Manfred Wildmann (M / Germany, 1930), Holocaust survivor
Manfred Wildmann (M / Germany, 1930), Holocaust survivor
- KEYWORDS : <Gurs> <Rivesaltes> <OSE> <Hidden Children> <Chambon-sur-Lignon>
Biography
Manfred Wildmann was born in 1930 in Philippsburg, Germany, the younger of four siblings. In 1940 his family was deported to the Gurs concentration camp in France. In 1941, Manfred was transferred to the Rivesaltes transit camp. In 1942, Manfred and his sister were brought to safety in the village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon where they remained until liberation. His father, mother, and brother were all murdered at the Auschwitz killing center.
USHMM
Manfred Wildmann (b.1930) was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, to Heinrich (1888-1943) and Rebecca (nee Neuburger, 1895-1942). At age six, Heinrich was sent by his mother to live with his aunt in Philippsburg after his father died. Later, he learned how to be a master printer from his cousin, who owned a printing shop. Rebecca was born to Moritz (1869-1954) and Nanette (née Holz, 1867-1940) Neuburger. Moritz served as the head of the small, assimilated Jewish community in Philippsburg, and was a teacher, cantor, and shochet [ritual slaughterer]. Heinrich fought for Germany during World War I. Heinrich and Rebecca had three other children: Margot (later Heller, 1922-2010), Hugo Max (1924-1944), and Hannelore (Laure or Lorle, later Laura Kolb, 1925-1999). Their family was among the 30 Jews who lived in Philippsburg, observed the Sabbath and holidays, and kept kosher.
On November 10, 1938, during the Kristallnacht pogrom, Heinrich was arrested and imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp for five weeks. On October 22, 1940, German authorities deported the Jews of Philippsburg, including the Wildmann family, to Gurs in unoccupied France, where Nanette died that December. In March 1941, Manfred’s family was transferred to Rivesaltes internment camp. Between November 1941 and April 1942, Rebecca secured placements for Laure, Manfred, and Margot in children’s homes run by relief organizations in unoccupied France. In the spring of 1942, Heinrich was transferred to a hospital in Perpignan, and Hugo was assigned to a work unit in Barcarés. During the late summer and fall of 1942, Hugo, Rebecca, her brother Sally, and his family were transported to Drancy transit camp and then deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center in German-occupied Poland, where they were all eventually killed. Following his hospital stay, Heinrich was also deported to Birkenau, via Drancy, at the end of 1943. Allied forces liberated France in August 1944. Moritz managed to survive the war in Gurs, while Manfred, Laure, and Margot remained in France until they immigrated to the US in 1947.