Ludwig Collm lived with his wife Steffy in her parents’ home in Berlin. A teacher baptized as a Protestant, he was dismissed in 1933 due to his Jewish origins. The couple’s daughter Susanne was born in 1936. Ludwig Collm performed forced labor in railroad construction from 1940. On October 12, 1942, the family received deportation orders and went into hiding. They soon had to hide separately and change their accommodation frequently for safety reasons. However, the family still managed to remain in constant contact.
Ludwig Collm was able to hide for six months in a garden house belonging to a Mrs. Fischer. He worked as a private tutor to finance his “illegal” existence, particularly buying food.
Through his tutoring, he met Felicitas Dietrich, who owned a house in Horst-Seebad (Niechorze) in Pomerania. She allowed the Collms to move in there at the start of 1944. Ludwig Collm was engaged to give private lessons to her daughter. He posed as a Berlin civil servant. To convince the neighbors he was working in Berlin, he rarely left the house. The family was liberated there on March 11, 1945.
Forged employment certificate for Ludwig Collm, issued in Berlin, February 1, 1943. Source: Privatbesitz/Private
Ludwig, Steffy, and Susanne Collm shortly after their liberation, Berlin, 1945. Source: Privatbesitz/Private
