Louis Caun and his wife, Antje Simons, were on Mechelen Transport XII that departed from Belgium on 1 September 1942 and was destined for Auschwitz.
On approximately 2 September 1942, the transport stopped in Cosel, Germany. The SS Officers ordered all men under the age of 50 off the train. Approximately 150-200 men obliged and exited the train at Cosel.
Did Louis stay, or did Louis go? Louis had turned 50 shortly before the transport. Did he jump up at the chance to get out of the crowded train car? Or did he stay with his wife to the trains final destination in Auschwitz?
If Louis departed the train at Cosel, he would have been sent to one of the many labor camps in Silesia where he thus perished.
If he stayed on the train, he likely perished in the gas champers on either the 3rd or 4th of September, 1942. Only eight men were admitted to Auschwitz for labor and there is no documentation suggesting that Louis was among them.
No documentation from Cosel remains, so it is unfortunately impossible to clarify the exact fate of Louis Caun.