Franz Werner Krebs (1927- ) was born in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) to lawyer and judge Dr. Richard Krebs and Annelise Krebs (nee Kosterlitz), but spent most of his child in Ratibor (now Racibórz, Poland). In November 1938, Richard Krebs was arrested and sent to Buchenwald and released the following month. In December 1938 Franz Krebs joined the first Kindertransport to England, where he lived at the Dovercourt Bay Camp, Otterden (Kent), and Wemm (Shropshire), and attended the New Herrlingen School. His parents and younger brother, Wolfgang, joined him in England in June 1939, using visas given to them by elderly friends, and settling in York. After the war, the Krebs returned to Germany, where Richard and Franz initially worked for the civil censorship division of the American occupation forces in Offenbach. Franz immigrated to the United States in 1956 and settled in the Washington, DC area.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
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The Franz Werner Krebs papers are arranged as two series: I. Biographical materials, 1997, and II. Subject files, 1997
The Franz Werner Krebs papers consist of photocopies and photographs of biographical materials and subject files documenting the Krebs family, their flight from Breslau to England in 1938 and 1939, their return to Germany after the war, and Franz Werner Krebs’ immigration to America in 1956. Biographical materials primarily include photocopies and photographs of identification papers, school records, a birth certificate, and a marriage certificate documenting Franz Werner Krebs, his registration in England, his architectural education in Germany, and his first marriage. Additional documents include copies of a eulogy for Krebs’ great uncle, a retirement letter to Krebs’ grandfather, diplomas for Krebs’ parents, a certificate appointing Krebs’ father to the Hessian Supreme Court, and a letter and clipping documenting Krebs’ mother’s work for the International Women’s Club of Frankfurt. Subject files consist of photocopies and photographs of correspondence, registration forms, and military papers documenting Krebs’ education at the New Herrlingen School, his host family, his return to Germany and work for the civil censorship division of the American occupation forces, and his immigration to the United States. These files also include photocopies of letters from Krebs and his father to his son, Thomas, describing the family’s history and including a family tree, and a photocopy of a family photo album with pictures dating back to the mid 19th century.
Franz Werner Krebs papers