached. The last of the prisoners to be evacuated
were marched out of the camp on the evening of January 18, 1945. This
was a "death march" with those who couldn't keep up being shot and
left alongside the road, including SS guards, according to a survivor.
Those who were too young, too old or too sick were left in the camp.
The VIP prisoners, a group of famous scientists and intellectuals,
were also left behind. According to Otto Frank, the father of Anne
Frank who was a prisoner at the Auschwitz I camp, the prisoners were
given the choice of whether to join the march or stay behind"
http://www.scrapbookpages.com/Poland/Birkenau/Birkenau04.html

Very best regards

THX1138

Yale University has an ongoing project to collect the testimonies of
Holocaust survivors.  You might contact Yale or one of its affiliates
in your area.

http://www.library.yale.edu/testimonies/about/concept.html
http://www.library.yale.edu/testimonies/about/taping.html
http://www.library.yale.edu/testimonies/about/affiliate.html

Nejoshie,
It's possible that your grandmother's case is among the many
undocumented events in history. I believe most recorded history is but
a small percentage of actually happened, and many isolated cases,
unknown grand scale cases, or otherwise, have escaped the notice of
most historians. Perhaps something will turn up soon on that case of
Auschwitz survivors being brought by Russians to Sweden.