KZ Dachau Visit 16-02-2013

[CARL]

Regarding the gas chamber, I do not think the Dachau Gas chamber was used for mass murder. But might have been used on a smaller scale.

We know for certain that the four smaller chambers were designed for the extermination of insects. The larger fifth room was probably designed for the purpose of murdering human beings. The dimensions, wall bins - for deploying the Zyklon-B, and even the wooden screen covering that side of the chamber from view all point toward that end. Was the structure used for mass murder? No. But is it possible that it was used for testing? Yes, this cannot be ruled out. As I have already stated earlier in the thread, this argument will carry on for many years - what we need to remember above all else, is that whether the chamber was used to kill people by gas or not, many thousands of inmates perished at the camp in different ways. Their memory should not be forgotten. Thanks again for an excellent thread.

Regards,

Carl

[porta]

We know for certain that the four smaller chambers were designed for the extermination of insects. The larger fifth room was probably designed for the purpose of murdering human beings. The dimensions, wall bins - for deploying the Zyklon-B, and even the wooden screen covering that side of the chamber from view all point toward that end. Was the structure used for mass murder? No. But is it possible that it was used for testing? Yes, this cannot be ruled out. As I have already stated earlier in the thread, this argument will carry on for many years - what we need to remember above all else, is that whether the chamber was used to kill people by gas or not, many thousands of inmates perished at the camp in different ways. Their memory should not be forgotten. Thanks again for an excellent thread.

Regards,

Carl

Thanks again, I do agree and also share your thoughts "what we need to remember above all else, is that whether the chamber was used to kill people by gas or not, many thousands of inmates perished at the camp in different ways. Their memory should not be forgotten." Let us keep that in mind as the most important thing.

[CARL]

Link to a thread featuring colour images and footage taken at the camp, shortly after the liberation.

KZ-DACHAU - Colour Liberation Images

[porta]

Interesting update Carl, thank you for sharing!

[CARL]

Interesting update Carl, thank you for sharing!

You're welcome.

It is always worth taking a moment to consider the images - especially those shown in the link that have the benefit of being produced in colour, when we are thinking about a place such as KZ-Dachau. The memory stands a better chance of being noted and duly respected if we are able to look at such images, rather than rely solely upon our imagination.

[StefanM]

Looking at the Dachau memorial by Nandor Glid I was reminded by a photo I have of an Auschwitz prisoner who “went for the wires (Polish: “szedł na druty”) to get himself killed and a relevant piece of text from Pilecki's Auschwitz report I was responsible for translating and publishing in English from the Polish original held at the SPP-PUMST archive in London. Although the extract is about suicide "on the wires" at KL Auschwitz it might equally apply to any concentration camp.

"...Occasionally a häftling was absent: he had hanged himself somewhere in an attic, or right during roll call he “went for the wires,” then shots rang out from a sentry in a watchtower and the inmate fell riddled with bullets.

Inmates usually “went for the wires" in the morning, before another day’s torment; before nightfall, when there was a break of a few hours in the agony, this happened more rarely.

There was an official order which forbade inmates preventing their comrades from taking their own life. If caught “preventing,” a häftling was punished with a stint in the “bunker.” ......"

[Feuerbach]

I never knew there were mass gassings in KZ Dachau.

[StefanM]

I never knew there were mass gassings in KZ Dachau.

As Carl correctly mentioned in his earlier post:

"...Was the structure used for mass murder? No."

[CARL]

69 years ago today, KZ-Dachau was liberated. American forces entered the main camp complex for the first time, ending the longest period for which any of the major concentration camps existed - over 12 years. For many, the liberation came too late - it is estimated a minimum of 30,000 died within the Dachau system, yet for the tens of thousands present when the camp was eventually liberated, an end to their torment had come at last.

[CARL]

Another year on...

Today, 29th April 2015, marks the 70th anniversary since American forces liberated KZ-Dachau, the major Konzentrationslager near München.