Auschwitz was a center of chemistry. The German chemical industry built gigantic factories for rubber, fuel, lubricants and methanol there, and the SS experimented with natural sources of rubber. But that's not what people associate with the name "Auschwitz." They think of gas chambers and Zyklon B, which are two entirely chemical things as well.
The gas chambers of Auschwitz have been called the epicenter of human suffering. More human beings are said to have died a violent death there than on any other place on earth in the history of mankind.
The biggest crime scene of history, in terms of its death toll, not only demands the utmost respect for its victims, but should also attract the most-intensive attention of forensic researchers to find out what exactly happened, and how. Or so one might think.
Forensic research on Auschwitz, however, has always been controversial. Investigating the gas chamber mass murder is considered a blasphemous act, a way of disturbing the peace of the dead.
While respecting the victims, whether of foul play or of circumstance, this study nonetheless tries to conduct Auschwitz research on the basis of the forensic sciences, where material traces of the crime and their interpretation reign supreme. Although it is generally agreed that no autopsy of any victim has ever been performed, most of the claimed crime scenes - the chemical slaughterhouses called gas chambers - are still accessible to forensic examination to a greater or lesser degree. So, how did these gas chambers of Auschwitz look like? How did they operate? What were they used for? In addition, the infamous Zyklon B can also be examined. What exactly hides behind this ominous name? How does it kill? And what effect has it on masonry? Does it leave traces that can be found still today?
These and many other questions are thoroughly examined in this study. The horror of Auschwitz is meticulously dissected, and thus, for the first time, it really becomes comprehensible. Full-color edition.
Author(s): Germar Rudolf
Series: Holocaust Handbooks, Volume 2
Edition: 2
Publisher: Castle Hill Publishers
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 454
Table of Contents
Preface
1. Prelude
1.1. Slow Death in U.S. Gas Chambers
1.2. Hydrogen Cyanide – a Dangerous Poison
1.3. The Acid That Causes Blue Stains
2. The Coup
2.1. Fred Leuchter on Auschwitz and Majdanek
2.2. First Reactions
2.3. Attempts at Refutation and Their Assessment
3. No Politics
4. A Brief History of Forensic Examinations of Auschwitz
4.1. Introduction
4.2. The Moral Obligation of Forensic Examination
4.3. A Definition of Forensic Science
4.4. Forensic Science and Auschwitz
4.4.1. Forensics in the Courts
4.4.1.1. The Polish Auschwitz Trials of 1946/1947
4.4.1.2. The 1963-1966 Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial
4.4.1.3. The 1972 Vienna Auschwitz Trial
4.4.2. Forensics outside the Courts
4.4.2.1. In Search of Mass Graves
4.4.2.2. Leuchter and the Consequences
4.4.2.3. Autopsies
5. Auschwitz
5.1. On the History of the Camp
5.1.1. The Camp
5.1.2. The Chemistry
5.2. Epidemics and the Defense against Them
5.2.1. Danger of Epidemics
5.2.2. Epidemic Control with Zyklon B
5.2.3. Epidemic Control in Auschwitz
5.2.3.1. Terminology Used and Responsibilities
5.2.3.2. Procedures Used
5.2.3.3. Results
5.2.3.4. Basic Policy Decisions
5.2.3.5. The Garrison Physician
5.2.3.6. Microwave Delousing Facility
5.2.4. Disinfestation Installations BWe 5a and 5b
5.3. “Gas Chamber” in the Auschwitz I Main Camp
5.4. “Gas Chambers” in the Birkenau Camp
5.4.1. Crematoria II and III
5.4.1.1. Point of Departure
5.4.1.2. The Search for “Criminal Traces”
5.4.1.2.1. New Cellars Stairways
5.4.1.2.2. Gassing Cellar, Undressing Room, and Showers
5.4.1.2.3. “Gas-tight Doors” for Crematorium II
5.4.1.2.4. Ventilation Systems
5.4.1.2.5. Pre-heated Morgues
5.4.1.2.6. “Cremation with Simultaneous Special Treatment “
5.4.1.2.7. “Gas Testers” and “Indicator Devices for HCN Residues”
5.4.1.2.8. Zyklon-B-Introduction Holes
5.4.1.2.9. Wire-Mesh Push-in Device
5.4.1.2.10. Conclusions
5.4.2. Crematoria IV and V
5.4.3. Bunkers 1 and 2
5.4.4. The Drainage System in Birkenau
5.4.4.1. Background: Witness Accounts
5.4.4.2. The Groundwater level in Birkenau
5.4.4.3. Open-Air Incineration in Pits
5.5. Construction Conclusions
5.6. Missing Documents
6. Formation and Stability of Iron Blue
6.1. Introduction
6.2. Instances of Disfigured Buildings
6.3. Properties of Hydrogen Cyanide, HCN
6.4. Composition of Iron Blue
6.4.1. Overview
6.4.2. Excursus
6.5. Formation of Iron Blue
6.5.1. Overview
6.5.2. Water Content
6.5.2.1. Overview
6.5.2.2. Excursus
6.5.3. Reactivity of Trivalent Iron
6.5.3.1. Overview
6.5.3.2. Excursus
6.5.4. Temperature
6.5.4.1. Overview
6.5.4.2. Excursus
6.5.5. Alkalinity
6.5.6. Carbon Dioxide
6.5.7. Conclusion
6.6. Stability of Iron Blue
6.6.1. pH Sensitivity
6.6.2. Solubility
6.6.2.1. Overview
6.6.2.2. Excursus
6.6.3. Excursus: Competing Ligands
6.6.4. Effects of Light
6.6.4.1. Overview
6.6.4.2. Excursus
6.6.5. Long-Term Test
6.6.6. Iron Blue in Contaminated Soils
6.6.7. Summary
6.7. Influence of Various Building Materials
6.7.1. Brick
6.7.1.1. Overview
6.7.1.2. Excursus
6.7.2. Cement Mortar and Concrete
6.7.2.1. Overview
6.7.2.2. Excursus
6.7.3. Lime Mortar
6.7.4. Effects upon the Formation of Iron Blue
7. Zyklon B for the Killing of Human Beings
7.1. Toxicological Effect of HCN
7.1.1. Physiology
7.1.2. Appearance
7.1.3. Lethal Concentration
7.2. Evaporation Characteristics of Zyklon B
7.3. The Gassing of Human Beings
7.3.1. Eyewitness Testimonies
7.3.1.1. Boundary Conditions
7.3.1.2. Claimed Procedures
7.3.1.3. Quantities of Poison Gas
7.3.1.3.1. Claims about Amounts of Zyklon B Used
7.3.1.3.2. HCN Quantities Deduced from Execution Times
7.3.1.3.3. Incorporation of HCN
7.3.1.3.4. HCN Loss Due to Adsorption
7.3.2. Critique of Eyewitness Descriptions
7.3.2.1. Introductory Remarks
7.3.2.1.1. Necessity of Cooperation
7.3.2.1.2. Failure to Separate the Sexes
7.3.2.1.3. Towel and Soap
7.3.2.1.4. Testing for Gas Residues
7.3.2.2. Speed of Ventilation of the “Gas Chambers”
7.3.2.2.1. Introduction
7.3.2.2.2. Excursus
7.3.2.2.3. Ventilation of the Morgues of Crematoria II and III
7.3.2.3. Simulation Calculations
7.3.2.4. Excursus: Capacity of Protective Filters
7.3.3. Evaluation of Eyewitnesses
7.3.4. An Expert on Cyanide Speaks Out
7.3.5. Why, Precisely, Zyklon B?
8. Evaluation of Chemical Analyses
8.1. Test Sample Taking and Description
8.2. Analytical Methods
8.2.1. Methods Used
8.2.2. Interferences and Reproducibility
8.3. Evaluation of Analytical Results
8.3.1. F.A. Leuchter/Alpha Analytic Laboratories
8.3.2. Institute for Forensic Research, Krakow
8.3.3. G. Rudolf/Fresenius Institute
8.3.3.1. Samples 1-4: Crematorium II, Morgue #1
8.3.3.2. Samples 5 to 8 and 23, 24: Inmate Barracks
8.3.3.3. Samples 9 to 22: Disinfestation Buildings
8.3.3.4. Samples 25-30: Tests
8.3.4. John C. Ball
8.3.5. Carlo Mattogno/Ecolab
8.3.6. Summary
8.4. Discussion of the Analysis Results
8.4.1. Josef Bailer
8.4.2. Jan Markiewicz and Colleagues
8.4.3. James Roth
8.4.4. Richard J. Green
8.4.5. Wikipedia
8.4.6. Anticipated Values
8.4.7. Limits of the Chemical Method
9. Conclusions
9.1. Overview
9.2. On Chemistry
9.3. On Construction Technology
10. Research Desiderata
10.1. Point of Departure
10.2. Forensic Archeology
10.3. Forensic Analytical Chemistry
11. Acknowledgements
Biographical Notes on the Author
Censorship
12. Appendices
12.1. Lists
12.1.1. Tables
12.1.2. Illustrations
12.1.3. Charts
12.1.4. Abbreviations
12.2. Excerpts from Statements by Horst Fischer
12.3. Documents
12.4. Bibliography
12.5. Index
HOLOCAUST HANDBOOKS
SECTION ONE: General Overviews of the Holocaust
SECTION TWO: Specific non-Auschwitz Studies
SECTION THREE: Auschwitz Studies
SECTION FOUR: Witness Critique
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