Newsgroups: alt.revisionism
Followup-To: alt.revisionism
Subject: Holocaust Almanac: Chelmno's Gas Wagons (2 of 5)

[Translation]

Archive/File: camps/chelmno/gas-wagons/sonderdruck.0387
Last-Modified: 1996/03/08

Page five, p.407
----------------

From  the  date  of  the  first usage,  we  may  infer  that
"_Kaisers-Kaffee_"-vans were prepared beginning in  the  end
of  1939  till midyear 1940 with assistance of the Fuehrer's
chancellery and the RSHA.

On  15  and  16th  August 1941 Himmler was in  Baranowitschi
[English  spelling?] and Minsk [28] And inspected an  action
of  [liquidation/execution]  by  shooting  in  the  area  of
_Einsatzgruppe B_ [29].

The  attending Higher SS- and Police-Leader in Center Russia
["Russland  Mitte"]  von dem Bach-Zelewski  reported  later,
Himmler was moved/shaken apparently by this action.[30]

After  that,  Himmler had visited a hospital/sanatorium  for
mentally insane people and afterwards ordered the Leader  of
_Einsatzgruppe B_, Nebe, to search/investigate means, fit to
shorten the suffering of the people as far as possible [31],
as  he  had concluded from the experience with the execution
by  shooting "that shooting wasn't yet the most  human  way"
[32].

He   [i.e.   Nebe]  should  send  "a  report"  about   those
investigations.  Himmler  addressed  Nebe,   as   the   KTI,
subordinated   to   the  'Amt  V',  had  excelled   in   the
investigation/development of killing procedures  during  the
"Euthanasia"  program, so that their  experiences  could  be
employed now. Nebe was simultaneously head of that  'Amt  V'
[department]  in  the  RSHA. Relying on  this  position,  in
beginning September he ordered Widmann to come to Minsk with
explosives and two metal-hoses/tubes [33].

Widmann  had  had  discussed this order with  his  immediate
boss/superior  Heess.  This elucidates  that  apart  of  the
stress  for the execution squads/commands, a further  reason
was given for the following experiments:

     "It  was discussed with Heess also about the usage
     of   [poisonous] gas  in the killing  of  mentally
     insane persons, especially about the impossibility
     to transport the CO-cylinders in Russia." [34]

The  CO-cylinders  would have been  necessary,  if  one  was
intending  to use "_Kaisers-Kaffe_"-vans or gas-chambers  as
they were used in the "Euthanasia" program.

Page six, p.408
---------------

When the blasting/explosion of a bunker in Minsk, into which
mentally  insane persons had been brought, didn't  show  the
intended result/success, an experiment with the metal hoses,
which  Widmann had carried with him, was undertaken  in  the
sanatorium  for  mentally insanes/asylum of  Mogilew,  which
Himmler had visited also [35]. About this, Widmann testified
on 11th January 1960:

"Nebe  has ordered to close the windows with brick-work  and
to  leave  two openings for the gas-pipes on that  afternoon
...  When we arrived, first one of the hoses, which had been
with me in the car, was fixed/connected. The connection  was
made  to  a passenger vehicle. In the openings of the  wall,
there  were  pieces of pipes/tubes were situated, where/onto
which  one  could  easily affix the  hoses  ...  After  five
minutes,  Nebe  came out and said, there wasn't  any  effect
yet.

Also after eight minutes, he couldn't observe any effect and
asked,  what  had  to  be done now.  Nebe  and  I  convinced
ourselves,   that  the  car  was  too  weak.   Hence,   Nebe
ordered/caused/made the second hose to be fixed to  the  van
[to transport troops] of the _Ordnungspolizei_. Then it took
only a few minutes, Till the people lost consciousness.  One
left [the motors of] both cars running for about another ten
minutes [36].

The   incident  just  described  is  also  reported  in  the
deposition  by  the  Russian  doctor  N.N.Akimova  of   18th
November 1946, who gives as date of the experiment the  186h
September  [37]. Hence/therefor, Widmann and his aides  must
have  been  in Minsk and Mogilev from 13th to 21st September
[38].  The  relation between these experiments and Himmler's
visit  and  order  is revealed/given/elucidated  in  another
deposition  by Widmann: " Nebe wanted to discuss the  matter
with  me,  as he said, that he had to report it to Himmler."
[39]

Nebe  must have learned by these two experiments, that  only
the idea to kill with exhaust gases, which most probably was
his own, was feasible [40].

Page seven, p.409
-----------------

But  the  _Einsatzgruppen_, for the usage of which  the  new
more  "humane"  killing  method  was  searched/investigated,
couldn't  use/handle a gas-chamber with fixed  location,  in
which  people were killed by exhaust-gases. They had  to  be
mobile,   to  fulfill  their  task  [41].  Based  on   these
considerations  and  the  past  experience,  a  plan/project
emerged  the KTI to build gas-vans. Nebe and Heess  proposed
this  to  their  commander Heydrich, head  of  the  security
police and the SD [42].

Widmann testified about this:

     "I  was informed by Heess shortly about the result
     of   his  report  in  the  _Prinz-Albrecht_-street
     [Heydrich's head-quarter]. He told me,  that  vans
     would  be  built/constructed, into which  exhaust-
     gases  would  be  led/introduced, instead  of  the
     recent application of CO-cylinders." [43]

It becomes apparent, that "_Kaisers Kaffe_"-vans, which were
known  in  the  KTI, had been the model for the  gas-vans  -
mobile, gas-tightly sealed, close boxes. However, because of
the  technical difficulties, the pure CO couldn't simply  be
replaced  by exhaust-gases. A new construction was necessary
which  unified traction unit, trailer and the source of  the
poisonous gas.

Heydrich's  immediate superior/boss was  Himmler  since  the
decree  of  27th  September 1939. Therewith  the  circle  is
closed.

Heydrich  had  supposedly  heard about  the  experiments  in
advance,  and  was therefore in the "secret",  otherwise  it
couldn't    be    understood,    why    Nebe    and    Heess
contacted/approached him. Heydrich was also in a position to
lend  the  necessary  technical  support  to  the  KTI.   He
approached    _SS-Obersturmfuehrer_    Rauff,    head     of
group/department  II  D3  (technical  matters),   with   its
subgroup/sub-department being led by  _SS-Hauptsturmfuehrer_
Pradel.  He [Pradel] testified in his trial that  Rauff  had
told  him:  " This is an order by Heydrich which has  to  be
carried out." [44]

In  this sense, we may also understand Rauff's deposition on
28th  June  1972  in  Santiago  de  Chile:"I  think,  it  is
impossible that Pradel undertook the development of the gas-
vans  on his own. He must have had an order either by me  or
someone with a higher position."[45]

Page eight, p.410
-----------------

Wentritt,  head  of the repairing-shop/park in  _Referat  II
D3a_ testified concerning this:

     "Still in 1941, I was summoned to the head of  the
     group/department, Major Pradel.  He  declared/told
     me,  that  the execution squads in action suffered
     often  from nervous break-down (respectively  were
     close  to  it),   so  that a more  humane  killing
     method  should be used. We needed therefore  -  as
     Pradel    stated   _   closed/sealed    vans/motor
     vehicles."[46]

Pradel  ordered Wentritt to test/investigate whether it  was
possible   to   lead  motor-exhausts  in  the  closed/sealed
superstructure of a van. When Wentritt answered this in  the
affirmative,  Pradel  communicated the  positive/affirmative
answer  to  Rauff  and got back with the  order  to  contact
Heess.  Heess detailed, how such a van had to be constructed
and how it should operate.

On   Rauff's   order,  Pradel  and  Wentritt   visited   the
_Gaubschat_-factory/company in Berlin-Neukoelln,  which  was
specialized   in  the  production  of  sealed/closed    box-
superstructures [47] where they pretended, that they  needed
the  vans to transport the dead victims/corpses of a spotted
fever epidemic.

They  made  an  agreement that the RSHA should  deliver  the
chassis   to   the  factory  "which  had  to  put   a   box-
superstructure on top of them." [48]

The  order  was  given  directly by  Rauff,  probably  in  a
letter/in-written  form  [49].  But  Pradel's   attempt   to
purchase  chassis was a failure, so that an intervention  by
Rauff was necessary. He testified on 19th October 1945:  "In
so  far as I can recall I only supplied 5 or 6 [[chassis]]."
[50][English in original]

When  the  chassis  had  been delivered  to  the  Gaubschatt
company,  Wentritt informed himself several times about  the
on-going  construction  work  and  fetched  the  first   van
himself. He provided this van with the following alterations
in  the  workshop of _Referat II D 3a_, as  the  matter  was
classified  as  "_geheime  Reichssache_"[highest  level   of
secrecy]:

     "At  the  exhaust-pipe an exhaust-hose  was  fixed
     which  was led from the exterior to the bottom  of
     the  van.  In  this  van we drilled  a  hole  with
     diameter  of about 58-60 mm, the diameter  of  the
     exhaust-pipe. Into the interior of the van,  above
     the  hole, we welded a metal pipe (exhaust  pipe),
     which  was connected or could be connected to  the
     exhaust-hose.  Upon  starting  the   motor,    the
     exhaust went into the exhaust-pipe and from  there
     into  the exhaust-pipe in the interior of the van,
     where the [exhaust-]gas was spread." [51]

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