After their capture by the Gestapo, the Frank family, along with the other hiders in the Secret Annex, endured a harrowing journey through the Nazi concentration camp system, ultimately leading to the deaths of all but Otto Frank.
The Arrest and Initial Deportation
On August 4, 1944, Anne Frank, her family (Otto, Edith, and Margot), and the four other individuals they were hiding with (Hermann, Auguste, and Peter van Pels, and Fritz Pfeffer) were discovered and arrested by the Gestapo in their hiding place, the Secret Annex, in Amsterdam. Following their capture, the entire group was transported to various concentration camps.
Initially, they were taken to the Gestapo headquarters in Amsterdam, then to a house of detention. Two days later, they were transferred to the Westerbork transit camp in the Netherlands, a collection point for Jews before their deportation to extermination camps. On September 3, 1944, the eight hiders were placed on the last transport train from Westerbork to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, arriving there three days later.
The Fates of the Frank Family Members
The family was separated upon arrival at Auschwitz. The women and men were sent to different sections of the camp.
Edith Frank (Mother)
Edith Frank-Holländer, Anne's mother, endured the brutal conditions of Auschwitz-Birkenau. She died of starvation and exhaustion in the women's section of the camp in January 1945, just weeks before the camp was liberated by Soviet troops.
Anne Frank and Margot Frank (Daughters)
Anne Frank and her older sister, Margot, remained together for much of their imprisonment. On November 1, 1944, they were transferred from Auschwitz to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Germany. Conditions at Bergen-Belsen were catastrophic, with severe overcrowding, rampant disease, and starvation. Tragically, both Anne Frank and Margot Frank died there a few months later, presumably from typhus, in February or March 1945, just weeks before the camp's liberation by British forces.
Otto Frank (Father)
Otto Frank, Anne's father, was the only member of the eight hiders to survive the Holocaust. He remained in Auschwitz after Anne and Margot's transfer to Bergen-Belsen. Otto Frank was liberated by Soviet troops from Auschwitz on January 27, 1945. After his liberation, he returned to Amsterdam, where he eventually learned the tragic fate of his family. He dedicated the rest of his life to sharing Anne's diary, ensuring her voice and the story of the Holocaust would be remembered.
The Fate of Other Hiders
The other individuals who hid with the Frank family also perished in the concentration camps:
| Name | Relationship to Franks (or role) | Fate | Location of Death | Approximate Date of Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hermann van Pels | Hider (father of Peter) | Gassed or died of illness | Auschwitz-Birkenau | October 1944 |
| Auguste van Pels | Hider (mother of Peter) | Died of illness/exhaustion | Probably Bergen-Belsen or Raguhn | April 1945 |
| Peter van Pels | Hider (son of Hermann & Auguste) | Died of exhaustion | Mauthausen | May 5, 1945 |
| Fritz Pfeffer | Hider (dentist) | Died of dysentery/exhaustion | Neuengamme | December 20, 1944 |
The heartbreaking reality is that the vast majority of those who were captured and deported to concentration camps did not survive. The Frank family's story is a poignant testament to the horrors of the Holocaust and the resilience of the human spirit through Anne's enduring diary.
