The discovery of the bookcase
On 4 August 1944, helper Victor Kugler was taken along to search the building during a raid by the Sicherheitspolizei and the Sicherheitsdienst. In the process, they discovered the revolving bookcase that gave access to the Secret Annex.
Overloop met de boekenkast
Vervaardiger Maria Austria. Collectie Maria Austria Instituut Amsterdam. Copyright: In Copyright (rechten Derden)
On 4 August 1944, around 10:30 in the morning, an arrest team of Sicherheitspolizei und Sicherheitsdienst, (Sipo-SD) raided the premises on Prinsengracht.[1] The team was led by SS-Hauptscharführer Karl Silberbauer and included detectives Willem Grootendorst and Gezinus Gringhuis.
The detectives walked passed from the front office to the office of Victor Kugler. They questioned him and took him to search the building.
According to Silberbauer (who did not understand Dutch), Kugler was immediately taken for interrogation by one of the Dutch SD officers. Afterwards, Kugler allegedly led them directly to the revolving bookcase. Years later, Kugler himself stated that he had strung the SDs along for as long as possible. However, according to Kugler: "They knew".[2] Further statements regarding Kugler during the raid are second-hand, and vary considerably.[3]
Footnotes
- ^ Dit tijdstip gaf Jo Kleiman in 1948 aan, en werd door Otto Frank in 1963 herhaald. Nationaal Archief, Den Haag, Centraal Archief van de Bijzondere Rechtspleging (CABR), toegang 2.09.09, inv. nr. 23892: Verklaringen J. Kleiman, 12 januari 1948 en O. Frank, 2-3 december 1963. Zie ook: Gertjan Broek, Onderzoeksverslag inzake verraad en arrestatie van de onderduikers in het Achterhuis, Amsterdam: Anne Frank Stichting, 2016.
- ^ Deutsches Literaturarchiv, Marbach, Archief Ernst Schnabel: Schriftelijke verklaring van Victor Kugler, 17 september 1957.
- ^ Zie ook: Broek, Onderzoeksverslag.