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AUSCHWITZ:
Technique
and Operation
of
the Gas Chambers © | |
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About the same time, the Museum had sent me four photos
[Documents 9, 10, 11, 12] of "ventilation ducts," with no other
identification, that had been found at the time of the Liberation in
the Auschwitz “Bauhof” (place where new and recuperated construction
materials were kept]. There was no need to be particularly
clairvoyant to recognise the components of the air extraction system
of Leichenkeller 2 of Krematorien II dismantled in December 1944 by
an “Abbruchkommando” [demolition squad] and so well drawn from
memory by Olère in 1946. The truth is, that I had already seen these
four photos in the museum before my visit to the artist. This
ducting could be attributed to a ventilation system in the
Krematorien and in view of their length I was inclined to think that
they had come from the undressing rooms (50m long), but at the time
this was mere speculation. However, David Olère told me their
function and his drawings proved their existence. It remained to
find a concrete trace...
During a stay at Auschwitz,
as I was tirelessly walking around the ruins of the Krematorien, as
is my habit, for with each visit I learn something new in in the
light of the new documents I have been able to familiarise myself
with, my foot suddenly went into a hole hidden by weeds in the ruins
of Krematorium II. The tidying and weeding of the ruins of Birkenau
is in fact a very sporadic business. Sometimes they are well
cleared, and then a few months later covered with weeds. This hole
[Documents 14 to 18] was circular, about 25cm in diameter and
was at the junction between Leichenkeller 1 and 2, above the space
shown on the drawings of the basement as “Vorraum.” The air duct
drawn by David Olère and those of the “Bauhof” were of substantially
the same section. Unlike in Olère's drawing, in which a certain
“artistic licence” must be allowed for, the duct could only have
joined the others in the “Vorraum.” This hole which had made me fall
in the ruins established this fact and I was more than satisfied
despite the fall. However, I am unable to say whether this opening
is in the ceiling of the Vorraum or that of the Waschraum of the
ground floor, because it is difficult to identify the origin of the
ruins. Thus far, I have found no similar evidence for Krematorium
III.
In the light of the drawing by David Olère of the
undressing room of Krematorium III, the circular opening discovered
in the ruins of Krematorium II and the brief mentions found in the
correspondence between the Bauleitung and Messrs Topf, it is no
longer possible to uphold the argument that the Leichenkeller I of
Krematorien II and Ill were specifically planned for criminal
purposes because they had ventilation systems (unlike the
Leichenkeller 2 which did not have ventilation) as shown on drawings
933, 934 and 1174. Since Leichenkeller 1 and 2 both had air
extraction systems, either could have been used for gassing, and I
consider that this possibility was ENVISAGED by the SS at the
beginning (first quarter of 1943), then abandoned, the overall gas
chamber capacity of the Birkenau Krematorien being already more than
adequate.
Of the three formerly unexplained outlets of the
main ventilation chimney, two still remained to be defined. In the
ruins of Krematorium III [Documents 19 to 22], dynamited by
the SS, the floor of the roof space has collapsed on what was the
furnace room. It is possible to see five equidistant rectangular
openings above the emplacements of the five furnaces, one opening
per furnace.
Drawing 934 [Document 5], in its
north-south section of Krematorium II, appearing on the left,
indicates that an “Entlüftungskanal” [air extraction duct) ran
east-west along the floor of the roof space, removing the hot air
generated by the working furnaces.
A drawing by David Olère
of the furnace room of Krematorium III [see Part II, Chapter 5,
Document 87] also shows air intakes in the ceiling above the
furnaces, but with three openings per furnace. One may perhaps
attribute the number of air intakes to artistic imagination, but as
regards the rest of the composition, a Baulietung photograph of the
Krematorium II furnace room [Document 23], taken in February
or March 1943, confirms the precision of David Olère's “souvenir
snap” and the presence of one opening per furnace. Without this air
extraction system, the atmosphere of the furnace room would have
rapidly become unbearable. A duct led to the main ventilation
chimney to evacuate this hot air. |
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| Document 6 |
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| [PMO File BW 30/34, Microfilm No. 1070. page
97] |
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| A handwritten note from the fitter Messing of Topf & Son,
mentioning [line underlined] “air extractor blower No. 550 for
Leichenkeller II [undressing room].” |
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| BW 30 |
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| Fresh air blower No. 450 for C cellar I with suction and
pressure connections [and] regulating valve. |
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| Air extraction blower No. 550 for C cellar 2 with suction
and pressure connections and regulating valve. |
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| Air extraction blower No. 550 for furnace room, with pressure
connections. |
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| Suction and pressure connections 375 fan for dissecting, washing
and laying out room. |
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| Wooden regulating valve for C cellar I. |
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| Messing |
/Written in pencil/: Schulze
Ordered by telegram on
3.2.43 [initialed] Kirschneck. |
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AUSCHWITZ:
Technique
and operation
of the gas chambers
Jean-Claude Pressac
© 1989, The
Beate Klarsfeld Foundation |
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