|
|
 |
 |
AUSCHWITZ:
Technique
and Operation
of
the Gas Chambers © | |
|
| |
 |
Back |
 |
Contents |
Page 252 |
|
Home
Page |
Forward |
 |
| |
that less victims
were gassed at one time. thus less gas chamber space was required.
The old formula of 2,000 at a time had gone and out of fashion and
the maximum size of a batch became 1,000. In the author’s opinion,
there could be only two possible explanations for such a
modification: either the number of people to be gassed turned out to
be smaller than anticipated, or the assign of large batches meant
prolonged overloading of the cremation furnaces and led to frequent
breakdowns, this reducing the overall efficiency of the Krematorium.
By limiting the capacity of Leichenkeller 1 to 1,000 people, the SS
optimized their incineration installation of regulating it to avoid
the problems brought about by “accelerated” working. The
author considers that this new method, based on experience, made it
possible to improve the incineration throughput of the Krematorium.
The same principle was applied in May 1944 in Krematorium V, where
an internal wall was built to create a gas chamber of about 12 m² in
order to be able to “treat” small groups using a minimum of
Zyklon-B. It is not known whether Leichenkeller 1 of Krematorium III
was divided in a similar way, but this would seem logical. At the
present time, one of the few opportunities that exist for verifying
this would be to study ALL of David Olère’s sketches, assuming that
somewhere he had drawn from memory the interior of the gas chamber
of Krematorium III. However, this research is not possible at the
moment, because fifty of Olère's sketches (about half of his
historical production) are not available to the
public.
[On 19th December 1943, most probably, Huta
gave the new head of the Bauleitung, SS Lieutenant Jothann,
virtually all their original drawings for Krematorien II and III, in
order to finalize business concerning these two buildings. This
letter, actually dated 1944 and cited as such in the annexes, is
much more likely, in the logical succession of the correspondence
exchanged, to date from 1943, its writer having somewhat anticipated
the arrival of the new year. Chronologically, the date of 19th
December 1943 is more plausible than 19th December 1944. In this
case, the author’s comments on this letter in the annexes are
mistaken, because they are too “dramatized”. They are nevertheless
left uncorrected because it is impossible to actually prove that the
letter was written in 1943 as there is no supporting documentary
evidence.]
From the end of 1943 until April 1944, Krematorien
II and III functioned regularly, but not at full capacity, in
accordance with the numbers of people found unfit for work.
Krematorien IV and V, were out of service and not required anyway.
In anticipation of the arrival of the Hungarian Jews, the SS
Krematorium Administration had the FOUR buildings gradually made
ready for service. On 13th April, the DAW metalworking shop received
an order (no. 1483) for the repair of 20 furnace doors and 10
scrapers for Krematorien I [II] and II [III]. This work was
completed on 17TH JULY 1944 [a date that remains inexplicable
because impossible to check in the original file]. On 5th May, still
for Krematorien II and III, the metalworking shop completed 40 nuts
and bolts produced according to a sketch attached to an order of
27th April (no. 1513). Finally, on 1st June, this shop received an
order (no. 1600) for the repair of 30 furnace doors for Krematorien
III [IV] and IV [V] and for 4 slices. This order, marked urgent, was
completed on 7th June [this order from the SS administration raises
the question of its late date with respect to the “resettlement” of
the Hungarian Jews and the number of doors is a mystery, as it seems
excessive and is not a multiple of 8. We have no documents to
elucidate |
|
Document 73
[PMO neg. no. 21334/49] |
 |
|
|
Western access stairway to the
undressing room (Leichenkeller 2) of Krematorium II in 1945. In the
center, standing on the top step, is the Examining Judge, Jan Sehn.
In the background is the barbed wire fence. On the left is a post
supporting three strands of barbed wire to prevent any “leakage”
away towards the southern grounds of the Krematorium. There is no
ring of greenery here. |
|
 |
Document 74
[PMO neg. no.
21334/48] |
|
| In the center, his tie flying in the wind,
is the Examining Judge, Jan Sehn, accompanied by various officials,
walking in 1945 between the “formal garden” (behind them) and the
undressing room (Leichenkeller 2) in the north yard of Krematorium
II, heading for the western access stairway. Jan Sehn was following
exactly the same route as those found unfit for work, from the
entrance gate (in the background on the right) to the stairs down to
the undressing room. In the middle ground is the famous garden which
according to the “revisionists” should not have been intact if the
SS had really gassed people, as it would have been trampled out of
existence by the crowds to be “treated”. It is nevertheless
protected by pickets carrying a very low strand of barbed wire, an
apparently laughable barrier, but in fact vicious and effective.
|
|
|
Document 75
[Le Monde Juif, No. 97, page 14]
|
 | |
| |
AUSCHWITZ:
Technique
and operation
of the gas chambers
Jean-Claude Pressac
© 1989, The
Beate Klarsfeld Foundation |
|
Back |
Page 252 |
Forward |
|
|
