Maus I and II: Vladek's Life timeline

Oct 11, 1906

Vladek is Born

Dec 1, 1932

Vladek starts to date Lucia

Lucia soon becomes very attached to Vladek, but he realizes he could never marry her. She later goes on to try to stop him from marrying Anja, but fails.

Dec 1, 1935

Vladek meets Anja for the first time

Vladek meets Anja for the first time through one of his friends. He finds her very smart and beautiful, and will go on to marry her

Dec 1, 1936

Vladek moves to Sosnowiec

Feb 14, 1937

Vladek marries Anja

Apr 16, 1937

Vladke opens a textile factory

Anja's father is very wealrthy and wants to provide Vladek's family with wealth for when they have their first child. As a result he funds the creation of a new textile factory which Vladek runs.

Oct 16, 1937

Richieu is born

Vladek and Anja have thier first son named Richieu

Jan 16, 1938

Vladek sees a Nazi flag for the first time in a small town

Mar 16, 1938

Vladek's textile factory is robbed while he is away with Anja

While Vladek is away on vacation with Anja, his textile factory is robbed. It is assumed that this is done by an anti-semitic group.

Aug 24, 1939

Vladek receives a draft notice to fight for Poland

Vladek is in the Polish reserves, so he receives a draft notice forcing him into the war.

Sep 5, 1939

Vladek is moved to the battlefront of the war

Sep 15, 1939

Vladek kills someone in the war

Oct 16, 1939

Vladek is taken as a prisoner of war

Mar 15, 1940

Vladek returns to his family after being released on Parshas Trama

Vladek is released from his prisoner of war camp and disguises himself as a German soldier once he is out in public. This allows him to travel throughout Nazi Germany in safety.

May 20, 1940

Auschwitz camps are officially opened

Nov 16, 1941

Vladek, along with all other jews, is forced out of Sosnowiec

Jan 9, 1942

Richieu is given to Tosha in hope that he will be survive with her

Feb 6, 1942

Tosha poisons Richieu to avoid the Gas Chambers

Tosha and her kids are about to be taken to the gas chambers, so she poisons all of them, including Richieu, to let them pass peacefully.

Feb 15, 1942

The use of the gas chambers begins

This is when the Nazi's begin the use of gas chambers to execute the Jews. The gas used in these chambers is known as Zyklon-B.

May 12, 1942

Anja's Grandparents are taken by the Gestapo

Vladek and Anja try to save Anja's granparents from being taken by the Gestapo, but they are eventually forcefully taken. They are moved to camps where they are eventually gassed.

Jan 14, 1944

Vladek is taken under the wing of one of the Kapo

Vladek is helped by one of the Kapo in return for teaching him English. Vladek is given food and security from being moved to a gas chamber in

Apr 17, 1944

Vladek begins work as a tinman in a camp

After telling one of the Kapo that he used to be a skilled tinman, Vladek is moved to be a tinman in one of the factories. This is a very lucky position because it provided him with great security from being killed.

Feb 18, 1945

Vladek and many other Jews are held in train cars

After Auschwitz was evacuated the Jews are held in train cars for several days in Dachau. Here many of them die due to lack of food and water. Vladke is able to survive by hanging his blanket from the roof and sitting on it.