Discovered!
It is August 4, 1944, a lovely sunny day. An anonymous tip arrives that morning by telphone at the headquarters of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD or Security Police). The SD-officer in charge, Julius Deetman, takes the call and orders the
officer on duty SS-Oberscharführer Karl Silberbauer to the Prinsengracht. Four Dutch Nazis go with him to assist.
Betrayed
The people in hiding are arrested and sent to concentration camps.
To the timeline
Silberbauer and a few of his men go into the warehouse on the ground floor of the building. They approach the warehouseman Van Maaren who points in silence, indicating upstairs. They enter the building and go directly to the office. Victor Kugler must escort them to the Secret Annex. The people in hiding have been betrayed…
The warehouse used by Otto's companies
"Stay Seated!"
The office employees are at work on the second floor when the door suddenly opens. Miep later describes this moment: “The door opened and a small man entered. He pointed the revolver in his hand at me and said: ‘Stay seated! Don’t move!’” Victor Kugler who is working in the adjoining office hears the commotion and goes to see what is going on. Victor Kugler: “I saw four police officers and one was wearing a Gestapo uniform.” One of the policeman points his pistol at Kugler and tells him to lead the way. They all go in the direction of the movable bookcase. It is swung open. The men enter the Secret Annex with their pistols drawn.
The bookcase that conceals the entrance to the Secret Annex
Taken by surprise
The people in hiding are caught completely off guard. They have lived with the anxiety of being discovered for more than two years and now it is happening. Otto Frank describes that moment: “It was around ten-thrity. I was upstairs with the Van Pelses in Peter’s room and I was helping him with his schoolwork… Suddenly someone came running up the stairs…then the door opened and a man was standing right in front of us with a gun in his hand and it was pointed at us… Downstairs everyone was gathered. My wife, the children, the Van Pelses stood their with their hands up.” A few minutes later, Fritz Pfeffer is also escorted into the room.
Valuables
The people in hiding must turn over all their valuables. Silberbauer grabs the briefcase containing Anne’s diary papers. He shakes it empty so he can carry away any valuables he collects. The pages of Anne’s diary fall onto the wooden floor. Otto Frank: “Then he said: ‘Get Ready. Everyone must be back here in five minutes.’” Miep Gies: “Later I heard everyone coming downstairs, very slowly.” After the raid, the people in hiding are taken away in an enclosed truck with both of the male helpers, Victor Kugler and Johannes Kleiman, who have also been arrested.
Later I heard everyone coming downstairs, very slowly.
Miep Gies