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AUSCHWITZ:
Technique
and Operation
of
the Gas Chambers © | |
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Page 549 |
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| Faurisson’s documentation was beginning to show gaps as work
proceeded. I was asked to go to the Museum to find more material. I
was free to do as I thought fit, but specific tasks were to check in
situ the “reconstitution” of Krematorium I and carefully check the
references in the Polish book by Judge Jan Sehn, “Les crimes
allemands en Pologne” [German crimes in Poland], published
in Warsaw in 1948. Then came the final instructions from Washington:
“enter the ruins of Krematorien II and III” and visit the
“disinfection” barracks in “Bauabschnitt / construction stage” I of
Birkenau. In July, Faurisson had warned me against the tendency to
see “falsehoods” everywhere like the Swedish revisionist Felderer.
“There really are no falsehoods, but simply false interpretations
of things that really existed”. I was by now well-prepared to
“revise” the “official” history of Auschwitz-Birkenau. |
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[Part of the preceding section and what follows is
a short
summary of my visit of 25th to 30th August 1980,
entitled
“AUSCHWITZ QUINTET”.] |
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| First day: 26th August 1980 |
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At eight o’clock sharp I presented myself at the Auschwitz
Archives. I gave Thion's book to Tadeusz Iwaszko, telling him that
the situation was serious. Auschwitz, “Hoax of the twentieth
Century”, etc. Iwaszko didn’t turn a hair, simply asking the
purpose of my visit. I said that Faurisson, supported by certain
elements of the French extreme left, was becoming a threat. He had
to be fought. and on his own ground. It was necessary to study the
technology and rationally explain the Zyklon B gassings and back
this up with irrefutable historical material. Iwaszko understood my
point of view, but would never subscribe to it, being convinced that
no discussion with the revisionists was possible, whatever the
documents produced [and he is right]. He considered Thion’s work to
be simply a pamphlet. And then he had doubts about my sincerity.
Either I was telling the truth, or I was an emissary sent by
Faurisson. But whatever his personal opinion, he could not
officially accuse me and had to provide me with the documents I
requested.
This conversation took place in a somewhat tense
atmosphere. My approach work is tricky because I was not fully
acquainted with what I knew to exist. The Museum had sent me only 59
negatives of the 150 I had ordered and I had returned them because
they were not up to standard. He brought out the same drawings as in
November 1979, ones I knew by heart through having recopied them.
Finally I went back to first principles and requested the volumes of
the Hoess trial, At last I was able to make some progress, finding
there the references I required. At 1 p.m. the Archives closed and I
had to pack up. Not very fruitful, this first contact, but I had
found the right road.
In the afternoon, investigations
at Birkenau. The cloudy weather of the morning had giver way to
sunshine. Destination: the disinfestation barracks, Bauwerken/
worksites BW 5a and 5b. 5b (women) was open, but 5a (men) was
closed. Rapid visit of 5b, taking many photographs. Inside, three
rooms with thick doors fitted with felt sealing stripe. Gas
chambers? [No, I was mistaken. These were hot air disinfestation
chambers. I had passed through the “real” gas chamber that used
Zyklon B as disinfestation agent, without even realizing it]. Then I
went on to the BA.I sewage treatment station next to Krematorium II.
More photographs. I came to Leichenkeller 1 of Krematorium II, one
of the “supposed” homicidal gas chambers. I wandered round these 210
m² surrounded by such mystery. The sky was clear and the sun
pleasantly warm. The weeds growing over the ruins were healthy Their
shade of green proclaiming summer. A stark contrast with this
Leichenkeller 1, its roof broken into huge slabs. Two of the slabs
formed a kind of roof [on the extreme left on Photo 15].
Stupefaction: it was possible to slip inside through the ridge of
this “roof” and there was enough light to take photographs. An
archeological dream. I could not believe my eyes, spellbound by what
I discovered. And certain confirmations were already evident. I had
been right in June, when I was studying poor photographs of the
construction drawings. The upper ventilation duct of “corpse cellar
1” was a very primitive arrangement made of wood. There remained
only a few bits of battens stapled to the concrete ceiling, but that
sufficed. In the center of the accessible section there was a
pillar, almost intact, which was what still supported part of the
ceiling. At the foot of this pillar, under 50 cm of water. I was
able to see one of the waste water drains as on drawing 932 of the
Krematorium basement. I was jubilant because the presence of this
drain connected directly with Krematorium II corroborated what I had
observed on the drawing: it was not possible to gas people in
Leichenkeller 1 because the hydrocyanic acid gas could escape
through the drains into the building and poison the air in parts of
it. In the ceiling, a piece of planking recalled the Bauleitung
letter of 29th January 1943, stating that because of the frost the
removal of the formwork had been delayed [mistaken interpretation.
It was the emplacement of one of the 24 dummy showers fitted in the
gas chamber]. Scarcely had I emerged from this rather special place,
when I encountered further surprises. Manholes hidden in the
vegetation led me to discover shafts leading to the very foundations
of Leichenkeller 1. I descended into one of them, using the metal
rungs set into the brick wall. This “gas chamber” had more holes in
it than a sieve. Gassing would obviously be impossible, for the
building above and its surroundings would have been subjected to the
toxic and deadly effects of prussic acid. I ran to Krematorium III.
Identical findings, except that I could not descend into the
manholes because they were of different design, concrete pipes with
no ladder built in. I disappeared into the forest because a group of
tourists was approaching. I went through “Kläranlage / sewage
treatment station” II and arrived at the Zentral Sauna. It was
closed as usual and I went behind the building to look for an open
window, I was soon able to jump inside. I took some photographs of
the clothing disinfestation autoclaves, the only authentic “gas
chambers” according to Faurisson. Lastly, I went to Krematorium V,
completely choked by vegetation. Not much use taking photographs.
The ground floor was as shown on the Bauleitung drawing. And on the
way back I finally found the ruins of Krematorium IV. There remained
nothing but the concrete floor and the outline of the different
rooms. I began to feel I'd had enough. “Morgen ist auch ein Tag /
Tomorrow is another day” |
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| Second day: 27th August |
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Nine o’clock. Archives. I asked Iwaszko to help me find the
document(s) containing the term “Badanstalten fur Sonderaktionen /
Baths for special actions”, a term designating the gas chambers of
Krematorien IV and V [wrong. In the note of 21st August 1942, this
expression refers to Bunkers 1 and 2, not to the Krematorien, which
were not yet built]. He is not familiar with the expression, even
though it is one of the favorite themes of many authors. Where does
it come from? Not very pleased. I didn’t insist. My discoveries of
the previous day kept coming into my mind. To such an extent that I
was unable to stop myself telling him about the “holes” around the
“komora gazowa”. Not at all disconcerted, he asked what I thought
about them. On the spur of the moment I replied: “Because of the
constantly wet ground, water infiltrated the lower ventilation
ducts. This system would have served to evacuate this water.” He
disappeared, leaving me to study volume 11 of the Höss Trial. Then
he came back and unfolded yet another plan, Bauleitung drawing 1300
of 18/6142, “Krematorium-Entwassering / Krematorium drainage”. A
real slap in the face. Demolition of my hypothesis that gassing was
impossible because of the arrangement of the drainage system. What
is more, the shafts discovered in the ruins were not connected with
the ventilation system, but with the drainage. Drawing 1300
corresponds exactly with the ruins. Unlike on drawing 932, the
drainage system of Leichenkeller 1 is now AUTONOMOUS, quite separate
from that of the rest of the building. It no longer joins the rest,
but goes off at right angles to drain into the main external sewer
coming from the Krematorium. This separate drainage would make it
possible to carry out any number of gassings with no danger of
dangerous contamination, There had clearly been a MODIFICATION of
the Leichenkeller 1 drainage. In volume 11 I found a trace of the
phantom Krematorium VI, based on incineration in open air pits;
plans of the red and white “farmhouses”, Bunkers 1 and 2; extracts
from the correspondence and orders concerning the construction of
the Krematorien, divided into four groups: the Schlosserei /
metalworking shop file; the correspondence between the firm
responsible for the cremation furnaces, Topf & Sons, and the
Auschwitz 'Zentralbauleitung / central construction management"; the
Huta file, this being the firm that built the shells of the four
Krematorien; and the Tageslohnliste / daily timesheets (a and b).
Being unable to translate all this materiel immediately, I asked
Iwaszko for photocopies [I was dreaming!] to be made in time for me
to be able to take them home with me. He promised to let me have an
answer the next day, although he thought my request would be
difficult to meet because of the deteriorating situation in Poland
at that time. The north was affected by a strike that was spreading
to the whole country.
In the afternoon I returned to
Birkenau and mobilized an attendant. Another examination of
Krematorium IV: in line with the drawings, as was the drainage
system. The attendant gave me to understand that there was something
else worth seeing, behind Krematorium V. After a few minutes' walk
in the woods, we came to a small hollow. He bent and started to
knead the soil. In a flash I understood: pieces of human bone.
Buckets full, He took me into the Birkenwald, And again, half filled
trenches whose content spoke volumes. Crushed bones. It affected me
greatly, turned me over in spite of myself. We turned back and he
headed for “Kanada” [huts where the goods and chattels of new
arrivals were kept]. He took a path flanked by tall grass that led
to a square meter of ground where there was a mass of knifes, forks,
spoons, scissors and clippers inextricably entangled, charred,
rusted: an unbearable, shapeless mass, I wanted to see the Zentral
Sauna again. He had no key, so we got in through a window at the
back, now a tradition. Before the three autoclaves, I asked him:
“Komora gazowa?” “Niet Nie! Para!” Steam. Faurisson was mistaken.
The clothing disinfestation autoclaves that he presented as
authentic “gas chambers”, turned out to use steam, not gas. Beyond
them were four brick disinfestation chambers [known as “Topf
disinfestation ovens”]. I wanted to know what disinfestation agent
was used, and went down into the “Heizerruben / stoking pits”
flanking them. Everything was flooded, but despite this the hearths
were still visible. These were hot air chambers. No gas, be it T,
Zyklon B, Tritox or Ventox. Bad news for Faurisson! That was the end
of work for the 27th. . |
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| Third day: 28th August |
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Gloomy weather. Bewölkt / overcast. Nine o’clock, Archives.
Iwaszko had prepared the drawings requested the previous day. That
of the “Luftschutzbunker für SS Revier mit einem Operationsraum /
Air raid shelter for the SS hospital with operating theatre”,
resulting from the conversion of Kr I, the “old” Krematorium was
unfolded on a table. I note the details that I had not been able to
decipher in June on the photo in Faurisson’s files. But I have the
impression that it is not exactly the same drawing and give way to a
moment of panic. If the Museum keeps bringing out different drawings
of a given building, this seems a poor basis for my putting forward
any theory whatever. This drawing, 4287, is dated 2/9/44. Faurisson
believed it to date from July 1943. Since the references were
illegible on the photograph, he had worked out the date from a
letter from the Museum. Worrying. And yet everything fitted. It was
certainty the drawing of which he had published a photograph in
“Thion” (page 317, photo 8) [during my next trip I realized that
there were two identical drawings with different inscriptions.
Printed from a tracing of the first drawing, the second
(Faurisson’s) was concerned with the water pipes and fittings. The
additional information was added to the original drawing in Indian
ink]. Worried by this unsuspected problem, I confronted Iwaszko: “Is
it really in its original state, this Krematorium I, with its
rebuilt chimney. two badly rebuilt furnaces, the door between the
furnace room and the morgue reinstalled a meter from its original
position, the gas tight door imitated, an external door convened
into a window, the windows remade, the partition walls in the morgue
/ gas chamber demolished, the Zyklon B introduction orifices
installed after the war?” He confirmed the reconstruction and
explained his view. What mattered was not the internal and external
aspect of the building itself, but the “image” they wanted to
recreate of a homicidal gas chamber, a place where many people had
actually asphyxiated with Zyklon B. I accepted this, rejoicing at
his confirmation regarding Krematorium I, and went on to study the
disinfestation barrack, BW 5a, drawing 801 of 8/11/41. I was
astonished to read “Wasch und Brauseraum / Wash and shower room”
and, just above this, “GASKAMMER”. The association of showers and
gas chambers could have became showers are gas chambers, in the
minds of prisoners. Possible. The drawing did not correspond to what
now remained. There followed a series of drawings of BW 5a and 5b
showing the gradual evolution of the premises, with the creation of
new rooms, with a sauna [a real one!], a technical installation
connected to a disinfestation chamber. The term “Gaskammer” still
appeared, but on the final drawing. 2540 of 5/7/43, the gas chamber
had been replaced by a chamber connected to a hot air generator.
[BW 5a was in fact fitted with a delousing chamber using
Zyklon B, then the equipment required for gas operation was removed
and two hot air disinfestation chambers were installed IN that room.
In BW 5b another Zyklon B delousing chamber was installed. This was
not subsequently converted, but remains at it was, with two
extractor fans visible in its east wall. That these two gas
chambers, installed in a most primitive fashion, actually functioned
with Zyklon B, is attested by the fact that their wails have turned
blue (both outside and inside). This utilization led to two
conclusions. First. that Faurisson’s thesis that using gas chambers
was a complex business was wrong: after studying the ultra
sophisticated American execution gas chambers, he had come to the
conclusion that because of their very simplicity, the Auschwitz
“homicidal installations” were technically incapable of functioning.
Second. the use of Zyklon B as a disinfestation agent at Auschwitz
was clearly established, so that it was no longer possible to
maintain, as did
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AUSCHWITZ:
Technique
and operation
of the gas chambers
Jean-Claude Pressac
© 1989, The
Beate Klarsfeld Foundation |
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