| On the morning of 29th January, two days before the planned
date for bringing Krematorium II into service (31st), Bischoff, Kirschneck and
Prüfer, probably accompanied by other Bauleitung SS and representatives of
all the civilian firms working on the Krematorien, went to Birkenau and
thoroughly inspected worksites 30, 30a, 30b and 30c. In the afternoon,
Kirschneck drew up a detailed report of the inspection [Documents 24 and
24a]. As soon as he had finished. Prüfer read it and coolly rewrote
it, simplifying the text to “erase” some of the obvious delays.
Prüfer entitled the shortened text “Prübericht / Inspection
report” and gavel it to Bischoff [Documents 23 and 23a]. Then
Bischoff, in response to a request made the previous day by the SS WVHA in
Berlin for a progress report, sent the Prüfer report off to his chief,
Kammler, informing him that Krematorium II was completed [Document 22]
and claiming it was operational, which was far from the case. He wrote that he
expected the building to be ready for official handover on 20th February,
whereas the actual date was 31st March. This “victory
communiqué” brought Bischoff immediate promotion: he was made a
Major the next day, 30th January. Bischoff had very cleverly maneuvered his
superior, and the delays that inevitably appeared were attributed to
Prüfer and hence to Messrs Topf, which was only fair. However, in his
letter Bischoff made an enormous gaff, explaining to Kammler that though it had
unfortunately not been possible to remove the formwork from the ceiling of
Leichenkeller 2, because of the Silesian cold, this was of little importance,
because the “Vergasungskeller” could be used in its stead [as
a normal morgue]. There was the fateful word, “gassing
cellar”, written by Bischoff himself and designating Leichenkeller
1, as can be seen after cross-checking with Kirschneck’s report and
Prüfer’s simplified “inspection report”. This is the first
of the “slips” that SS and civilians could not help making,
involuntarily or otherwise, as the criminal conversion of the Krematorien
progressed, since in the course of their work they had to give precise
designations to the homicidal installations. The afternoon of 29th January 1943
was extremely busy, because in addition, Bischoff and Prüfer considered
the possibility of constructing a SIXTH INCINERATION INSTALLATION, KREMATORIUM
VI based on the principal of open air incineration ditches and the experience
gained with them in the Birkenau woods between 20th September and 30th November
1942. Prüfer was to produce the drawings and Pollok was to follow progress
for the Bauleitung (Volume 11 of the Hoess trial, Annex 1, page 58].
Prüfer being a fast worker, both in business and in designing furnaces, it
is most likely that on his return home from Auschwitz, and according to his
habit, he produced the plans for this project at home (2 Herman
Göringstraße, Bischleben) and during his free time (hence probably
on Sunday 31st January). The drawings of this envisaged new cremation
installation have not come down to us. It was designated as an “offene
Verbrennungskammer / open cremation chamber” or “großer Ring
Einäscherungsanlage / Big ring incineration furnace”. Pollok reported
that its dimensions were “48.75 by 3.76 meters”. Bearing in mind that
that this “furnace pit” was most probably circular, these dimensions
could apply to the overall installation or to the diameter and depth of the
pit. In the latter case, the surface area of the “furnace” would be
1,865 m² and the cubic capacity approximately 7,000 m², which is
absolutely gigantic and technically quite utopian. In order to remain
exploitable within the limits of human strength, the diameter would have to be
no more than about fifteen meters. |
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[In the author’s opinion, the foundations
and the circular wall would have been poured in reinforced concrete, the whole
being protected by a thick layer of firebrick, On the bottom there would have
been short pillars of refractory material, about one meter high, supporting a
framework of refractory beams on which the corpses would rest. Firing by coke
or coal would be effected through three (or more, depending on the diameter of
the pit) openings spaced equidistantly around the circumference, in the form of
trenches sloping from ground level to the floor of the “furnace pit”.
It is very possible that Prüfer would have considered improving the
efficiency of this internal site by installing pulsed air blowers, which would
have enabled him to sell more of his own firm’s products. Operation would
have been cyclical: the hearth would be lit, corpses would be thrown on to the
grid of refractory material, then, when the space between this and the floor of
the pit had become choked with ash and clinker, it would have been necessary to
let it cool and clean it out completely before beginning a new cycle. The
advantages would have been great incineration throughput for very little fuel
consumption. The disadvantages: a fire visible day and night for kilometers
around, terrible heat, the danger in case of sudden gusts of wind, an
unbearable smell and, above all, the work of cleaning out and recharging the
furnace pit, would be exhausting if not mortally dangerous. The fact is that
optimal operation would require that the pit should not cool too much between
cycles, to enable the following cycle to start easily, which would mean that
the prisoners cleaning out the pit and preparing it for the next firing would
be forced to work in a very hot furnace. Even though this project never came to
anything, its principle was not forgotten, and was put into practice in a
primitive way in the open-air incineration ditches dug near Krematorium V and
Bunker 2/V. In the author’s opinion, the future Krematorium VI would most
probably have been installed in the birch wood, 300 meters north of Krematorium
V. The reader may be interested to know that for a long time one of the
Birkenau guides used to tell visitors that Krematorium VI was planned to be
electric. The victims would have stepped on a conveyor belt and been
taken into the Krematorium where they would have been electrocuted and
incinerated in a continuous production line operation. The location was to be
in B.III, which was an error of only 200 to 300 meters, since Krematorium VI
would probably have been to the west of B.III, in the woods. This poor guide
was in fact only repeating what had been written by a Soviet journalist, Boris
Polevoi, in “Pravda” on 2nd February 1945. Legends die hard.]
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On Monday 1st February, a team of bricklayers,
civilians and prisoners, working for Messrs Robert Koehler, completed the
three-flue collective chimney of Krematorium III [Documents 26 and 26a].
On Tuesday 2nd February, the newly promoted SS Major Bischoff sent the
Prüfer report to Hoess, to inform him of progress on the four Krematorien
[Document 25]. This letter shows that Hoess did not participate in the
visit to the worksites on the morning of Friday 29th.
On 3rd February,
Kirschneck sent a telegram to Topf, listing their fitter, Messing's,
requirements for the air extraction systems for the whole of Krematorium II. At
4:15 pm, Topf senior engineer Schulz telephoned from Erfurt, saying that the
requested material would be despatched without fail on Saturday 6th February.
On 5th February, Prüfer wrote to the Bauleitung regarding
Messing’s request, saying that he was having the blowers and ducting taken
from a consignment intended for another camp and confirming that they would be
on a wagon that should arrive at Auschwitz on 6th February. Asking the
Bauleitung to excuse this delay, he announced that two other foremen were
shortly to arrive at Auschwitz, Holick (already on his way) and Seyffarth, and
that a specialist fitter would later be arriving to help Messing to install the
ventilation and air-extraction systems. On the subject of the “large
circular incineration furnace”, for the supply of which the Bauleitung had
[already!] received an estimate, Prüfer gave them until 9th February to
confirm the order, so that he could immediately start on the manufacture of the
metal parts. Krematorium VI was never built for the simple reason that KL
Auschwitz had no need for it. With five Krematorien and a total of 52
incineration muffles, the cremation capacity was more than adequate with
respect to its real needs, to the extent that in July 1943, just after the
official handover of Krematorium III (the last to be completed), the three
two-muffle furnaces (6 muffles) of Krematorium I were taken out of service. The
same day, Huta sent to Herr Stephan, their foreman at Krematorien II and III, a
letter concerning the complaints made by the Bauleitung on 27th January. Hula
exonerated him with respect to the non-use of frost protection agents during
the is pouring of the concrete roof of Leichenkeller 2, a practice the firm was
against in all circumstances, but asked him to give his reasons for forgetting
to dig the pit for the corpse lift of Krematorium III sufficiently deeply,
while its dimensions were perfectly indicated on Bauleitung drawings 1173-1174
and 1301 and that of Krematorium II had already been correctly completed.
On 8th February, Messing, who had still not received the ventilation
material required for Krematorium II, stopped work there, and in order not to
waste time, fitted the anchors for the 8-muffle furnace of Krematorium IV,
probably being engaged on this until and including 10th February.
On
10th February, work began on piercing the opening for and building the
western access stairway to Leichenkeller 2 (future undressing room) of
Krematorium III, under the supervision of Huta foreman Kolbe. This was
done in six days, being completed on 15th [PMO file BW 30/38, pages 25 to
27]. It is not known when this operation was carried out for Krematorium
II. The only mention of its realization dates from 26th February, or eleven
days AFTER that of Krematorium III was completed. This paradox cannot be
explained without further documents. The same day, the Bauleitung telegraphed
Topf to again confirm the orders for the “mechanical” installations
(five 3-muffle furnaces and the ventilation systems) for Krematorium III and
two corpse lifts (one for II and the other for III), as well as a provisional
mechanical good shoist (for Krematorium II), all this material being for
immediate procurement or manufacture and to be delivered as soon as possible in
order for Krematorium III to be ready for service on 10th April [Document
27].
On 11th February, the Bauleitung finally received, apparently
five days late, the wagonload of material promised by the Topf engineers
Schulze and Prüfer. On checking its contents, Messing found that the
blower for Leichenkeller I and the air extractor fan motor for Leichenkeller 2,
both for Kr II, were still missing. This time, things had gone too far, and it
was Jährling, a civilian Bauleitung employee, who asked Topf to explain
themselves. He recalled that on 21st January Topf had announced that ALL the
ventilation and air extraction equipment (for Krematorium II) would be
despatched on 22nd, whereas when this first wagon arrived there were so many
parts missing that Messing was unable so continue his work. In response to a
telephone enquiry, Prüfer had maintained that the material had in fact
been sent. As nothing further arrived, the Bauleitung had, at Messing’s
request, sent a telegram to which Schulze had immediately replied by telephone,
saying that the parts had not yet been manufactured but would be sent on
6th February. Prüfer had confirmed in writing on 5th February that the
material should in fact be delivered the following day, adding that it had
been taken from another consignment! On 10th February, the Bauleitung,
still having received nothing, had cabled to Topf the confirmation of orders
for equipment for Krematorium III. The arrival of the second wagon on 11th
February with the material still incomplete had caused another telegram to be
sent, and also a letter concerned essentially with the lack of the blower and
its motor for Leichenkeller 1 (the future gas chamber), “for which the
need is most urgent”. However, Messing recommenced work on installing
the ventilation systems of Kr II and continued uninterrupted until 13th March.
The Bauleitung SS, having triumphally announced to their superior in Berlin,
Kammler, that Krematorium II was completed, were very annoyed that it should
still not be operational for lack of the ventilation essential for its
operation. The fault lay with Messrs Topf, and in particular with Prüfer,
who promised instant miracles to the Bauleitung, whereas in fact things dragged
on and material failed to arrive, However, Prüfer’s failure to keep
his word was very largely due to the incompatibility between his genuine desire
to rapidly manufacture and sell his firm’s products and the ever
increasing shortages of all sorts of goods and materials in Germany, which
frequently slowed or halted production. Still on 11th February, the Bauleitung
had Jährling send Topf the order for the delivery and installation of the
waste incinerator for Krematorium III (this matter being not yet settled), for
a price of 5,791 Reichs marks according to the Topf quote of 5th February.
On 12th February, Messrs Topf sent a first letter [Document 27]
acknowledging receipt of the telegram of 10th concerning Krematorium III and
the corpse lifts, then, in a second letter repeating the text of the telegram
of 10th, it attached that of 11th concerning the fans and motors for
Leichenkeller 1 and 2 of Krematorium II [Part II, Chapter 6]. It announced that
Prüfer would arrive al Auschwitz in the afternoon of 15th February, and
the despatch of a replacement motor for Leichenkeller 2. The same day, the
consignment note for the shipment of the missing parts was drawn up, and
the Bauleitung received on 14th February. Through the intermediary of Pollok,
Bischoff informed Kammler at the SS WVHA in Berlin of the difficulties
encountered with Topf, thus putting the blame for the delay in the coming into
service of Krematorium II onto this firm. In addition, still through Pollok,
Bischoff informed Camp Commandant Hoess of the project for Krematorium VI,
stemming from the experience gained with open air incineration ditches. The
Bauleitung envisaged a work force of 350 prisoners for its construction, almost
as many as were employed on the construction of the four new Krematorien. This
project was, of course, never implemented because the additional cremation
capacity was not required.
On 17th February, the Bauleitung Drawing
Office produced a general plan of the Birkenau POW camp, drawing 1991, showing
the three construction stages in their final form (total capacity of
approximately 100,000 prisoners) and equipped, for the first time on any
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