The helpers after the arrest

The arrest of helpers Victor Kugler and Jo Kleiman left the two companies Gies & Co and Opekta without directors. Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl took over with the help of warehouse manager Willem van Maaren. Kugler and Kleiman were held in the Amsterdam prison for one month. Then they were transferred to Camp Amersfoort. Kleiman was released on 18 September 1944 after the Red Cross had pleaded for his release. Kugler stayed in the camp. He was put to work reinforcing the German lines near Zwolle and Wageningen. In March 1945, he escaped in Zevenaar, near the German border. During the last month of the occupation, he hid in his home in Hilversum.