[WW2] - Auschwitz

In 1965, Hydrokop, a chemical mining enterprise based in Krakow,
was commissioned by the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum to carry
out geological tests at Birkenau aimed at determining the
locations of incineration pits and pyres. Specialists of
Hydrokop bored 303 holes up to 3 m deep. Traces of human ashes,
bones, and hair turned up in 42 sites. Documentation of all the
holes and the diagrams of their distribution are preserved in
the Conservation Department of the Museum
--(Franciszek Piper, _Anatomy of the Auschwitz Death
Camp_, p. 179n).

A note from the Auschwitz resistance dated 4th Sempember 1944 stating that the photographs show a place were the people had to undress before they were sent into gas and a place were the dead corpses were cremated in the outside because the crematoria could not cremate all corpses.

The testimony of David Szmulewski, a prisoner who claim that he was present during the operation, stating that the photographs were taken taken near crematorium V and show extermination of people.

The examination of the photographs by the Auschwitz expert Jean-Claude Pressac. He has identified that the photgraph number 2 was taken from the gas-chamber and photograph number 1 from the yard of crematorium V.

A letter written by Jewish woman from Hungary about her experiences in Auschwitz-Birkenau found in a dossier of Raul Wallenberg. The letter is quoted in Gerlach, Aly: Das letzte Kapitel, page 287. The authors consider that the letter is authentic since it mentions details that are confirmed by recently found documents. The letter describes presicely the scene established by Pressac based on his examination of the photos and Szmulewksi's testimony. An extract:

"Wir gingen weiter. Nach einer viertel Stunde kamen wir zu einem kleinen schütteren Wald. Auf einem freien Platz mußten wir uns setzen. Es wurde uns wiederholt gesagt, daß wir gebadet werden, dann bekommen wir alles was wir brauchen. Ein Teil unserer Gruppe wurde gleich etwas weiter geführt. Sie mußten sich auskleiden und wurden nackt baden geführt. Kurz hierauf sahen wir in einer Entfernung eine sich in der Länge ausbreitende hohe Flamme."

Numerous testimonies that confirm that the Jews unfit for labour had to undress in the wood, were sent into the gas-chambers of the crematoria or the Bunker and were cremated in burning pits.

Man kan inte skilja det ena från det andra - bilderna hör ihop med varandra, och med Szmulewskis berättelse.

Det går inte att kritisera en av bilderna baserad på olika sätt att reproducera det i olika böcker (eventuellt lite "förtydligat"). Negativen finns, och det går inte att mixtra med negativ utan att det syns.