As World War II was drawing to a close in the spring of 1945, the Allies were advancing on German occupied territory, and the Nazis were keen to destroy evidence of the Holocaust. SS chief Heinrich Himmler was under the illusion that he could lead Germany after the fall of Hitler, and was interested in gaining credit for a humanitarian gesture, as long as der Führer didn't find out about it. Himmler negotiated with a Swedish diplomat to evacuate concentration camp inmates with convoys of Red Cross buses. Around 15,000 people were evacuated, first to Denmark, then by ferry to neutral Sweden. Thousands were taken from Ravensbrück, a camp for women, mostly political prisoners, in northern Germany.
To accomplish the rescue, every bus that could be commandeered was quickly painted white. The evacuation was fraught with danger, as Himmler's secret plans could be discovered by Hitler loyalists, and in fact, a couple of convoys were bombed on their journey. The Red Cross evacuations from Ravensbrück occurred only weeks or days before the camp was liberated by the Red Army. From the vantage point of history, the women who ended up in Sweden were much luckier than those who later found themselves residents of East Germany. Read about the secret negotiations that led to Sweden's Red Cross rescue at France 24. -via Damn Interesting
(Image credit: National Museum of Denmark)
