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Majdanek - The Bath and Gas chamber |
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 Systematic
extermination method
Although Majdanek was
known as the least
organized camp because
it was run by people who
did not know how to run
a camp, unlike those in
Auschwitz I, I am still
amazed by the way people
were systematically (in
my opinion) brought in,
“disinfected” and then
murdered.
One of the buildings,
like the one on the
left, is the “Bad und
Disinfektion,” for the
prisoners to take a bath
and get 'disinfected.'
Prisoners had to
undress, be shaved of
all body hair (not by
your typical barber, but
unskilled prisoners).
Male workers then shaved
all body hair off the
prisoners, both male and
female.
Here you can see a sign
that stated that more
than 730 kg (1606
pounds) of hair was sent
out of Majdanek to be
sold to a German firm,
P. Reimann.
Next, the prisoners were
sent to a room to take a
bath or a shower room to
be disinfected.
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Then they sent to a room
to get a freezing cold
bath, some had to take a
shower. Those who were
sent to get a cold
shower were not murdered
immediately but those
who got a hot shower
would then be sent
immediately to the gas
chamber, to be killed.
The Zyklon B worked
better with warm bodies
(after the hot shower).
I think the Nazis
really had a bizarre
system to murder their
prisoners....systematically.
There were buildings for
each purpose, to
undress, to be shaven,
to shower, to be gassed,
to be cremated, and to
wait for the time to be
exterminated.
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Different Techniques
The first technique used to kill prisoners were carbon
monoxide from vehicles.
As you can see from the
first picture above, the
round holes on the walls
were initially used by
the Nazis to pump the
carbon monoxide from the
vehicles left running on
the outside. Later they
administer carbon
monoxide in pressurized
tank (second picture).
The second picture is
actually the booth where
the SS officers would
supply the carbon
monoxide to the two gas
chambers. The SS
officers then would
observe the gassing
process through a grated
window.
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Later,
Zyklon B was introduced as the more effective way to kill the
prisoners. Supplies of
Zyklon B were thrown
into the chamber through
the square holes in the
ceiling as seen in the
picture above. It takes
30 minutes to kill
everyone in the room
using Zyklon B.
What do you think the
prisoners were thinking
during the last 30
minutes of their lives?
Building
You can also see that
the back of
the gas chamber was
fully covered by wood,
this was to prevent the
incoming prisoners from
noticing what was going
on and what their fate
would be (in order to
keep prisoners calm than
create havoc). Click
here.
(link to pic14)
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Dissection
table
This table was used to dissect
and remove any valuables from
the bodies of prisoners. Like
in a scene in the Schindler’s
List, the whole Jewish family
swallowed their valuables like
gold ring, by first wrapping
them with bread. The Nazi
soldiers usually dissect the
bodies of the prisoners before
they were sent to the
crematorium. How did the
soldiers know if someone had
swallowed gold or valuables?
Well, they just make a guess
based on the person’s looks or
body shape (if a person was
wealthy, he or she probably ate
better food, and thus, looked
better). Gold teeth were
extracted because they can be
sold for good money.
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Source:
Majdanek.
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Other related pages on
Majdanek on this
website: (click for photos
and stories)
Main entrance - memorial
On
display....
A final resting place
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