Copy report of transport of Jews from Düsseldorf to Minsk

This is an apparently authentic certified copy of a report about a transport of Jews from Düsseldorf to Minsk, which commenced on 10 November 1941. The author was Hauptmann der Schutzpolizei, Meurin. The document is countersigned by Oberwachtmeister der Sch[utzpolizei?] [illegible]. Whilst the addressee is not explicit, the tenor of the report and the list of recommendations for future transports in the penultimate section suggest that it was written for the attention of the Gestapo, Düsseldorf, ie the organisation responsible for deporting the city's Jews. The description of the embarkation point on the first page of the report, Güterbahnhof Düsseldorf-Derendorf is the same as that of the 22 April 1942 transport to Izbica. The detailed description including the precise route taken; the length of time at each station and the necessity to deviate from the planned path due to threat of attack from 'partisans' all suggest that the report is genuine. Similarly the description of the inhuman conditions and the disproportionate space given to descriptions of attacks on guards by deportees lend credence to it. Finally the recommendations for improvement including the provision of more food and alcohol, more warm clothing, torches and better weapons and protective gear for the guards are further evidence as to the authenticity. Altogether 5895 Jews were deported from Düsseldorf, most of them between Autumn 1941 and Summer 1942. This was the only transport to Minsk from Düsseldorf, the other destinations being Theresienstadt, Riga, Litzmannstadt and Izbica.  Open