"Wirth Kicked Up a Terrific Row."
"When I came to Treblinka the camp commandant was a doctor named Dr.
Eberl. He was very ambitious. It was said that he ordered more
transports than could be "processed" in the camp. That meant that
trains had to wait outside the camp because the occupants of the
previous transport had not yet all been killed. At the time it was
very hot and as a result of the long wait inside the transport
trains in the intense heat many people died. At the time whole
mountains of bodies lay on the platform. The Hauptsturmfuehrer
Christian Wirth came to Treblinka and kicked up a terrific row.
And then one day Dr. Eberl was no longer there...
For about two months I worked in the upper section of the camp and
then after Eberl had gone everything in the camp was reorganized.
The two parts of the camp were separated by barbed wire fences.
Pine branches were used so that you could not see through the
fences. The same thing was done along the route from the
"transfer" area to the gas chambers...
Following the arrival of a transport, six to eight cars would be
shunted into the camp, coming to a halt at the platform there. The
commandant, his deputy Franz, Kuettner and Stadie or Maetzig would
be here waiting as the transport came in. Further SS members were
also present to supervise the unloading: for example, Genz and
Belitz had to make absolutely sure that there was no one left in
the car after the occupants had been ordered to get out.
When the Jews had got off, Stadie or Maetzig would have a short
word with them. They were told something to the effect that they
were a resettlement transport, that they would be given a bath and
that they would receive new clothes. They were also instructed to
maintain quiet and discipline. They would continue their journey
the following day.
Then the transports were taken off to the so-called "transfer"
area. The women had to undress in huts and the men out in the
open. The women were than led through a passageway, known as the
"tube", to the gas chambers. On the way they had to pass a hut
where they had to hand in their jewellery and valuables.." (Klee, 245-247)
Work Cited
Klee, E., W. Dressen, V. Riess. The Good Old Days, New York:
The Free Press, 1988.
The
original plaintext version
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