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AUSCHWITZ:
Technique
and Operation
of
the Gas Chambers © | |
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exact number of Jews of other origin gassed at
Auschwitz (except for 70,000 Greek Jews burned in 1943). I think
the total number gassed in the two Bunkers and the four
Krematorien exceeded 4 million.. The American historian Raul
Hilberg, one of the rare true specialists of “The
Destruction of the European Jews” (Quadrangle Books,
Chicago 1961), estimates, on the basis of the number of trains
arriving at Auschwitz, that there were ONE million Jewish
victims.] |
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This figure includes various transports from different European
countries, both Jews and Aryans, as well as prisoners registered in
the camp and sent for gassing after selection.
The
dismantling of the Auschwitz Krematorien began in autumn 1944 [in
October for Kr IV and at the end of November for Kr II and III]. The
parts were taken to the goods platform and loaded onto trains. Part
of the material was left in Auschwitz, where it is still to be found
[in 1945] in the place where building materials were stored, known
as the “Bauhof” (builder's yard) in Auschwitz I [about 1 km
northwest of the main camp]. The Germans did not succeed in shipping
everything, being in such a hurry to flee. To be found there are the
trolley I have already described, the components of the ventilation
system [of the undressing rooms of Krematorien II and III : PMO neg.
nos 893, 894, 895 and 896], the frames of the cremation furnaces of
Krematorien IV and V [see Document 47, the doors of these
same furnaces [see Document 48], the ash bins [Document
26], fire bars [Document 27], the iron grids from the
windows [Document 49]. Despite the context, they are indeed
grids for protecting the windows, not grills for roasting corpses
out of doors], the fire irons from the furnaces [Document
37], a gas-tight door from a gas chamber [Documents 11,12 and
13], clothes hooks and benches from the undressing rooms [of
Krematorien II and III, [Document 10] and other metal and
wooden items. |
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[In fact these parts are from Kr IV, those from V
having remained in its ruins, twisted by the explosions that
destroyed it at the end of January 1945. In the centre of the
shadow of an observer on the right, it is possible to see a dozen
or so covers from the upper ventilation holes of the gas chambers
of Krematorium [II or III, on which subsequent toxicological
analysis was to find traces of cyanides] |
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| With this, the deposition being completed, the hearing was
closed. |
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The witness
Henryk Tauber |
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Public Prosecutor Edward Pechalski
Examining
Judge Jan Sehn
Clerk of the Court Stefania
Setmajer |
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| Round stamp of the “Cracow Regional Commission for the
investigation of German Crimes”, with in manuscript “Certified a
true copy”, signed by Jan Sehn. |
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| *** |
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| Conclusion |
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In 1985, Henryk Tauber’s deposition brings nothing new regarding
the existence of homicidal gas chambers at Birkenau, a historic fact
known to all except those who refuse to accept it. The proof of the
exceptional validity of his testimony is how well it corresponds
with the historical material available now that was not available in
May 1945. The main criticism that can be made of his account is the
relative weakness of his descriptions of Krematorien IV and V. Just
as his accounts of Krematorien II and III are so detailed as to be
almost tedious at times, though they are necessary, he becomes
almost vague on Krematorien IV and V. But the fault hardly lies with
Tauber, who must have been exhausted by the end of his
deposition.
It is unfortunate that Judge Jan Sehn did
not call him back for a second hearing to deal more specifically
with Krematorien IV and V. After a few days’ break, many details
that escaped him would have returned to his memory. This is a
serious omission, because, for example, neither Tauber nor Dragan,
both members of the Sonderkommando and “stokers” in Krematorien IV
and V describe the way in which the doors of the 8-muffle furnace,
which they handled every day, were opened and closed. In so doing,
they would have been led to describe the appearance of the furnace,
which can now be reconstituted, due the lack of contemporary
photographs, only by means of a laborious process of comparison and
cross-checking. Obviously the discovery of more Bauleitung
photographs showing the internal installations of Krematorien IV and
V, or of Topf drawings of these furnaces would make this criticism
irrelevant. |
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| ***
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AUSCHWITZ:
Technique
and operation
of the gas chambers
Jean-Claude Pressac
© 1989, The
Beate Klarsfeld Foundation |
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