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My former wife and her sister were sent to Sweden by their parents in 1939 on the Kindertransport. The family was on a list to go to the United States in 1940. Their father appealed to the U.S. Embassey in Germany to allow them to leave in 1939. He was told they would have to wait till 1940, even though he told them that he would be dead in 1940. The Swedish authorities were willing to take the children (although at first that they didn’t want to take the oldest daughter who was about 15 years of age) if the parents could show that they had a way to get out of Germany. My ex-wife was 4 1/2 years old. The parents were able to go to England to work as domestics until they were eligible to go to the United Ststes in 1940, but were not allowed to take the children. The children lived in Malmo, Sweden until 1943, when they were sent to England. The plane that took them there was shot down on its next flight back to Sweden. While in England they were evacuated to the country side due to the 'buzz' bombs hitting London. When they went to the United States it was on a tramp steamer in 1944. They were re-united with their parents in 1944 in the United States, 5 years after being separated. My ex-wife was treated well by the family that she stayed with in Sweden which also had taken in other Jewish children. Her older sister was treated as a 'free' servant by the family that took her in. Are there any lists of those that went on the trains from Germany to Sweden? My former father-in-law had told my daughters that he had also been able to get a number of children from my ex-wife’s Hebrew School class on the train, and thus saved their lives. He managed to get his brother out of the Dachau Concentration Camp by going to Berlin and signing over all his property to the head of the SS. He had to leave Germany with his brother within 24 hours, which they did. I have documentation on the release of his brother from Dachau. Their father’s name was Max Heilmann, her name was Edith Ruth Heilmann and her sister’s name was Helga Heilmann. Their uncle that was saved was Wilhelm Heilmann. They had lived in Halberstadt, Germany. their father had served in the German Army during World War I. [Reichard]
Reichard, Mark. E-mail message, March 11, 2016.
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