Shofar FTP Archive File: camps/auschwitz/crematoria/furnace-capacity-analysis
Message-Id: <199602270849.AAA29597@rbi.rbi.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 1996 00:52:43 -0700
From: mvanalst@rbi.com (Mark Van Alstine)
Subject: Cremation capacities of Kremas I-V (March-December,1943)
Newsgroups: alt.revisionism
(A copy of this message has also been posted to the following newsgroups:
alt.revisionism)
Lately there has been much ado about the incineration capacities of the
Kremas, especially Kremas II-V at Auscwitch II-Birkenau. It has been the
contention of some Holocaust deniers that these Kremas were simply needed
to handle the number of "natural" deaths that happened at Auschwitz. One
number that has been tossed around is 70,000 people dying of "natural
causes" at Auschwitz. Another is 45,575 for the year 1942. At the height
of the typhus epidemic in July of 1942, the death toll was 4,000 per month
[1] Now, assuming for argument's sake, that the death toll from such
"natural causes" was constant for 1942 (and I'm NOT saying it was, as the
typhus epidemic was brought under control by October 1942), that would
mean 48,000 "natural" deaths. Now, assuming, again for argument's sake, a
similar death toll from "natural causes" from March through December 1943
of 48,000, how does this compare to the incineration capacity of the
Kremas for this period?
Well, the daily estimated rates of the Kremas, based on the letter from
the Zentralbauleitung to group C of June 28, 1943, indicated capacities
based on 2 bodies per muffle every 30 min. [2]
However, according to SonderKommando Feinsilber, the camp authorities
reccomended that the incineration time be reduced to 20 minutes and the
number of bodies, depending on size, increased to three. [3] Tauber said
that the incineration time was 30 minutes and 3 bodies. Ho"ss contended
that the incineration time was 20 minutes with alternating loads of 3 then
2 bodies. This would give a total capacities of 6,624 (Tauber), 8,280
(Ho"ss), and 9,936 (Feinsilber) for Kremas II-V. Ho"ss, however, also
wrote that a total of 7,000 bodies were cremated every 24 hours.[4]
Using estimates for an incineration time of 20 minutes and alternating
loads of 3 then 2 bodies in the muffle (excepting Krema 1, which is
calculated at the Zentralbauleitung estimate, as it is unclear if the
loads for Krema I were increased or not), and allowing 4 hours downtime
per every 24 hours (though Topf's estimate was 3 for every 24 [5]), this
should give a capacity of 150 bodies per muffle per 24 hours for Kremas
II-V. (Krema I's capacity was left at the Zentralbauleitung's estimate of
340 bodies per 24 hours.)
Pressac states that Krema I was "neutralized at the request of the
Political Department" at the end of July, 1943, and that "Krema V would
not be used after September because crematorium II (repaired) and III
would thereafter suffice to 'treat' the daily flow of Jews." [6] That is,
until May of 1944, when the extermination of the Hungarian Jews began. [7]
According to Piper, however, "[w]ith the launching of large new crematoria
in Birkenau (March-June 1943), incineration of bodies in the old
crematorium was discontinued, and the bodies of the prisoners who died in
the main camp and satellite camps were shipped to Birkenau for cremation."
[8] Erring on the side of conservatism, then, I will assume cremations at
Krema I were discontinued when Krema II became operational on March 31,
1943, as it was the first of the largest capacity Kremas to become
operational.
Given all this, we can make an educated guess as to the monthly
incineration capacity of the Kremas. This by no means is a definitive
estimate, but simply an educated guess based on a middle-of-the-road
estimate of muffler load and "burn" time, with a generous downtime
factored in. What I have also tried to factor in is the actual up-time of
the Kremas, as they became operational and went down (or were retired or
damaged) at various times during the period in question.
So below you will find my "best guess" for the incineration capacities for
Kremas I-V, broken down by month and summerized for the period betweem
March and December 1943:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated inceineration capacity of Kremas I-V, March-December 1943
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Krema - Crematorium number (I, II, III, IV, V).
Status - Status of Krema (up, up at date, not ready,
stop at date, damaged, idle , retired).
Days - "Krema" days (24 hour period Krema is operational,
including 4 hours downtime per 24 hours).
Muffles - Number of muffles operational at month's end.
bod/24hr. - Incineration capacity (bodies) of Krema at month's end.
bodies - Number of bodies Krema could have incinerated that month.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Krema Status Days Muffles bod/24hr. bodies
I up 30 6 340 10,200
II up Mar. 31. 1 15 2,250 2,250
III not ready - - - -
IV up Mar. 22. 10 8 1,200 12,000
V not ready - - - -
March 31 ............... 41 29 3,790 24,450
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Krema Status Days Muffles bod/24hr. bodies
I retired - - - -
II up 30 15 2,250 67,500
III not ready - - - -
IV up 30 8 1,200 36,000
V not ready - - - -
April 30 ............... 60 23 3,450 103,500
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Krema Status Days Muffles bod/24hr. bodies
I retired - - - -
II stop May 22 21 0 0 47,250
III not ready - - - -
IV down mid-May 15 0 0 18,000
V not ready - - - -
May 31 ................. 36 0 0 65,250
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Krema Status Days Muffles bod/24hr. bodies
I retired - - - -
II stopped 0 0 0 0
III up June 25 5 15 2,250 11,250
IV damaged - - - -
V up June 26 4 8 1,200 4,800
June 30 ................. 9 23 3,450 16,050
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Krema Status Days Muffles bod/24hr. bodies
I retired - - - -
II stopped 0 0 0 0
III up 31 15 2,250 69,750
IV damaged - - - -
V up 31 8 1,200 37,200
July 31 ................ 62 23 3,450 106,950
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Krema Status Days Muffles bod/24hr. bodies
I retired - - - -
II stopped 0 0 0 0
III up 31 15 2,250 69,750
IV damaged - - - -
V up 31 8 1,200 37,200
August 31 .............. 62 23 3,450 106,950
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Krema Status Days Muffles bod/24hr. bodies
I retired - - - -
II up 31 15 2,250 69,750
III up 31 15 2,250 69,750
IV damaged - - - -
V up 31 8 1,200 37,200
September 31 ........... 93 38 5,700. 176,700
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Krema Status Days Muffles bod/24hr. bodies
I retired - - - -
II up 31 15 2,250 69,750
III up 31 15 2,250 69,750
IV damaged - - - -
V idle 0 8 1,200 0
October 31 ............. 62 38 5,700 139,500
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Krema Status Days Muffles bod/24hr. bodies
I retired - - - -
II up 31 15 2,250 69,750
III up 31 15 2,250 69,750
IV damaged - - - -
V idle 0 8 1,200 0
November 31 ............ 62 38 5,700 139,500
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Krema Status Days Muffles bod/24hr. bodies
I retired - - - -
II up 31 15 2,250 69,750
III up 31 15 2,250 69,750
IV damaged - - - -
V idle 0 8 1,200 0
December 31 ............ 62 38 5,700 139,500
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary of cremation capacities for Kremas I-V
(March through December 1943):
Month End Days Muffles bod/24hr. bodies
March ........ 41 29 4,500 24,450
April ........ 60 23 3,750 103,500
May .......... 36 0 0 65,250
June ......... 9 23 4,500 16,050
July ......... 62 23 4,500 106,950
August ....... 62 23 4,160 106,950
September .... 93 38 5,700 176,700
October ...... 62 38 5,700 139,500
November ..... 62 38 5,700 139,500
December ..... 62 38 5,700 139,500
Total Days ... 549
Total Capacity (bodies) ................ 1,018,350
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Clearly, as we can see, the incineration capacity of the Kremas was
enourmous. Far in excess for incinerating 48,000- or even 480,000 -people.
In fact, using the 48,000 number of "natural deaths" and the incineration
capacity of 1,018,350 bodies for this period we see that the Kremas had a
capacity of just over 21 times the "natural" death rate! Such "overkill"
simply boggles the mind. There is no rational reason why such a
incineration capacity is required. A _single_ crematorium such as Krema V
(with lesser capacity than Kremas II or III) had a monthly capacity of
37,000 bodies per month and was excessive. If simply handling the bodies
from "natural causes" was all that was _really_ intended, even the old
crematorium, Krema I, would have easily sufficed with its cpacity of about
10,000 bodies a month! (Even then it would _still_ have had twice the
required capacity!)
As has been pointed out by many "tradionalists" here in alt. revisionism,
there can be only one rational explination for such an enourmous
incineration capacity: The Nazis intended to kill far more than 48,000 (or
70,000) or even 480,000 people! (And they could do so pretty fast too, as
we can see from the September number of 176,700.) With Kremas II, III, and
V running at capacity the Nazis could theoretically have incinerated 2
million people a year!
It is a chilling thing, given such numbers, to realize that even when
Kremas II, III, and V were used during the extermination of the Hungarian
Jews, in the summer of 1944, that they were overwhelmed by the bodies of
those they murdered, requiring the use of the incineration pits to augment
the Kremas. It seems that the bloodlust of the Nazis knew no limit....
...Just as the deniers here, in trying to rationalize the Kremas as being
used just for "natural" deaths, know no shame.
Mark
1. _Anatomy of the Auschwitz Death Camp_, Gutman & Berenbaum ed.; pp.214-215.
2. _Anatomy of the Auschwitz Death Camp_, Gutman & Berenbaum ed.; p.165.
3. _Anatomy of the Auschwitz Death Camp_, Gutman & Berenbaum ed.; p.166.
4. _Anatomy of the Auschwitz Death Camp_, Gutman & Berenbaum ed.; p.180.
5. _Anatomy of the Auschwitz Death Camp_, Gutman & Berenbaum ed.; pp.189-190.
6. _Anatomy of the Auschwitz Death Camp_, Gutman & Berenbaum ed.; p.236.
7. _Anatomy of the Auschwitz Death Camp_, Gutman & Berenbaum ed.; p.238.
8. _Anatomy of the Auschwitz Death Camp_, Gutman & Berenbaum ed.; p.159.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes
not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties--but
right through every human heart--and all human hearts."
-- Alexander Solzhenitsyn, "The Gulag Archipelago"
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