TestimoniesofSSMenRegarding

GassingVans
AllofthedocumentsonthisWebpagewereretrievedfromthe
archivesofShamash:TheJewishInternetConsortium.The
commentsinsidethesquare[...]bracketswerewrittenbyDaniel
KerenfortheShamasharchives.
AntonLauer,PoliceReserveBattalion9.Quotedin'TheGood
OldDays'E.Klee,W.Dressen,V.Riess,TheFreePress,NY,
1988,p.73:
Thereweretwogasvansinuse.Isawthemmyself.Theywere
drivenintotheprisonyardandtheJewsmen,womenand
childrenhadtogetintothevandirectlyfromthecell.Ialsosaw
theinsideofthegasvans.Theywerelinedwithmetalandthere
wasawoodengrilleonthefloor.Theexhaustgaseswerefedinto
theinsideofthevan.IcanstilltodayheartheJewsknockingand
shouting'DearGermans,letusout'.
SSmanTheodorMalzmuellerontheChelmnoextermination
camp.Quotedin'TheGoodOldDays'E.Klee,W.Dressen,V.
Riess,TheFreePress,NY,1988.,p.217219:
Whenwearrivedwehadtoreporttothecampcommandant,SS
HauptsturmfhrerBothmann.TheSSHaupsturmfhreraddressedus
inhislivingquarters,inthepresenceofSSUntersturmfhrerAlbert
Plate.HeexplainedthatwehadbeendedicatedtotheKulmhof
[Chelmno]exterminationcampasguardsandaddedthatinthis
camptheplagueboilsofhumanity,theJews,wereexterminated.

Weweretokeepquietabouteverythingwesaworheard,
otherwisewewouldhavetoreckonwithourfamilies'
imprisonmentandthedeathpenalty...
Theexterminationcampwasmadeupofthesocalled"castle"and
thecampinthewoods.Thecastlewasafairlylargestonebuilding
attheedgeofthevillageofKulmhof.ItwastherethattheJews
whohadbeentransportedbylorryorrailwaywerefirstbrought...
WhenalorryarrivedthefollowingmembersoftheSS
SonderkommandoaddressedtheJews:(1)campcommandant
Bothmann,(2)UntersturmfhrerAlbertPlatefromNorthGermany,
(3)PolizeiMeisterWillyLenzfromSilesia,(4)PolizeiMeister
AloisHaeberlefromWuerttenberg.TheyexplainedtotheJews
thattheywouldfirstofallbegivenabathanddelousedin
KulmhofandthensenttoGermanytowork.TheJewsthenwent
insidethecastle.Theretheyhadtogetundressed.Afterthisthey
weresentthroughapassagewayontoaramptothecastleyard
wherethesocalled"gasvan"wasparked.Thebackdoorofthe
vanwouldbeopen.TheJewsweremadetogetinsidethevan.
ThisjobwasdonebythreePoles,whoIbelieveweresentencedto
death.ThePoleshittheJewswithwhipsiftheydidnotgetintothe
gasvansfastenough.WhenalltheJewswereinsidethedoorwas
bolted.Thedriverthenswitchedontheengine,crawledunderthe
vanandconnectedapipefromtheexhausttotheinsideofthevan.
Theexhaustfumesnowpouredintotheinsideofthetrucksothat
thepeopleinsideweresuffocated....
TestimonyofgasvandriverWalterBurmeister.Quotedin'The
GoodOldDays'E.Klee,W.Dressen,V.Riess,TheFreePress,
NY,1988.,p.219220:
Assoonastheramphadbeenerectedinthecastle,peoplestarted
arrivinginKulmhoffromLizmannstadtinlorries...Thepeople
weretoldthattheyhadtotakeabath,thattheirclotheshadtobe

disinfectedandthattheycouldhandinanyvaluableitems
beforehandtoberegistered....
Whentheyhadundressedtheyweresenttothecellarofthecastle
andthenalongapassagewayontotherampandfromthereinto
thegasvan.Inthecastlethereweresignsmarked"tothebaths".
Thegasvanswerelargevans,about45meterslong,2.2meter
wideand2meterhigh.Theinteriorwallswerelinedwithsheet
metal.Onthefloortherewasawoodengrille.Thefloorofthevan
hadanopeningwhichcouldbeconnectedtotheexhaustbymeans
ofaremovablemetalpipe.Whenthelorrieswerefullofpeoplethe
doubledoorsatthebackwereclosedandtheexhaustconnectedto
theinteriorofthevan....
TheKommandomemberdetailedasdriverwouldstarttheengine
rightawaysothatthepeopleinsidethelorryweresuffocatedby
theexhaustgases.Oncethishadtakenplace,theunionbetween
theexhaustandtheinsideofthelorrywasdisconnectedandthe
vanwasdriventothecampinthewoodswerethebodieswere
unloaded.Intheearlydaystheywereinitiallyburnedinmass
graves,laterincinerated...Ithendrovethevanbacktothecastle
andparkeditthere.Hereitwouldbecleanedoftheexcretionsof
thepeoplethathaddiedinit.Afterwardsitwouldonceagainbe
usedforgassing....IcannolongersaywhatIthoughtatthetimeor
whetherIthoughtofanythingatall.Icanalsonolongersaytoday
whetherIwastooinfluencedbythepropagandaofthetimetohave
refusedtohavecarriedouttheordersIhadbeengiven.
FromtheinterrogationofAdolfEichmann.Quotedin'TheGood
OldDays'E.Klee,W.Dressen,V.Riess,TheFreePress,NY,
1988.,p.221222:
A.Ijustknowthefollowing,thatIonlysawthefollowing:aroom,
ifIstillrecallcorrectly,perhapsfivetimesasbigasthisone,orit
mayhavebeenfourtimesasbig.TherewereJewsinsideit,they

hadtogetundressedandthenavan,completelysealed,drewupto
therampinfrontoftheentrance.ThenakedJewsthenhadtoget
inside.Thenthelorrywasclosedanditdroveoff.
Q.Howmanypeopledidthevanhold?
A.Ican'tsayexactly.Icouldn'tbringmyselftolookclosely,even
once.Ididn'tlookinsidetheentiretime.Icouldn't,no,Icouldn't
takeanymore.Thescreamingand,and,Iwastooupsetandsoon.
Ialsosaidthatto[SSObergruppenfuehrer]MuellerwhenI
submittedmyreport.Hedidnotgetmuchfrommyreport.Ithen
followedthevanImusthavebeenwithsomeofthepeoplefrom
therewhoknewtheway.ThenIsawthemosthorrifyingthingI
haveeverseeninmyentirelife.
Thevandroveuptoalongtrench,thedoorwasopenedandbodies
thrownout.Theystillseemedalive,theirlimbsweresosupple.
Theywerethrownin,Icanstillrememberacivilianpullingout
teethwithsomepliersandthenIjustgotthehelloutofthere.Igot
intothecar,wentoffanddidnotsayanythingelse...I'dhadmore
thanIcouldtake.Ionlyknowthatadoctorthereinawhitecoat
saidtomethatIshouldlookthroughapeepholeattheminthe
lorry.Irefusedtodothat.Icouldnot,Icouldnotsayanything,I
hadtogetaway.
IwenttoBerlin,reportedtoGruppenfhrerMueller.Itoldhim
exactlywhatI'vejustsaid,therewasn'tanymoreIcouldtellhim...
terrible...I'mtellingyou...theinferno,can't,thatis,Ican'ttakethis,
Isaidtohim.

ATeacher'sGuidetotheHolocaust

ProducedbytheFloridaCenterforInstructionalTechnology,Collegeof
Education,UniversityofSouthFlorida2005.