On 20 July 1944 an assassination attempt on the leader came close to succeeding. Hitler survived, but the confidence of the ruling cabal was badly shaken. The government responded by digging out for retribution a list of several thousand people who had been politically active before 1933. High profile members of the Communist Party and Social Democratic Party featured disproportionately. The "Aktion Gitter" list was badly out of date. Many of the communist party activists listed were dead. Many more were in Moscow. But Helene Overlach was alive in Berlin: the security services had no trouble locating her. Overnight, on 22/23 August 1944, an estimated 5,000 were arrested across Germany: most were promptly delivered to the closest concentration camp. Helene Overlach was one of the women taken to Ravensbrück concentration camp, a short distance to the north of Berlin.