Visiting Auschwitz

[Kiwiwriter]

And given that the rest of the web page is about conspiracy theories, Sasquatch, UFO sightings, extra-terrestrials, and other tales of the paranormal, why should its statements on the Holocaust have any reality or relevance?

And, yes, Auschwitz offered its guards and staff many amenities. They had to keep life high on the hog for the hogs that ruled the trough, to compensate for the physical stench of the bodies they were burning and the moral stench of their work. As Christopher Browning points out in "Ordinary Men," the killers had to be well-lubricated with loot and liquor to keep them going.

Incidentally, that web page notes that nowhere in Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's memoirs does he refer to the genocide of the Jews or extermination camps. That's beyond hair-splitting. Ike writes in the book of his visit to a "horror camp," and how he went through "every nook and cranny" of it, so he could see what the Nazis had done for himself. His visit to Ohrdruf and his grim expression over heaps of bodies is well-documented.

Furious over what he saw, he ordered that US and British troops be taken in turns to see camps, the German public also be taken in to see the camps (and clean them up), and that US and British politicians and press be brought to the camps to report on what they saw. He wrote at the time and in his memoirs that he wanted these things to be seen and recorded precisely so that 50 years later, nobody could claim these horrors had not happened.

In other words, he was an early opponent of Holocaust denial.

[Wise1]

Originally Posted by hengist

While you are there guys, and being shown the dreaded gas chamber and its ovens, think about this:
Quite an eye-opener, wot?
Also while you are there, ask your tour guide to show you the camps' hospital, theatre, cinema, swimming pool, sports field, post office, library and whore house.
Yes Virginia, Auschwitz had all those things!
What kind of a "death camp" is it that provides its detainees with health care and recreational facilities?

Yes, I have read it, probably before you were able to read, however lets not get this out of context. This crematorium was rebuilt as a showpiece for the museum, it is not original and its never been claimed as such.

It was rebuilt in the late 40's to be a duplicate for the original, unfortunately much was still to be learnt about the chambers and mistakes were made in its construction. The museum has never disputed this or hidden the fact it was a rebuild! It was a rebuild to fit in with the museum's history of the camp.

We know much more now about the gas chambers than we did then, the chamber was rebuilt based on out dated plans. Hey everyone makes mistakes now and then.

But remember this is about 1 building, Auschwitz had a number of crematorium's and originals still stand (to a degree) today with ovens intact. Why would a camp require so many crematorium ovens I wonder?

Eric Conan (author of the L'Express article) does not claim that gassing did not take place, his case is that this part of the museum is incorrectly stated, and I agree. He raised other points which are commonly the subject of debate year after year, thats nothing new.

Still cant change the testimonies of the many members of the Sonderkommando, the survivors, the witnessess, Nazis and so on...

[Wise1]

What about this?

Letter confirming capacity at the 5 crematoriums, why would you need such a high capacity rate? Soon to be much higher after this letter.

http://isurvived.org/letter-AuschwitzCapacity.html

We can play this game all night, I have the time but only for sensible debate.

[Kiwiwriter]

Originally Posted by Lee Wisener

What about this?

Letter confirming capacity at the 5 crematoriums, why would you need such a high capacity rate? Soon to be much higher after this letter.

http://isurvived.org/letter-AuschwitzCapacity.html

We can play this game all night, I have the time but only for sensible debate.

Can you provide an English translation for those of us who are language-impaired?

[angie999]

Kiwi, my German is limited in the extreme, but here goes.

The document is dated June 1943, the time when the four main gas chambers at Birkenau had recently come into use, or were just about to.

It list the five gas chamber/crematoriums at Auschwitz I (Krema I) and at Auschwitz II - Birkenau (Krema II - V), gives the number and capacity of the ovens, the number of bodies which could be cremated in 24 hours and the total for the Auschwitz total overall, namely over 4,700 per 24 hour period.

[robbie]

I visited AUschwitz and Birkenau in June this year. I can assure members who have not been there that there is no evidence that prisoners had access to a swimming pool at either camp. Indeed, there was a hospital for prisoners. However, recall that many many selections for the gas were made from the hospitals.
Hengist, have you been to either of these camps?
Robbie

[matthew dixon]

I visited Auschwitz and Treblinka about 2 years ago and found it an extremely moving and thought provoking experience. There are very few places that actually have an atmosphere attached to them, but Auschwitz is one of them. The Holocaust is part of my history, and I felt it was something I had to do.
The one thing that struck me was the silence and the coldness of the place, even though it was a hot sunny day.
My mother is Jewish and her family spent the war in Argentina, having come from Poland, sadly her three aunts did not make the trip. Two died in Auschwitz and one in Belsen. One of the most memorable and upsetting things I have done, made even worse by remembering that some first class ******** actually planned all this.

[marcus69x]

Hi Matthew. When you visited Auschwitz did you notice any birds singing?

We've discussed this here:
http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/auschwi...witz-true.html

and I'd like to hear your views on it.

cheers
marcus

[matthew dixon]

No it was totally silent and there was a chill in the air, even though it was a bright and warm sunny day. Very eerie indeed.

[spidge]

Originally Posted by matthew dixon

I visited Auschwitz and Treblinka about 2 years ago and found it an extremely moving and thought provoking experience. There are very few places that actually have an atmosphere attached to them, but Auschwitz is one of them. The Holocaust is part of my history, and I felt it was something I had to do.
The one thing that struck me was the silence and the coldness of the place, even though it was a hot sunny day.
My mother is Jewish and her family spent the war in Argentina, having come from Poland, sadly her three aunts did not make the trip. Two died in Auschwitz and one in Belsen. One of the most memorable and upsetting things I have done, made even worse by remembering that some first class ******** actually planned all this.

Hopefully I will be able to visit these places one day.

Whilst I do not have a personal connection, this premeditated ethnic cleansing should be abhorrent to all. Sadly it still goes on today in some shape or form.