The Kindertransport Stories

The Centropa Kindertransport CollectionAfter the pogrom of November 9th, 1938, some 10,000 Jewish children were taken by their parents to train stations in cities like Frankfurt, Danzig, Breslau, Berlin, Prague and Vienna. They would find refuge in the United Kingdom while most of their parents did not survive.At war’s end in 1945, few of those “Kinder” wanted to return to the cities of the birth. But a few did, and we offer three poignant stories from Centropa’s Vienna interview archive.

Kitty Suschny: From Vienna to Manchester

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Kitty Suschny: From Vienna to Manchester

Jane Bertish

Jane Bertish

narrated by

Jane Bertish

Kitty’s father died of a heart attack well before the Germans marched into Austria. After the Anschluss her brother fled and Kitty’s mother took her to the station. “Don’t worry about me,” she said. “I’m the widow of an army officer.”

Read Kitty Suschny’s Centropa biography and see her pictures here.

Audio

Sophie Engler: From Vienna to a village in Scotland

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Sophie Engler: From Vienna to a village in Scotland

Jilly Bond

Jilly Bond

narrated by

Jilly Bond

Sophie was born into a wealthy family that would soon lose everything, including the lives of her family. Just nine-years-old when her mother brought her to the train station, Sophie could only hope she’d see her mother again.

You can read Sophie Engler’s Centropa biography and see his family pictures here. (german only)

Audio