Inge was the only child of Regina and Berthold Auerbacher. The couple had been married since 1928. Berthold Auerbacher served the German Empire as a soldier in World War I - during which he was wounded. In recognition of his service, he received the Iron Cross. Later he became a textile merchant. The paternal grandparents were no longer living when Inge was born.

The maternal grandparents, Max and Betty Lauchheimer from Jebenhausen, near Göppingen, often visited the family in Kippenheim. The family took an active part in the life of the Jewish community in Kippenheim - here they saw themselves as a "large, widely branched family".