Auschwitz-Birkenau

[Makarov]

Could the trucks that took the Jews destinated for Bunker no II had taken one of the yellow routes along the section BI (marked by black)? But when the Construction of Section BII (marked by green) begun in late 1942 it was altered to the blue route, which I suppose is the route from the ramp to Bunker no I. Or did the trucks from the beginning took the blue route regardless which Bunker it was destinated for.

[Paulheald]

Michael Mills stated: The two original gas-chambers, Bunker 1 and Bunker 2, the converted peasant houses that had been part of the demolished Brzezinka village, were not located within the perimeter of the Birkenau camp but outside it, in an orchard of fruit trees, close to where Crematoria IV and V were later constructed.

I seem to remember that mention was made, maybe in Dr. Rudolf Vrba's autobiography, of "The Little Red House" and "The Little White House" - is that what Michael is referring to and do they still exist and if so where?

[Geoff Walden]

Hi Paul,

Bunker 1 = "Little Red House"
Bunker 2 = "Little White House"

The site of Bunker 1 is marked today with a memorial. The site of Bunker 2 is marked with some foundation ruins (which some sources say were rebuilt on the site by the museum). Neither house exists today.

[michael mills]

Bunker 1 (little red house) came into operation first, in either March or May 1942 (I have seen sources that give different dates). Bunker 2 (little white house) came into operation somewhat later; according to the Van Pelt book "Auschwitz 1270 to the Present", the conversion of the "little white house" into Bunker 2 was undertaken because Bunker 1 was rather inefficient due to not having good ventilation, whereas Bunker 2 could be ventilated by the wind blowing through it.

While Bunker 1 was being used, it would have been possible to drive or walk to it from the "Judenrampe" by moving directly across the site of Section BII, which had not been built yet.

Again according to Pressac and Van Pelt, Crematoria IV and V were originally designed to dispose of the bodies from Bunker 2, which is why they were situated so close to it. By the time they came to be built, it had been decided to close down Bunkers 1 and 2, so gas chambers were added to the part of the building containing the cremation ovens.

[Paulheald]

Thanks for the information Michael and as always to you Geoff re Bunker 1 & Bunker 2. Going back to the pic posted on the previous page of the Jedenrampe Memorial site by GregSingh it looks like it is physically quite close to the remnants of the original concrete Judenrampe. Hence what is to stop one of us, when next visiting the area, having a poke around to see if the original concrete ramp still exists? It may not officially be open to the public but it's worth a try - you won't get shot just shouted at, possibly!

[Geoff Walden]

Certainly, people have done just that. And found old rail lines, chunks of concrete, and a long pile of gravel, which is supposed to cover some of the original ramp.

[Makarov]

Certainly, people have done just that. And found old rail lines, chunks of concrete, and a long pile of gravel, which is supposed to cover some of the original ramp.

Certainly I will do that in a couple of weeks

Now, let´s move on. After the Sonderkommando revolt in October 1944 a few of it´s members seeked shelter in a barn in the vicinity of Rajsko. The SS hunted them down eventually and set the barn a fire, killing all inside. What Puzzles me is that I have never managed to find the location of this barn. Any one out there who might know where it can be found?

[history1]

What´s your source for this story, Makarov?

[Makarov]

What´s your source for this story, Makarov?

"In Rajsko the SS block the escape routes of the Sonderkommando members, and the escapees seek refuge in a barn and prepare to defend themselves. The SS set fire to the barn and the prisoners are shot to death as they flee the burning barn".

http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org ... evolt.html

"The SS men in hot pursuit caught up to them near Rajesko [?], some 10 kilometers distant from Birkenau. The escapees were entrenched in a barn and opened fire on the SS, but the latter set the barn on fire with flame-throwers and killed all the prisoners."

http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/oswiecim1/osw475.html

https://books.google.se/books?id=ClmQ8P ... rn&f=false

[GregSingh]

What Puzzles me is that I have never managed to find the location of this barn. Any one out there who might know where it can be found?

Nobody knows for sure.
What is known is the location of former Auschwitz sub-camp in Rajsko (just north of the village).

P.S.
I posted more info about Monowitz in the other topic, sites worth exploring...

[wm]

Rajsko is in fact two kilometers from the camp.
That it was flamethrowers, grandees or they defended themselves with guns is just a conjecture, nobody knows for sure that.
Similarly it is frequently mention they expected in wain help from the Polish population of Rajsko but the Poles had removed long time ago and most of the houses demolished - this is why nobody knows anything about that barn.
Anyway Rajsko was firmly in German hands all the time because of the sub-camp, the institute and the experimental farm there. More or less it was the least favorable place to hide around the camp.

[Makarov]

Last week I visited Section BIII Birkenau, called Mexico, and there is actually more to be seen that you might expect.

mexico.jpg (251.46 KiB) Viewed 533 times

Water reservoir

mexico2.jpg (260.73 KiB) Viewed 533 times

Water reservoir

mexico3.jpg (288.41 KiB) Viewed 533 times