Before I go into the main story, I want to start with an extract of the testimony of Marcel Nadjari, who was a member of a Sonderkommando in Auschwitz.
The Sonderkommandos were groups of Jewish prisoners forced to perform a variety of duties in the gas chambers and crematoria of the Nazi camp system.
“The gas canisters were always delivered in a German Red Cross vehicle with two SS men. They then dropped the gas through openings—and half an hour later, our work began. We dragged the bodies of those innocent women and children to the lift, which took them to the ovens. The ashes from each adult victim weighed about 640 grams.”
Just leave that to sink in for a moment.
The process of dying in gas chambers, in Nazi concentration and extermination camps during the Holocaust, is a harrowing subject. The Nazis designed the gas chambers as part of the systematic genocide. Below is an overview of the stages that occurred:
1. Deception and Entry
- Victims were often deceived into believing they were going to take showers for disinfection purposes. This was part of a calculated strategy to prevent panic and resistance.
- They were led into the gas chambers, which were often designed to resemble shower rooms, with fake showerheads installed in the ceilings.
2. Sealing the Chamber
- Once the victims were inside, the doors of the gas chambers were securely sealed to prevent the escape of both the victims and the gas.
3. Introduction of Gas
- Zyklon B, a cyanide-based pesticide, was the most commonly used gas in extermination camps like Auschwitz and Majdanek. In other camps, such as Sobibor, Treblinka, and Belzec, carbon monoxide was used.
- The gas was introduced through openings in the ceiling or walls, quickly dispersing throughout the chamber.
4. Suffocation and Poisoning
- Victims experienced intense suffocation and panic as they inhaled the toxic gas. Cyanide gas from Zyklon B interferes with the body’s ability to use oxygen at the cellular level, leading to hypoxia (oxygen deprivation).
- Symptoms included gasping for air, convulsions, and loss of consciousness. Death would typically occur within 10 to 20 minutes. However, the exact time could vary depending on various factors like the concentration of the gas and the number of people in the chamber.
5. Post-Mortem Handling
- After it was inevitable that all victims were dead, the gas was ventilated out of the chamber, and special units known as Sonderkommandos, composed of prisoners forced to work under threat of death, removed the bodies.
- The bodies were then transported to crematoria or mass burial sites.
I know this is an abrupt end to the blog, but that is how all of their lives ended—abruptly.
Sources
History of Sorts 
Leave a comment