Crematorium II, the ovens

The area of the ruins which gives the building its name is the area where the crematorium ovens were located above ground. Crematorium II functioned from March 1943 through November 1944 where it is suspected that several hundred thousand people were burnt. Towards the end of the war, to remove the evidence of their crimes, the camp authorities ordered the demolition of the furnaces and crematorium building in November 1944. On January 20, 1945, the SS blew up whatever had not been removed.

As you approach the ruins of crematoria II from Hauptstrasse b the area of the ruins where the ovens were located is the first part you see. This part of Crematorium II is a large part of the ruins. Below is a selection of videos of the ruins were the crematorium ovens were located.

 

 

The first video was taken in 2009 and shows the front view of crematoria where the ovens were located.

In 2013 I returned to Birkeneau with my Nieces and took the following videos of the area where the ovens were located at crematorium II:

 

Back on the blog. A trip to Poland to visit 4 death camps

In October I am going on a trip to Poland to visit Belzec, Sobibor, Chelmno and Treblinka, all death camps? I also hope to visit Poniatowa concentration camp a short distance from Lublin. This is purely a barbed wire hunt as the fence and main gate appears to be the only thing remaining.

Then in the Spring I hope to visit Germany and Bergen Belsen,  Ravensbruck, Sachsenhausen, Buchenwald, Theresienstadt, Nordhausen/ Mittlebau-Dora, while visiting Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden.

Plenty of photos for the blog

Just arrived back from Poland. 8/10/2016

Visited four death camps that were located at Belzec, Sobibor (for the second time), Chelmno and Treblinka. I took over 800 photographs and two hours of video. The highlight had to be my trip to Treblinka as I have been wanted to visit this site for along time. The creepiest part of the entire trip was when I visited the Treblinka penal camp, it had a really bad feeling as I walked around the camp.

Did not get a chance to visit Poniatowa.

Gas Chamber Crematorium II

As we walked on the well-trodden route of the tourist tours and approached crematoria II the gas chamber area was not obvious. As I explained in the last blog, the first view is of the crematoria was the area occupied by the ovens and changing areas. The gas chambers of Crematoria II are located at the back of the ruins jutting at right angle at the junction of the changing area and the ruins where the ovens were located. I walked to the left of the ruins of crematorium II and started to film the area where the gas chambers are located.

As you can see from the second video the roof of the gas chamber of area of Crematorium II is largely intact although collapsed. There are several voids created from the collapsed roof. During the video I asked 'what really happened here'? I don't suppose we shall ever really know.

I took a video of crematorium II from the area where the ovens were located across the gas chamber area.

Crematorium II and III Changing Area

At the top of Hauptstrasse b, beyond the ramp, are large ruins to the left and the right that represent Crematorium II and III.

Before I go on I would like to explain why I classify the main two Crematorium as numbers II and III as I have seen them called Crematorium I and II. Crematorium I is located at the Stamlagger. Therefore its just carrying on the number sequence to Birkenau where Crematorium II, III, IV and V.

Crematorium II and III were mirror image single storey brick-built buildings that contained the changing rooms, gas chambers underground rooms and crematorium ovens and attics above ground. Only ruins remain, the buildings were destroyed by the SS guards early in 1945 to remove evidence of the crimes they had committed at Auschwitz Birkenau.

The first video was the first view I saw of crematorium II ruins.

The second video shows the area of the ruins of crematorium II which is where people sent to the gas chambers were made to undress. In 2009 you can see that the gas chambers located at the back of the ruins were out of sight behind white screens. The third video shows the changing area in crematorium III

 

The following video looks at the height of the changing room area and the entrance where many tens of thousands of prisoners entered Crematorium III. I believe that the area where the roof used to be directly in front of the entrance is where the prisoner band used to play to put the prisoners behind.

 

The Ramp

The ramp within the grounds of Birkenau was built in 1943 and is where, from May 1944, the Hungarian Jews were unloaded from the trains, splitting men from women, fit from the old and weak and young. Prisoners helped the SS guards separate the arrivals into two columns, examples of which can be seen in the Jacob Album. The

The railway spur ran alongside the ramp and led to Crematorium II and III.

At the 'crossroads' on the ramp, where I was attached by a wasp, prisoners were led to the camp doctors where they judged the people based on their fitness, age and occupation decided whether to send them to the left or the right to either the crematorium and their death or to the camp and the hell of working for the SS.

The Women's Camp at Aschwitz Birkenau - Latrine and Wash barracks

The women would try and get up early to wash and go to the toilet. Apparently thousands of women were required to use the toilet and wash barracks each morning. Those unable to go to the toilet would use their food bowls while a prisoner messing herself may be punishable by death. They had to queue in line and only had a limited amount of time to 'do their business'.

You can see from the wash barrack video that there was even a place for the soap. Unfortunately the latrine barrack was locked when I walked round the women's camp so the video is taken through the window of the barrack. You can see the latrine was basically a row of holes in a block which I heard in a documentary two to three women used at once. It is not comprehensible with modern living standards.

A lot of the bartering took place in the wash rooms and latrines. Obtaining a proper pair of shoes, mainly from Canada (where the suitcases from the transports were sent for sorting) was the difference between life and death. The SS provided sandals or clogs for the prisoners which was totally inappropriate for the harsh weather in the Polish winters.

The Women's Camp at Auschwitz Birkenau - Inside a Typical Barrack

The first part of the camp passed on the left-hand side of Hauptstrasse b is the part of the camp that was used to incarcerate the women.

I managed to walk round a typical barrack in the women's section in 2009. On subsequent visits the huts were closed and in a lot of cases have been shored up probably do to collapse

The quality of the video is not great but shows the interior of a typical barrack in the women's section at Birkenau. Up to 6 prisoners would sleep on each shelf. The Kapo's would wake up the women prisoners every morning my hitting the edge of the bunks with sticks while shouting. Any dead bodies were carried and left outside the block for collection.

I took another video of the interior of block 25 known as the 'Death Barrack' in 2013 which is shown below. Sick prisoners selected by the SS guards would wait several days until their turn to be sent to the gas chambers.