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februari 1945

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april 1945

maj 1945

October 1944. The Allied troops have finally entered German territory after fierce fighting. Slowly and gradually, it dawns on the German commanders that they are losing the war. The risk is growing that the Nazis will try to erase all traces of their crimes, killing all the concentration camp prisoners. Life in Nazi Germany is dangerous, and Sweden wants to bring home all Scandinavians.<br>Danes, Norwegians, and Swedes are working together to save as many as possible before disaster strikes. The White Buses may be the salvation.<br>Here you can read more about the White Buses. Follow some of the people who worked on the buses and learn more about their stories.

The White Buses

The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) asks whether Sweden can provide care and sanctuary for an additional 10,000 former camp prisoners from Bergen-Belsen. The Civil Defence Board and the Swedish Red Cross recruit volunteer personnel, and on June 19 the expedition, the so-called Lübeck Detachment, is launched, led by Dr. Arnoldsson.

Additional assistance

1945-05-05

The last former prisoners are transported by ferry from Copenhagen to Malmö. The Red Cross expedition has thereby rescued approximately 15,500 people from the German camps. Just over half are Scandinavians. They have also evacuated about 1,500 German-Swedes. On the same day, Denmark is liberated.

The last transport

1945-05-04

A freight train from Germany arrives in Padborg with approximately 2,800 women. They are said to be women from various camps near Hamburg, as well as from Ravensbrück. They are then transported onward to Sweden. These women are not included in the statistics of those rescued by the White Buses, even though they were cared for by Red Cross personnel.

A Freight Train

1945-05-02

The Swedish Red Cross expedition arrives by ferry in Malmö from Copenhagen. The former camp prisoners accompanying them are taken, among other places, to Ramlösa Brunn in Helsingborg. The expedition concludes. Transports of former prisoners from Denmark continue for a few more days.

To Ramlösa Brunn

1945-05-01

Johansson’s third transport convoy departs from Malmö to Denmark to assist with the transports. It consists of about 40 people, as well as buses from Malmö Tramways, Helsingborg, and Gothenburg. All vehicles have been painted white.

Between Denmark and Sweden

1945-04-30

The Red Cross ships Magdalena and Lillie Matthiessen depart from the port of Lübeck with approximately 500 prisoners. Behind the rescue operations are Dr. Arnoldsson and Bjørn Heger, a Norwegian medical student and former camp prisoner. The ships arrive in Trelleborg on May 2.

Ships with prisoners

Six hundred Danes and Norwegians are transported from the camps at Frøslev and Møgelkær to Sweden. Nearly 350 escape during the journey through Denmark. The Swedish Red Cross staff moves from Lübeck to Padborg. Captain Melin takes responsibility for transporting Scandinavians from the Danish camps to Sweden, while Captain Frykman, who remains in Lübeck, is to ensure that food and fuel are delivered to Denmark. Dr. Arnoldsson and a few others also stay in Lübeck.

Some stay voluntarily

1945-04-27

The last bus transport departs from Ravensbrück, led by Lieutenant Svenson. About 20 buses collect women of various nationalities, mainly Polish Jewish women. Since the expedition does not have enough transport to evacuate everyone from the camp, they load a freight train with approximately 4,000 women. It arrives in Lübeck only four days later. The transport then continues to Padborg and onward to Sweden. In total, more than 7,000 women are rescued from Ravensbrück through the rescue operation.

By bus and train

1945-04-25

The evacuation of female prisoners from Ravensbrück continues. A convoy of Danish ambulances and trucks from the International Red Cross arrives, led by Lieutenant Hallquist. On the way to Denmark, the convoy is attacked by an Allied fighter plane. Driver Ringman is killed instantly, and Lieutenant Hallquist is injured. Several female passengers die. Another convoy was also fired upon, resulting in several prisoners being killed.

Attack on the convoy

The last negotiation between Himmler and Bernadotte takes place at the Swedish consulate in Lübeck. Bernadotte is granted permission to transport any prisoners. At the same time, the Swedish Red Cross staff begins moving from the base camp in Friedrichsruh to Lübeck. A few days later, the Allies bomb the castle and the surrounding buildings.

A final negotiation

1945-04-23

Bernadotte meets Himmler once again, who approves additional transports of women from Ravensbrück, now of all nationalities. Dr. Arnoldsson and a convoy of Danish ambulances collect approximately 100 women who are transported to Padborg via Lübeck and from there to Sweden. Afterwards, Captain Folke’s transport convoys arrive and collect even more prisoners, mainly French women. They are also taken to Padborg.

Another negotiation

1945-04-21

Norbert Masur, representative of the World Jewish Congress, holds negotiations with Himmler. Bernadotte is then granted permission to meet Himmler again.

A Jew with Himmler

The German SS liaison officer Heinz Rennau announces that all Scandinavians in Neuengamme are to be transferred to Denmark. They are given one day to evacuate the camp. That same night, the Danes send reinforcements from Padborg with approximately 100 buses, as well as ambulances, cars, and trucks. More than 4,200 people are served food and drink at the Danish Red Cross feeding station in Kruså. Most prisoners are taken to Frøslev, but also to a temporary camp in Møgelkær outside Horsens.

Evacuate everyone

1945-04-19

Evacuate everyone!

Nearly 75 Danish and Swedish vehicles depart from Friedrichsruh to collect Scandinavian Jews from the Theresienstadt concentration camp. On the way, they pick up approximately 450 French prisoners from Neuengamme who were to be delivered to the Flossenbürg concentration camp. However, since the camp at Flossenbürg is being dissolved, the prisoners are left at Theresienstadt instead. From Theresienstadt, 423 Danish Jews are transported via Lübeck to Sweden.

Theresienstadt

1945-04-12

Another Swedish-Danish transport convoy, led by Captain Folke, travels to collect prisoners from prisons in the Leipzig-Halle-Torgau area. They return to Neuengamme on April 11. Later, additional prisoners are collected in Mecklenburg. In total, approximately 700 prisoners are transported.

More prisoners

1945-04-09

The rescue operation begins evacuating severely ill prisoners from Neuengamme to Denmark. This takes place under Swedish leadership, although the personnel are mainly Danish and the transports are carried out with Danish vehicles. At the Danish quarantine station in Padborg, the rescued are deloused and fed. They then continue by train and boat to Sweden. Approximately 1,200 sick prisoners are evacuated.

To Padborg

Approximately 100 Scandinavian women are collected by the White Buses from the Ravensbrück concentration camp and transported to Sweden. The following day, they arrive at the camp in Ramlösa Brunn outside Helsingborg.

Ravensbrück

1945-04-08

Lieutenant Hallquist and motorcycle orderly Sven Nilsson lead Danish ambulances carrying Russian and French prisoners from Neuengamme to Bergen-Belsen. In Bergen-Belsen, 24 Danes and Norwegians were to be collected, but upon arrival 13 were already dead and the others were in very poor condition.

Bergen-Belsen

1945-04-07

The Danish Aid Corps arrives in Friedrichsruh. One-third of the Swedish Red Cross expedition returns to Sweden. Remaining are 130 people and 12 buses. The expedition is now, in practice, a Swedish-Danish operation, led by the Swedish Red Cross. In total, approximately 1,500 German-Swedes are transported to Sweden via Lübeck, where the Swedish Church plays an important role.

Danish assistance

1945-04-02

Bernadotte negotiates with Himmler once again. The Red Cross is then granted permission to transfer all Norwegian and Danish women, sick Scandinavians, and Norwegian students from Neuengamme to Sweden. They are also authorized to transfer all imprisoned Danish police officers to the Frøslev camp in Denmark.

Negotiations with Himmler

A smaller transport with four buses, one truck, and a motorcycle travels from Friedrichsruh to southern Germany to collect the remaining Scandinavians in Dachau, Mauthausen, and Vaihingen.

A smaller transport

Red Cross convoys depart for eastern Germany to collect Danish police officers who are imprisoned in the concentration camps Torgau, Mühlberg, and Oschatz. The convoy also takes along a few Norwegians. In total, approximately 1,250 prisoners are retrieved.

The Danish police

1945-03-30

Swedish Red Cross delegates, under the leadership of Gerhard Rundberg, gain access to Neuengamme. The Scandinavian prisoners are housed in a special Nordic section, comprising a barracks building and several blocks. The prisoners receive medicines, bandages, and food parcels. Rundberg also begins cooperating with the Danish and Norwegian doctors who are prisoners in the camp.

The doctors in the camps

1945-03-29

The camp in Neuengamme is full, but there are more Scandinavians to be collected from other German camps. To create more space, the Germans require the Red Cross expedition to transport approximately 2,000 Polish, French, Belgian, Dutch, and Russian prisoners from Neuengamme to other camps near Hannover and Braunschweig. Seventy-two Danish prisoners are transferred to Neuengamme.

To Make Room

1945-03-27

Hultgren’s convoy receives reinforcements in the form of additional transport convoys from Sweden, led by Captain Johansson. The first transport of German-Swedes departs from the Swedish Church in Lübeck to Malmö. They have been collected, among other places, from Berlin, Hamburg, and Stralsund.

To Malmö

1945-03-21

The second and third platoons, under the command of Colonel Björck, travel to the concentration camps Dachau and Schömberg in southern Germany, as well as Mauthausen in Austria. They transport approximately 660 Scandinavians to Neuengamme.

Dachau and Schömberg

1945-03-19

The Red Cross ship Lillie Matthiessen arrives in Lübeck with fuel and food, spare parts, medical supplies, and Red Cross food parcels. The cargo is collected and transported to the base camp in Friedrichsruh.

A supply ship

1945-03-17

The first platoon travels to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp outside Berlin. Here, Norwegians and Danes are collected and then transferred to the camp in Neuengamme. The platoon makes a total of seven trips there and retrieves approximately 2,200 prisoners.

Neuengamme

1945-03-15

The expedition arrives at Friedrichsruh near Hamburg. A base camp is established here with tents, a cooking area, a workshop, and latrines. Parts of the staff stay at the castle while the rest sleep in tents or at the nearby inn, Bollow’s Gasthaus.

Base Camp

1945-03-12

The journey goes through Denmark with a gathering in Odense. There, the expedition spends the night at Munkebjerg School.

Through Denmark

1945-03-10

Departure in stages from Hässleholm to Malmö and onwards to Denmark. The transport platoon from Ystad joins in Malmö. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs orders that the vehicles be painted white and marked with red crosses. This is done so that Allied aircraft will not attack them. Painting takes place at the regiment in Hässleholm, in Pildammsparken in Malmö, and on board the ferry from Malmö to Copenhagen.

Departure!

1945-03-08

The majority of the Red Cross expedition assembles at the T4 regiment in Hässleholm. The expedition consists of three medical transport platoons, each with 12 buses, a transport platoon with 12 trucks, a supply platoon, and a convoy that includes cooks, workshops, and medical equipment. In total, about 75 vehicles and 250 people. Colonel Gottfrid Björck is in command.

Assembly for departure

1945-03-07

The State Information Bureau announces that the expedition must be kept secret.

A secret action

1945-02-28

Bernadotte negotiates with Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS. Himmler approves that a Swedish Red Cross expedition in Germany may collect the Scandinavian prisoners from various German camps and transfer them to the Neuengamme concentration camp.

Conversations with Himmler

1945-02-19

Folke Bernadotte travels to Berlin to begin negotiations with the German authorities.

To Berlin

1945-02-16

Danish organizations offer to assist with the rescue operation, but the Swedish authorities decline the proposal, stating that 'for organizational and other reasons the expedition should be entirely Swedish'.

A Swedish action

1945-02-13

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs decides to send Count Folke Bernadotte, Vice President of the Swedish Red Cross, to Berlin to negotiate the release of the Scandinavian prisoners.

Negotiations

1945-01-10

The rescue mission

januari 1945

Bertil Collin from Ystad was deputy squad leader and driver in the 4th platoon. He took part in the entire expedition. In addition to driving, his duties also included interpreting and keeping a war diary. In his notes, the expedition can be followed day by day from March 9 to May 2.

Reveille was at 06:00. At 08:00, the column set off for Hässleholm. There, the supplies were distributed to the respective units, and by 18:00 the platoon began the journey toward Ystad, arriving at 20:00.

Home Again

2 may

Reveille at 04:00. Breakfast at the hotel at 04:30. Departure followed at 05:00 toward Copenhagen, which we reached at 10:00. We stopped at the same hospital as on previous occasions, were served breakfast, and were allowed to bathe in the hospital’s bathing facility. At 18:15 we set off for the ferry, which left Copenhagen harbor at 19:30. Around 21:30, we were able to drive the vehicles off in Malmö. Accommodation in Malmö was arranged in the fire station’s gymnasium, although most preferred to stay at a hotel overnight. Meals were to be obtained individually, and the next day we were allotted 4 kronor as a daily ration allowance.

To Copenhagen

1 may

At 09:30, a column consisting of all trucks and two buses set off. The buses had previously departed in a separate convoy. The day’s destination was Slagelse, reached around 19:30. The town of Slagelse provided an excellent dinner at one of its hotels, after which accommodation was arranged at another hotel.

Departure

30 april

The entire day was devoted to preparations for departure, loading supplies, textiles, and other materials. In the evening, a small farewell party was held at the quarantine station.

Preparations

29 april

The entire day was spent waiting for departure orders. It had been decided that we would definitively leave Germany and travel to Denmark. Friedrichsruh had already been evacuated, and this had to be carried out quickly. In the middle of the night, in pouring rain and under air raid alarms, the camp had been evacuated. Toward the evening, orders arrived that all vehicles belonging to the Swedish Red Cross stationed in Lübeck were to depart for Padborg.

A Day of Waiting

27 april

At 13:00, truck 107 left Ravensbrück with cavalry captain Ankarkrona and Obersturmführer Danziger, as well as a young German woman, who were to accompany the vehicle to Lübeck. Additionally, the luggage of the Swedish family was carried. The Swedish man, his wife, and mother-in-law had themselves traveled with the bus column. Along the entire route, traces were visible of the feared "Tiefflieger" that had been active along the road. Particularly after Schwerin, destroyed vehicles were scattered closely together, some still burning.

A few miles west of Schwerin, we first came across one of the Swiss trucks in a ditch to the left of the road, and to the right, one of the 3rd platoon’s trucks, number 104, had been knocked completely off the road. The cab was riddled with bullets and splattered with blood and brain matter. From two German soldiers “guarding” the vehicle, we learned that the Swiss column, led by a lieutenant between 12:00 and 13:00 that same day, had been fired upon. They had stopped to take cover and, when the planes left, resumed driving. Just as the driver started the engine, the planes returned and unleashed a deadly volley. We had no idea who had been in the vehicle, but the German described the driver as a very young, fair-haired man.

It later emerged that the lieutenant in question was Lieutenant Hallqvist, and the driver was Erik Ringman. A French woman had been with them. Ringman and the woman had been hit in the head and killed instantly, while Lieutenant Hallqvist had suffered life-threatening head wounds. The truck was now completely plundered, practically everything stolen. Nevertheless, we continued toward Lübeck—maintaining heightened aerial vigilance—and arrived at 19:30 at the Swedish Legation in Lübeck, where the incident was reported. That night we slept at the Swedish Church in Lübeck.

Dead and Wounded

26 april

By 08:00, the Swedish column finally arrived, was loaded, and departed again at 14:00. The remaining interned women, about 4,000 Poles, were to be transported by train. These women had to wait on the road almost the entire day until they could finally begin loading at 18:00. They traveled in freight cars, extremely crowded as was typical for German prisoner transports. Since the train was not expected to reach Lübeck for another two days, we anticipated that a number might die along the way. However, we later heard that only about a dozen had died.

By Train

25 april

Even by midday, the buses had not arrived. About 800 French women stood all day, lined up and ready to be loaded. At 19:00, however, a Swiss truck column arrived, and shortly thereafter a Danish ambulance column, which immediately began the loading.

Waiting for the bus

24 april

Reveille at 03:30. At 04:00, loading began for about 875 French women, who were to be transported to Copenhagen for onward transfer to Sweden. Departure at 06:00 for the column, except for one truck, which, after delivering its cargo, remained on hand to transport the Swedish delegate, cavalry captain Ankarkrona, Obersturmführer Danziger, and a Swedish man with his family to Lübeck. The Russian forces were then only about 40 km from the camp. The bus column was expected to return the next morning to continue the evacuation of the internees.

French Women

23 april

Reveille at 03:30. Departure at 06:00 with the first and parts of the second platoon toward the women’s camp Ravensbrück, about 80 km north of Berlin. We arrived at 19:00. For the night, accommodation was arranged in a barrack within the camp.

To Ravensbrück

22 april

Reveille at 05:00. Departure toward Friedrichsruh, where we arrived at 13:00. The camp had been very restless during our absence. It had been shelled several times, and many of the Danish buses had been hit. According to reports, eight had been completely destroyed.

One of these attacks had been so severe that Lieutenant Hallqvist and Corporal Nilsson had to immediately take cover in our three-meter-deep latrine!

At 14:30, the buses continued to Neuengamme to pick up people. The march then continued toward Denmark. This time we bypassed Padborg, as the route was to continue to a concentration camp in Horsens, where our internees were to be delivered.

Friedrichsruh

20 april

At 08:00, we were served an excellent breakfast in bed. Shortly afterward, we were informed that, unfortunately, we could not count on any rest yet. Since the Allies were at the gates of Neuengamme, the remaining Danes and Norwegians had to be evacuated as soon as possible. We therefore set off again at 10:00. On the ferry crossing the Great Belt, we were served lunch as usual. 

We arrived in Padborg at around 21:00. Air raid alarms persisted all evening, and the sky was red along the southern horizon from the fire in a nearby town, probably Schleswig. Around 23:00, the station was attacked by low-flying planes, “Tiefflieger,” and we had to leave the tracks as quickly as possible and seek cover in the fields while the planes swept overhead. Three Danes were wounded during the attack, and some of our vehicles were hit, though not seriously.

Attack

19 april

In Padborg, we had the first proper meal of this journey, and after bathing at the quarantine station, we rested until 13:00, when lunch was served. The march then continued toward Odense, where we were to spend the night. The journey through Denmark turned into a true triumphal procession. The towns we passed were decorated with flags, and people came out in droves to greet us.

Padborg

17 april

The march continued at 05:30, and during the morning we passed Potsdam, which had been completely undamaged when we drove through two days earlier. Now, after the night’s air raids, the city was utterly destroyed. The streets were nearly impassable, and fires still burned everywhere. The march then continued toward Lübeck, where we arrived at 14:00.

Past Potsdam

16 april

At 04:30, the loading of 423 Danish and Norwegian Jews began. They were in remarkably good condition. Departure was at 06:00. The route went through Dresden, which turned out to be a true ghost town—only rubble and ruins, almost entirely empty. The city was completely destroyed.

The remainder of the journey toward Berlin had to be driven according to frontline reports on the radio, as both the Allied and Russian fronts were alarmingly close, in some places only about ten kilometers away. The roar of artillery could also be clearly heard. During the night, a few hours’ stop was made in a forest near Berlin. Throughout the night, the bombardment of Berlin could be heard, and we were constantly overflown by Allied planes.

Past Berlin

15 april

The march continued at 05:00 through the villages of Hof and Freiberg until we finally arrived at Flossenbürg around 12:00. The camp, however, was in a state of collapse and preparing for evacuation, as the Americans were reportedly only a few miles away. It was therefore not possible to receive our French prisoners, and we had to leave the camp without completing our mission. Around 14:00, we set out again for Theresienstadt. We arrived at Theresienstadt at 23:30 and were treated to a somewhat late dinner at the SS officers’ mess.

At Flossenbürg

14 april

Reveille at 07:00. At 11:00, assembly was held to select volunteers for a transport to Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia. This unit was chosen voluntarily because the Allies were only about four miles south of Hamburg and threatened to cut off the return route. We were also prepared for the possibility that we might not be able to come back and that we had to be ready for anything. Naturally, no one wanted to miss this opportunity, and everyone stepped forward to volunteer.

Volunteers Wanted

12 april

Reveille at 07:00. At 13:00, three vehicles departed for Lübeck with empty barrels. At 18:15, the Torgau column arrived, loaded with Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish prisoners, who were later transported to Neuengamme. Around 01:30, the camp came under fire from an aircraft, which later turned out to be German. No one was hit and no damage occurred. A few projectiles landed roughly 15–20 meters from the fuel depot.

Under Fire

11 april

Reveille at 07:00. At 12:00, 34 Danish buses arrived, which would later be used to transport Danes from Neuengamme to Denmark. At 17:45, a vehicle departed for Padborg to accompany five buses transporting several Swedish women married to Germans to Copenhagen.

From Neuengamme

8 april

Reveille at 07:00. In the afternoon, accommodations were arranged for a number of Danish nurses, who were to arrive during the day with the Danish column reinforcing our detachment. At 16:00, a Danish ambulance column departed for the Hannover area.

Danish Nurses

7 april

Reveille at 05:00. At 06:30, the return march for the homebound part of the detachment began. At 07:00, three vehicles departed for Padborg, one kilometer inside the Danish border, to collect provisions.

5 april

Reveille at 07:00. At 13:00, a vehicle departed for Berlin to transport nine Gestapo men to the women’s camp at Ravensbrück, roughly 80 kilometers north of Berlin. These Germans were to accompany a Swiss column from Ravensbrück carrying 400 French women to Switzerland for exchange against 800 German women.

4 april

Reveille at 04:00. Departure at 06:00 to Torgau, where around 90 Danish policemen were loaded. In Wittenberg, another roughly 50 policemen were picked up. The transport then continued to Neuengamme, arriving at 16:30.

Picking Up Policemen

2 april

Reveille at 05:00. Departure at 08:00. The day’s march was to Torgau, roughly 100 kilometers west of Dresden. Route: Ludwigslust – Perleberg – Genthin – Ziesar – Belzig – Treuenbrietzen – Jüterbog – Herzberg – Torgau. Camp was set up in a forest just outside Torgau.

To Torgau

1 april

Good Friday. Heavy bombing attacks on Hamburg and the surrounding area marked this day. Strong detonations were heard for over an hour, and the sky was darkened by a massive cloud of smoke that lingered until evening.

Air Raid

30 march

Reveille at 07:00. Nothing happened until around 11:00, when orders arrived that part of the platoon was to accompany the bus platoons on transports from Hamburg and Hannover to Neuengamme. The column returned the next day at around 08:30. Reportedly, the prisoners were in the same wretched condition as those transported the previous day. Four of them died during the journey. Two of these were beaten to death by the German guards before the Swedish drivers could intervene.

From Hamburg

28 march

Reveille at 07:00. At 13:30 all buses and four of our trucks departed to transport German political prisoners—that is, Belgians, Dutch, Poles, Germans, and others—from Neuengamme to Braunschweig. This was done to make room for Scandinavian internees in Neuengamme. These prisoners were in an utterly miserable condition, starved and mistreated. The column returned around 07:00 the following day.

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