Anne Frank's Story

Anne Frank's Story There are many stories of War World II but the most known and courageous story is of a young girl who hid from the Nazis for two whole years before she was captured. Anne Frank, born Annelies Marie Frank on June 12, 1929, was a German Jewish girl who wrote a diary (she wanted to be a reporter) while hiding with friend and family from the Nazi persecution during World War II. (Gold 484). Many people do not know that Anne’s family out-witted the Nazis once before hiding in the Secret Annex. (Frank 275). Both times was due to Otto Frank’s, Anne’s father, quick thinking. (Frank 275).

Without the help of Otto Frank, his family, the Van Daans and Albert Dussel (who hid with the Franks) would not have lived as long and the diary of Anne Frank would most likely would have never been heard. (Frank (277). (Frank 281).

The Franks lived in Frankfurt, Germany until Nazi occupation and Jew persecution began in 1933. To protect his family, Otto Frank sent his wife and his two daughters, Margot and Anne, to live with their grandmother in Aachen while he went to Holland to get financially safe before moving his family in with him. (Frank 275). Otto was helped by Mr. Van Daan when he moved to Holland. Mr. Van Daan, who was also Jewish, would later hide with the Franks. Mr. Van Daan helped Otto accustomed to living in Holland and gain money. In 1934 the Franks were reunited and lived in Amsterdam. (Frank 275).

In Amsterdam Anne and Margot attended Montessori school. (Frank 276). In school young Anne was social and outgoing instead of doing work while Margot was more shy and working hard on her classes. Then when the Nazis gained control of Holland, they began to pass strict laws for Jews and other minorities in the Nazis eyes. (Frank 276). For Anne life hadn’t changed too drastically and the only major differences was the Star of David she wore on her clothing, which the Nazis demanded all Jews wear, and going to a new school. Anne and Margot began to attend the Jewish Lyceum. (Frank 276)

In February 1941 Otto Frank was forced out of his factory where he worked and persecution increased in Amsterdam. (Frank 276). Every day many Jews would get a letter stating they must report for deportation to camps. (Frank 276) During this time Otto began to plan on hiding his family as transportation out of Holland was near impossible. (Frank 276). While he was finishing up his plan to go into hiding, Margot received a letter on July 5, 1942, saying that she was to report for deportation. (Frank 277). She was only sixteen. (Frank 277).

To avoid this, Otto put his plan into action. (Frank 277). He and his family were to hide with another family of three, the Van Daans, in the attic (also called the Secret Annex by Miep) of Otto’s factory. (Frank 277). They were to hide there until the Nazis lost the war. (Frank 277). Until then they were to receive food from Miep and Mr. Kraler who worked for Otto. (Frank 277). To get food for the families in hiding, Miep bought food stamps from the White Market (a secret market that provided supplies and food for Jews and other people being persecuted that were hiding). (Frank 277). To have extra caution, the door that led to the attic was covered by a bookcase that would act as a trick door. It was almost impossible for anyone to know that a door was there unless they’ve seen it before. (Frank 277).

The factory was still in business although Otto had been forced out of work, so from when the workers came early in the morning and left late in the evening, the families could not use the restroom, use any running water, wear shoes, move around too much, or make any kind of noise. (Frank 277). If they had made too much noise, someone could turn them into the Green Police. (Frank 277). For Anne this would be difficult due to her hyper and carefree nature. This wouldn’t be the only thing that would irritate Anne over the next two years. Peter Van Daan, the Van Daans’ son, was shy, did not talk much, and spent most of his time with his cat. Anne tried hard to get Peter to talk with her and to play during the few hours of after the factory workers left the factory and when they came back for work. Anne also had a difficult time getting along with her mother.

The families did get along for the most part. Anne had squabbles with her mother and Margot stayed mutual and did as she was told. Otto usually tried to keep peace among the families. The Van Daans had their fair share of squabbles; Mr. Van Daan in particular had criticism for his son. Tensions with the families grew after months of being in the attic and they grew more when Mr. Kraler asked if Albert Dussel, a dentist who had a relative that was Jewish but he was not himself, could hide with them to escape persecution. Dussel began to sleep in Anne’s room while Margot slept in their parents’ room.

Around the time of Hanukah, a burglar tried to rob the factory’s vault. The families tried to keep quiet but Peter made a noise due to trying to get his cat and the burglar fled. Later, a factory worker would implore about Otto’s whereabouts and state the he thought that there was a door where the bookcase was. The same worker would ask Mr. Kraler about a raise. This struck terror in the families, Mr. Kraler, and Miep. Though, nothing else happened.

For two years the families hid, sometimes it was peaceful among them and other times it was like the war found itself inside the attic. Although things looked brighter for the families at times, after two years an anonymous tip was sent to the Nazis that gave away the families. (Gold 484). The worker, the burglar (who may have been the worker) may have been the anonymous tipster but it isn’t for certain and the time between the worker wanting a raise and the tip was around a year apart. On August 4, 1944 the Gestapo captured the families and Mr. Kraler and sent them to Westerbark prison. (Frank 278). (Hill 308). The families happened to be the last to leave Westerbark. (Frequently Asked Questions). Soon after that they were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp where the families were separated. (Claude 308).

Mr. Kraler spent eight months in a labor camp for hiding Jews. Mrs. Frank stayed in Auschwitz and died soon after her family was separated from her. (Frank 280). Anne and Margot were sent to Bergen-Belsen and within that camp, sent to a sub-camp called The Star. (Frequently Asked Questions). Prisoners were mostly from the Netherlands and had to wear the Star of David on their clothes and were used as political prisoners. (Frequently Asked Questions). The camp had little living facilities. (Frequently Asked Questions). Later Margot and Anne saw Mrs. Van Daan in Bergen-Belsen as well. (Frank 280).

Some Nazi camps were filthy, some were clean. In Auschwitz the camps were clean, organized and every prisoner had food, water, and was allowed to bathe. (Frank 279-280). This was not the case in Bergen-Belsen. (Frank 279-280). It was dirty and the prisoners were not properly fed, disease raged there. (Frank 279-280). Margot died of typhus in March 1945, a few days later, so would Anne. (Frank 279-280). On April 15, 1945, Bergen-Belsen was liberated by a British force. (Frequently Asked Questions).

When the families went into hiding, the Nazis were the most successful as they would become. After the families were taken to camps, Miep went into the attic and took Anne’s diary, photos and any papers she felt were important to keep before the Nazis would come back again and take everything away.

When the war ended Otto came back to the factory to see the attic. (Frank 281). He was the only survivor and would later recall seeing Mr. Van Daan being taken away to gas chambers. (Frank 281). Miep gave Otto the things she saved, including Anne’s diary. (Frank 281). Otto then read it and made copies for memorial and sent them to close relatives. (Frank 281). Later a Dutch professor urged Otto to publish the diary, which he did. (Frank 281). The diary would later be translated in seventy seven different languages and published into a movie and into a play. (Gold 484). (Frequently Asked Questions). The Montessori School where Anne had attended was renamed the Anne Frank School as well.

In 1963, Karl Silberbaver, a Gestapo Sergeant, and a few more accomplices (who where the ones to break into the Secret Annex) were found and sent to trial for the war crimes they committed. (Frank 282-283). They said the tipster was given a dollar and forty cents for each Jew they found hiding in the factory’s attic. (Frank 282-283). They were found guilty of their war crimes and sent to prison. (Frank 282-283).

In the end, some justice was served although the tipster was never identified. Anne also, in some way, became a reporter. Her diary gave lots of detail to the tragedies for some families in World War II. Anne’s diary touched thousands of people and has been widely read, so perhaps this will stop some violence when people realize what violence does to families and how many it can hurt.

Work Cited

Frank, Anne. Anne Frank The Diary of a Young Girl. Switzerland: Banton Books, 1952.
Gold, Alison, Leslie. “Frank, Anne.” World Book. 2006 edition.
Hill, Claude. “Frank, Anne.” Merit Students Encyclopedia. 1984 edition.
“Frequently Asked Questions.” Anne Frank Center. April 13, 2008.
AnneFrank.com

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