CHAPTER 7
THE BIRKENAU "ZENTRAL SAUNA" WITH ITS DISINFECTION
AUTOCLAVES AND ITS TOPF DISINFESTATION OVENS |
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THE BIRKENAU "ZENTRAL SAUNA" or "NEUE SAUNA"
designated worksite BW 32
A study of the "Zentral Sauna"
is necessary for several reasons: |
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| 1. |
The revisionists (e.g.
Faurisson) have situated here what they consider to be the only gas
chambers in Birkenau; |
| 2. |
In order to distinguish between
and separate as far as possible the extermination and disinfestation
installations, since the confusion between the two has often been
used as a system of defence by SS defendants (such as
Dejaco); |
| 3. |
In order to show that a
realistic and in-depth study proves that there were no gas chambers
in this complex; |
| 4. |
In order to enable the reader to
compare the documentation produced by the author (drawings,
contemporary and recent photographs, correspondence and testimonies)
with that of the revisionists. |
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| The Zentral Sauna was the most comprehensive
disinfection and disinfestation installation in KGL Birkenau.
Designed after the "sanitary crisis" of August 1942 (typhus
epidemic), the first three drawings for it date from November 1942
[Drawings 1, 2 and 3]. Its equipment was to include three
disinfection autoclaves and four Topf disinfestation hot air
chambers [Drawing 4]. However the Bauleitung did not rapidly
commence construction on worksite 32 for two reasons: first, the
epidemic having been brought partially under control the need for a
large sanitary and delousing installation was felt less urgently;
second, as a consequence of a more "controlled" situation, obtaining
funds from the WVHA-SS for a major installation was less of a
priority. The November 1942 drawings were received by Berlin in
January 1943. Designed for carrying out several sanitary operations
at the same time both on the prisoners (haircut, medical
examination, disinfection and shower) and on their clothing and
effects (disinfestation), the main fault with these initial plans
was the inadequate space allowed for reception and waiting areas for
the prisoners. The Bauleitung corrected this fault by having four
more virtually definitive drawings produced in March 1943
[Drawings 5, 6, 7 and 8]. The Berlin WVHA-SS was probably
informed of this since in the letters from WNHA of 28th April 1943
the first three drawings are considered cancelled and the Auschwitz
Bauleitung is recommended to size the construction as accurately as
possible for its purpose [cf correspondence). The drainage drawing
[Drawing 9] for the building was produced in May, after acceptance
of the new configuration of BW 32. The necessary credits were made
available at the beginning of June and work started immediately,
spurred by the perfectly justified fear of a resurgence of typhus as
summer approached. After a number of last-minute alterations
[Drawing 10], the installation was completed in the autumn of 1943
[Drawing 11; Photos 12, 13 and 14]. It entered service in
December 1943 [Photos 15, 17, 25, 30, 31, 35 and 41] and
functioned until the liberation of the camp in January 1945. It fell
intact into Soviet hands [Photo 15]. It is not known whether photos
were taken of the interior of the building at that time. In the 50s
or 60s the roof of the central part of the Zentral Sauna fell in. A
fairly complete restoration was then undertaken by the Auschwitz
Museum. This must be borne in mind when studying the present state
of the premises [Photos 18 to 24, 27 to 29, 32 to 34, 36 to 40,
42 and 43]. As the level of the water table has risen over the
years due to a lack of maintenance of the drainage system installed
by the SS, the basement of the Zentral Sauna is completely flooded
with water which it is no longer possible to remove, despite the
installation of a pump for this purpose. |
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| THE CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THE
ZENTRAL SAUNA (BW 32) |
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| In the Archives of the Warsaw Central Commission for
the investigation of Hitlerite crimes in Poland there is a microfilm
from the Soviet "October Revolution" central state
archives dated 1969 and with the reference number M 598c in the
Section "Arch.sammlung no.1372, Beschreibung no. 5 / Evidence
no.156", with a series of 14 pages of letters tracing the
history of the reasons for the building of a disinfection and
disinfestation centre subsequently to be called the "Zentral Sauna,"
a building that was a sauna only in name. Not possessing a copy of
these letters, I give below a short résumé containing the full list
with, in brackets after the dates, the file number in the
Section |
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7th April 1943 (14): The Auschwitz Bauleitung sent the
project drawings for a disinfestation installation to Berlin (no
doubt the new drawings for BW 32, numbers 2151, 2157, 2159 and
2184).
28th April 1943 (13 and 12), the Berlin WVHA
replied to the Bauleitung after assessing the
drawings: |
"Die Warte, Aus-, Ankleideräume sind nicht grösser
als nötig vorzusehen / the waiting, undressing and dressing
rooms should not be any bigger than
necessary." |
The first three drawings for B W 32 had not in fact
contained such big waiting rooms for the prisoners. Offering such
"comfort" to the "enemies of the Reich" could be considered
"sabotage" of the war effort, which meant economies on the home
front in favour of the external fronts. In addition, the WVHA
noted that the initial drawings received on 13th January 1943 were
"cancelled" (ungültig) [the bureaucrat in Berlin who replied to
the Auschwitz Bauleitung was somewhat negligent in his work,
because his numbers 1801, 1845 and 1850 should really be
1841, 1846 and 1850.]
4th June 1943 (9 and
8), after work had started on BW 32, the Bauleitung wrote to the
Berlin WVHA reporting on progress. The installation was now
urgently required because of the drastic health situation in the
Gypsy Camp (Birkenau B.a.IIe). The "Entwesungsofen /
disinfestation ovens" (see drawing D 60283) were supplied by Topf
& Sons of Erfurt, the autoclaves by another specialist firm in
Munich. The future Zentral Sauna was also carefully described.
5th June 1943 (7) a letter thought to be a handwritten
note from SS General Kammler of the WVHA.
9th June 1943 (6
and 5), 30th June 1943 (10), 8th July 1943 (11) and 17th July 1943
(4): letters reporting on the progress made on the "Entwesungs-
und Desinfektionsgebäude im K. G. L. / disinfestation and
disinfection building at the POW camp."
20th July 1943
(2), the Bauleitung stressed the "Hygienische sofort Massnahmen im
KL Bereich / immediate health measures in the concentration camp
area". The letter mentioned the fight against rats and spoke of
the installation of a "Leichenhalle / corpse hall [morgue]" in
view of the increased number of deaths.
4th August 1943 (3
and 1) two letters signed by the Head of the Bauleitung, Bischoff,
again spoke of building a Leichenhalle. |
| This exchange of correspondence highlights three
important points: |
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The dreadful state of hygiene and health in July 1943 in the
gypsy camp, a source of proliferation of pests carrying diseases
such typhus; |
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The presence of rats in the prisoners' accommodation (on top of
the SS, Capos and Vorarbeiter); |
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| The direct intervention of the Berlin WVHA in the design of a
disinfestation and disinfection building, the Zentral Sauna, which
was after all a fairly straightforward project. This dirigism on the
part of Berlin was to serve as an alibi for one of the Krematorium
"architects," Untersturmführer Walther Dejaco, for example, in his
deposition of 3rd April 1962 before the Reutte Regional Tribunal
(penal proceedings against Dr. Georg Meyer and others), and during
his own trial in Vienna in January-March 1972.] |
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| THE EFFECTS DISINFECTION AND
DISINFESTATION OPERATIONS |
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| These operations as carried out at the Zentral Sauna
were described in a letter sent to the Auschwitz Museum by a Czech
former prisoner: |
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| (Summary) |
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| The procedures used were: |
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| 1. |
Hot air: Large and heavy effects, such as coats, outer
clothing, etc.; |
| 2. |
Steam: "light" effects, such as underclothes, shirts and
any type of clothing considered as light, for example the
"Zebra-Kleider," prison uniforms. Blankets were also included in
this group |
| 3. |
Other: Leather objects, such au shoes, belts. etc. were
disinfected using Karbol. Lysol or water containing hydrocyanic
acid, a mixture obtained by pouring Zyklon-B crystals into the
water. |
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This letter mentions that the operations continued 24
hours a day, with three shifts of prisoners on this task, changing
every eight hours.
It will be noted that the methods
described by this former prisoner were almost identical with those
used in the US Army at that time [see following page],
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