Franceska Mann

Franceska Manheimer-Rosenberg (4 February 1917 – 23 October 1943), better known as Franceska Mann, was a Polish Jewish ballerina who, according to some accounts, killed a Nazi guard, Josef Schillinger [de], while a prisoner at the Auschwitz concentration camp and wounded at least one other, Wilhelm Emmerich [de].

[citation needed] On October 23, 1943, a transport of around 1,700 Polish Jews arrived on passenger trains at the death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, although they had been told that they were being taken to a transfer camp called Bergau near Dresden, from where they would continue on to Switzerland to be exchanged for German POWs.

[citation needed] According to some versions, the new arrivals were not registered but were told that they had to be disinfected before crossing the border into Switzerland.

Other versions of the story mention the events that follow taking place at either the selection ramp or a labor area of the camp.

Reinforcements were summoned and the camp commander, Rudolf Höss, came with other SS men carrying machine guns and grenades.

Other mentioned outcomes are the Jewish women being herded into the gas chamber, taken outside and executed, or Franceska taking her own life with the stolen pistol.

Due to various conflicting accounts, it is unclear what truly happened next; the only things that are certain are on that day Schillinger died, Emmerich was wounded, and all the Jewish women were killed.