The Auschwitz Gas Chambers and the Leuchter Report

by A. O.

A student essay from Dr. Elliot Neaman's History 210 class (historical methods - fall 1997)

The Holocaust is one of the single greatest atrocities of the Twentieth Century. Six million Jews perished in the various camps throughout the German occupied territories and since the end of the war various Holocaust deniers have tried to prove that the Holocaust never occurred. Holocaust denial is a growing world phenomenon. Many scholars in both the United States and abroad have done and continue to do extensive research on the Holocaust to prove that it did not occur. Among these scholars is Fred Leuchter. Leuchter published a report in 1988 denying the Auschwitz gas chambers existed. It is important for the memories of the four million victims at Auschwitz and the future history of the world that the truth is known. The Holocaust is a gruesome reality that must be studied in order prevent anti-Semitism in future generations.

In the edge of the small Polish town, Oswiecim lay the largest of the Nazi concentration camps: Auschwitz. In the period from May 1940 to January 1945 approximately 450,000 prisoners were registered at Auschwitz. It is estimated that over 200,000 of these prisoners perished. Auschwitz and its satellites consisted of more than 40 camps. These camps functioned as prisoner labor including work in mines, construction, and agriculture. The significance of Auschwitz concentration camps lies in the machinery of mass extermination the Nazis created.¹

From the spring 1942 until the fall 1944, the Nazis transported the Jews, held in Nazi occupied territories, like cattle who were unaware of their fate: "there will never be a people as innocent as the victims on the threshold of the gas chambers."² Over one million Jews named unfit for work were immediately transported to the gas chambers and murdered. This included children, the elderly, the sick, and large numbers of men and women. These initial victims at Auschwitz remained unregistered in the camp system.

Heinrich Himmler decided upon the creation and location of Auschwitz, second in the hierarchy of the RSHA (Reichssicherheitshauptamt, or Reich Main Security Office). This elite Nazi police unit decided upon Auschwitz as the perfect location for "the final solution of the Jewish question in Europe". Auschwitz enabled the Nazis to subdue the Polish resistance movement and also house Polish prisoners who were otherwise unable to be accommodated for. Concentration camps were different than that of other camps as they were under the central command of the SS authorities. This system consisted of a network of a uniformed regime that held full control of the prisoners' lives.³

In the second half of 1941 Auschwitz authorities, under Himmler's authority began the preparations for the mass annihilation of the Jews. In September 1941, the first gassings were carried out. The first victims of the gas chambers were Soviet prisoners of war who the Nazis used as guinea pigs for the chambers. The mass murders by gas at Auschwitz were documented in great detail in the biography of Rudolf Hoss, the chief organizer and commandment of the Auschwitz camp. Hoss illustrates in great detail the atrocities committed in the camps. Dr. Johann Paul Kremmer, an uniformed doctor in the camp, gave another critical documentation. Dr. Kremmer maintained a diary while at Auschwitz and took part in the selection of victims.⁴ It was he who decided who lived and died.

The early concerns of the SS were the types of gas to be used in the crematories. Zyklon B, commonly used for sanitation, was first used on a group of Soviet prisoners and proved successful. In early 1942, two cottages near Birkenau were used as provisional gas chambers. In the early stages of murder the SS killed Jews brought in by transport from upper Silesia and Slovakia. They would then pack as many of them as possible (around 2,000) at one time and murder the Jews. In March 1943, German engineers with the sole purpose of mass murder constructed four gas chambers and crematoria. The gas chambers constructed had the capability of murdering as many as 4,416 victims in 24 hours.⁵

Following the installation of these chambers at Birkenau, Jews were transported from various European countries by the hundreds of thousands. With their only crime being their "racial" and national origin, the Jews were sentenced to death. Upon arrival the RSHA deemed those fit for work while the others were transported to the gas chambers. The SS doctors that resided in the camp carried out these selections. The majority of the Jews being transported were unaware of their destination even to the moment of death. Following the procession into the chambers, the SS men were responsible for dropping the gas pellets down the shafts. However, perhaps the most gruesome job was that of the Sonderkommando.⁶

The Sonderkommando were Jewish prisoners responsible for preparing the victims for death. They were held in isolation away from the other Jews. They were forced to undress the victims, fill the bunkers with victims, remove the bodies of the victims, and burn of the corpses. While performing their duties it was well known to them that their fate was that of the very victims they were responsible for preparing for death. They were killing their own people.⁷

While working in several different teams the Sonerkommando held multiple tasks. The first stage of preparation involved the gas chambers. The gas chambers were to be whitewashed after each of the killings. Others were responsible for removing anything of precious value from the dead bodies. This included hair, gold teeth, and jewelry. It was another team’s duty to transport the bodies to deep pits where they were covered with chlorinated lime and soil. However, in the spring of 1943 with the opening of the new crematoria, bodies could now cremated. This making the killing process quite efficient. As many as 1,440 bodies could be incinerated in 24 hours.⁸

Between 1945 and 1970 six diaries of members of the Auschwitz Sonderkommado were discovered hidden near the crematoria in Birkanau. These diaries reveal the death camps as a hell on earth. The Jews had lost their identity and self worth. On October 7, 1944 there was an attempt to revolt in one of the crematories. This attempt resulted in yet more killings of those responsible for the revolt. One of the authors writes in his opening remarks "to join the writer on a 'tour' of his path of his torture. He calls on the imaginary reader to see how a civilized people had joined hands with Satan to become a murderous phenomenon whose like the world has never known."⁹ These men portrayed their killers as men of Satan holding no value of human life.

It is estimated that over four million persons were put to death at Auschwitz. With the creation of the gas chambers, the Nazis had discovered the most efficient method of mass extermination of the Jews. Fortunately, their "final solution" was never completed. This does not lessen the fact that over four million human beings were murdered. It is for this reason that it is amazing that there is a large contingency of Holocaust deniers.

Holocaust denial is a growing world phenomenon. Many scholars in both the United States and abroad have done and continue to do extensive research on the Holocaust and continue to deny the Holocaust occurred. Over time these deniers are becoming well known and with their manipulative tactics have gathered a significant following. The Holocaust deniers claim that they are offering an alternative history that should be examined. The deniers have continually attempted to link themselves with revisionist scholars. However, revisionists are respected American scholars who are disturbed by the United State's involvement in World War I but in no way try to refute the mass annihilation of the Jews during the Holocaust. These deniers believe that the Holocaust was a "hoax" devised by the Jews. According to the deniers, the Jews were in search of reparation payments for deaths that never occurred. They even go so far as to say that the Germans did not annihilate the Jews but rather helped them in their attempts to immigrate during the war. Many of these Holocaust deniers are well-respected scholars. One is Arthur Butz.

Arthur Butz is a professor at Northwestern University who wrote The Hoax of the 20th Century. Butz's book has been a useful tool for the deniers in gaining respect. Because he is an educated man whose writings surpassed those of previous deniers. His works contain bibliographies and footnotes filled with reputable sources. However, like other deniers he leaves questions unanswered and does not provide sufficient evidence to prove his argument. Butz claims his pursuit is that of historical truth but in actuality he is an anti-Semite who blames the Jews for Germany's defeat in the war. Butz even goes so far as to say that the Jews created these tales of the Holocaust and the perpetrators who admitted their involvement in the Holocaust were forced into false admissions. Similar to Butz is Aryan supremacist Francis Yockey.

Francis Yockey dedicated his book Imperium to Adolf Hitler. Yockey believes the West should follow the German revolution "model" of 1933. Yockey is an Aryan supremacist who calls for an absolute imperial system. Yockey believes it is necessary to rid the power of the individual and consolidate all enterprises under public control and ownership. He is an anti-Semite who believes the Jews "were bound to destroy the West."¹⁰ Yockey believes that the Jews are the core of the conspiracies concerning the Holocaust that exist. Deniers such as Yockey are supported by organizations such as the Institute for Historical Review.

The Institute for Historical Review is an anti-Semitic group who claims they are rather "revisionists" bringing "the truth" to the people. The IHR was begun with little publicity. To gain more notoriety they decided upon offering $50,000 to anyone who could prove that the Nazi operated gas chambers. This brought the IHR the widespread publicity they had been yearning for. Holocaust survivor, Mel Mermelstein decided upon proving to the IHR that he witnessed the Nazi run gas chambers. Because the IHR refused to allow an outside judge to hear the case, Mermelstein filed suit against the IHR. Eventually, Mermelstein's case was heard by an outside judge in Toronto who ruled that the gas chamber and extermination of the Jews were "simply a fact."¹¹ Thus, Mermelstein won the case and was awarded ninety thousand dollars, which included the reward of fifty thousand and forty thousand for his pain and suffering. Although this was a huge blow to the IHR's cause, the publicity succeeded in spreading their nonsense.

The IHR's key witness in the trial was Fred Leuchter. According to the IHR Leuchter "is America's leading specialist on the design and fabrication of homicidal gas chambers and other equipment used in the execution of convicted criminals."¹² In 1988 Leuchter traveled to Poland to prove that the gas chambers did not exist. Leuchter concluded in the Leuchter Report "that the sites were not used, and could not have been used, as homicidal gas chambers. Furthermore, an analysis of samples taken by Leuchter from the walls and floors of the alleged gas chambers showed either no or miniscule traces of cyanide compound, from the active ingredient of Zyklon B, the pesticide allegedly used to murder the Jews at Auschwitz."¹³

Leuchter claims that the traces of cyanide did exist in the Auschwitz disinfectation facilities that were operated as delousing chambers. Leuchter goes on to claim that the Six million Jews that were killed during the Holocaust is a lie as well. He claims that "based upon very generous maximum usage rates for all the alleged gas chambers, totaling 1,693 persons per week, and assuming these facilities could support gas executions, it would have required sixty-eight years to execute the alleged number of six million persons."¹⁴ In Leuchter's report he goes on to state that for this to be possible the Third Reich would have had to be in existence for seventy-five years. According to Leuchter the Holocaust "may have become the greatest propaganda ploy in history."¹⁵ Leuchter not only refutes the validity of the gas chambers but the crematories as well.

Leuchter claims that the crematories would have operated for at least forty-two years to cremate the supposed six million Jews that died in the Holocaust. Another area of dispute lies in the construction of the crematories. Leuchter claims that the facilities were never sealed or gasketed thus allowing the operators exposure to the deadly gas. In addition, the gas chambers were lacking a proper ventilation system. This would endanger the lives of those who conducted the mass executions. Furthermore, Leuchter claims that "no explosion proof lighting existed and no attempt was ever made to prevent gas from entering the crematories, even though the gas is highly explosive."¹⁶ Well, it seems safe to say that with no explosion proof lighting the Holocaust could not of been possible. Leuchter's alleged research proves the idiocy of the Holocaust deniers movement as a whole.

The IHR used Leuchter as their key witness in the lawsuit brought about to prove that the gas chambers did not exist. The IHR claims that Leuchter is a specialist in the gas chambers and other equipment used in execution. In the trial they even went so far as to claim that Leuchter had obtained an engineering degree from Boston University. Leuchter did receive a bachelor's degree from Boston University however; it was by no means an engineering degree. He has absolutely no basis for doing any physical inspection or forensic analysis, let alone calling himself an expert in homicidal gas chambers because he once worked in a prison. Another popular technique among the deniers is number manipulation.

In the Leuchter Report, he speaks of the impossibility of over six million Jews being "that based upon very generous maximum usage rates for all the alleged gas chambers."¹⁷ However, no one has ever claimed that six million Jews were murdered at Auschwitz but this is rather the figure for the total number of deaths during the Holocaust. Leuchter fails to state what "very generous maximum usage rates" consist of. It seems proving his points do not involve actual research based on anything but his own opinion. According to Leuchter, the gas chamber could not of existed because the numbers are too outrageous. Unfortunately, the numbers are true. It was not an unlikely occurrence at Auschwitz for four thousand Jews to be murdered and later cremated every 24 hours.

Leuchter continues with his nonsense in regards to the crematories. Leuchter states "if these crematories, operated at a theoretical rate of maximum output per day..."¹⁸ Again he uses his personal theoretical rate of amount of victims it would have been possible to execute. He gives no basis for this argument or support of his argument. Yet he claims that according to his "theoretical rate of maximum output per day" it would have taken forty-two years to execute six million Jews. His analysis makes no sense. He avoids addressing any outside research that proves different. It seems amazing that for an organization like the IHR who claims to be working towards "the truth", completely ignores evidence that destroys their argument. Unfortunately, the idiocy does not end there.

Leuchter is not a forensic specialist and yet he claims to be the utmost expert. In discussing a sample that he collected Leuchter says "It was postulated that because of the high iron content of the building materials at these camps the presence of hydrogen cyanide would result in a ferric-ferro-cyanide compound being formed, as evidenced by the Prussian blue staining on the walls in the delousing facilities."¹⁹ It is a common tactic of Leuchter and the IHR to use technical mumbo jumbo to validify his "expertise". He also fails to note that the hands-on research that he was involved with occurred forty years following the end of the Holocaust. However, Leuchter believes the Prussian stained walls to be enough evidence to him to prove that the millions of Jews executed was rather a figment of the Jews, who witnessed the Holocaust's, imagination. In addition, with no engineering background whatsoever; Leuchter disputes the structural impossibility of Auschwitz having functioning gas chambers. Offering no proof but just speculation on his part.

The Holocaust was one of the single greatest atrocities in the Twentieth Century. It is for this reason that is important that scholars continue to refute the Holocaust deniers and their research. They claim to be working for the "truth" but in actuality they are anti-Semites who need to realize that the truth of the Holocaust. Most importantly to realize that the Holocaust is not an issue open for debate.

1. Berenbaaum, Michael and Gutman, Yisrael (eds.). Anatomy of the Auschwitz Death Camp, 1994. pp. 5-16.

2. Ibid., pp. 6

3. Ibid., pp. 16-30.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

6. Ibid.

7. Ibid.

8. Ibid., pp. 157-164.

9. Ibid., pp. 524.

10. Lipstadt, Deborah. Denying the Holocaust, 1993.

11. Ibid.

12. Leuchter, Fred. "Inside the Auschwitz Gas Chambers," htttp://www.abbc.com/ru...orr/incorrect.005.html

13. Ibid.

14. Ibid.

15. Ibid.

16. Ibid.

17. Ibid.

18. Ibid.

19. Ibid.