More on Lothar Baumann

I had another insight into what may have happened to Lothar Baumann (1926-1942).  Information comes to me about this in odd ways.  Usually when I'm not looking for it.  I find the direct ways, such as looking at Westerbork Transit Camp website, doesn't help.

He's a doppelganger to Anne Frank.  A member of a German Jewish family, who had fled to Amsterdam.  I still don't know much about the family.

From the Dutch Jewish Holocaust victim website, I have these basics:

Lothar Baumann
24 Apr 1926 B Frankfurt Am Main
10 Jul 1942 arrived Westerbork Transitcamp
30 Sept 1942 D Auschwitz

My Near Eastern genre literature class turned into an autobiography class but, in the 'who knows, I might learn something' and 'it's at the right time' spirit, I'm staying.

We started some short segments from the Diary of Anne Frank  which always has some surprises. 

There's a foot note on one page of the version that we read:

On Saturday 4 July 1942 the Zentralstelle fur judische, Auswanderung [Central Office for Jewish Emigration] issues the first few thousand call-up notices to Jews.  Most of those called up were German Jews and their number included many boys and girls aged from fifteen to eighteen who had to leave without their parents.  The call up notices were sent by registered post, and delivered by the Post Office one day later. (L. de Jong, Het Koninrik der nederlanden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog, vol. 6 (1975: The Hauge Nijhoff, p. 5.)

There are different versions that Ann wrote.  I think the motivation that caused them to retreat to their 'Secret Annex' (not many had the wherewithal to put this together) was that Margot, her older teenage sister got a notice to report.

When I read that footnote, my heart sank.  Look at the dates.  The picture of Lothar shows him probably in a school uniform.  At first, the Nazis sent call-up notices, later they just rounded people up.  Lothar shows up at Westerbork (a temporary transit camp) on 10 July 1942.  So it's likely that he, a 16year old, got that first 4 July 1942 summons.  He was an only child as far as I can figure.  So he's ripped from his home and his parents and disappears.

He died in Auschwitz in Sept 1942.  I don't yet know what happened in the interim.  Was he used as slave labor?  Was he able to contact his parents?  His parent met the same fate as Lothar but it was after his death.