Using Sauna for Sonderbehandlung?

Sergey Romanov · Post by **Sergey Romanov** » 29 Dec 2004 13:45

From the Auschwitz Trial verdict:

Ferner hat der Zeuge Sm. bekundet, dass ab Februar 1944 keine Erschiessungen mehr im Hof zwischen Block 10 und 11 stattgefunden haetten. Von diesem Zeitpunkt an seien die Erschiessungen nur noch an der Sauna in Birkenau durchgefuehrt worden. Die Schwarze Wand wurde nach der glaubhaften Bekundung des Zeugen Pi. abgerissen, nachdem Liebehenschel Kommandant von Auschwitz geworden war (November 1943). Nach dem Wechsel der Kommandanten hoerten nach der Bekundung des Zeugen Pi. die Erschiessungen auf Block 11 auf. Diese Angaben decken sich in etwa mit den Bekundungen des Zeugen Sm. Somit erscheinen die Angaben des Zeugen Fab., dass noch im Sommer 1944 Frauen auf dem Hof zwischen Block 10 und 11 erschossen worden seien, unrichtig. Der Zeuge irrt sich zumindest in der Zeit. Wenn diese Erschiessungen aber frueher waren, erscheint es unwahrscheinlich, dass Broad an ihnen teilgenommen hat, weil er im Lager Birkenau dienstlich taetig war.

As I understand, this means that Sauna was used for executions, esp. after the Black Wall had been dismantled.

Does anyone here know more about this? I found only 1 such mention in the Auschwitz Chronicle.

Why was the Sauna chosen as a place for executions? Was it a function which was added later, or did the Sauna have a facility for Sonderbehandlung from the start?

Ostuf Charlemagne · Post by **Ostuf Charlemagne** » 29 Dec 2004 23:43

Yes ,sure ,Serguey .....

And in some places they were using microwaves owens to burn jews in family .

What next ?

Harri · Post by **Harri** » 29 Dec 2004 23:58

Somehow a word "sauna" in this context sounds rather similar to "wash/dush room" [poison gas chamber], doesn't it?

On the other hand - this may sound macabre - at least in Finland for example home animals were traditionally put down "behind sauna" (not inside sauna). Although saunas were probably rather big in such camps the only way to execute people in sauna would have been shooting at short range with a pistol.

Could someone provide the full translation of the German text?

Sergey Romanov · Post by **Sergey Romanov** » 30 Dec 2004 00:10

Somehow a word "sauna" in this context sounds rather similar to "wash/dush room" [poison gas chamber], doesn't it

No, Zentralsauna is meant.

Although saunas were probably rather big in such camps the only way to execute people in sauna would have been shooting at short range with a pistol.

Well, yes, people were shot. I wonder why near or inside specifically Sauna...

Sergey Romanov · Post by **Sergey Romanov** » 30 Dec 2004 00:11

Yes ,sure ,Serguey .....

At last we agree

And in some places they were using microwaves owens to burn jews in family .

No they weren't. Or were you day-dreaming again, perhaps?

What next ?

Next... to what?

Ezri · Post by **Ezri** » 30 Dec 2004 03:17

Sergey Romanov wrote:
What next ?
Next... to what?

Next to being pedantic?

I've heard the term sauna used before and always interpreted it as either the Nazi way of getting their victims into the gas chambers, a euphamism perhaps, or perhaps the building retained it's origional name but was used for a new purpose. I don't read German though so cant comment completely within the context of what was written.

Harri · Post by **Harri** » 30 Dec 2004 22:21

Sergey Romanov wrote:
Somehow a word "sauna" in this context sounds rather similar to "wash/dush room" [poison gas chamber], doesn't it
No, Zentralsauna is meant.

What for was this sauna then? For washing up... or only for executing people in or next to it? "Sauna" could perhaps in fact mean "crematory" in this case?

Sergey Romanov wrote:
Although saunas were probably rather big in such camps the only way to execute people in sauna would have been shooting at short range with a pistol.
Well, yes, people were shot. I wonder why near or inside specifically Sauna...

A bit more about "putting down/slaughtering home animals". After initial measures the bodies were handled in sauna because it is a clean place. In Finland we for example have an old traditionally made ham called "saunapalvikinkku" [ham cured in sauna]. This is of course not related to food in any ways but is it possible that bodies were somewhow "handled" or even burned in sauna?

Sergey Romanov · Post by **Sergey Romanov** » 31 Dec 2004 00:11

Zentralsauna was simply a building with showers and delousing installations. Most people were killed in crematoria and cremated there. I don't know why Sauna is connected to shootings and that's what I want to know. In one document it is called "Entwesungsanlage fuer Sonderbehandlung", and I wonder if there is a connection.

Harri · Post by **Harri** » 31 Dec 2004 00:29

Doesn't "sonderbehandlung" mean something like "special handling"? I think Germans perhaps had some special purpose for those who were handled in sauna. What could they have needed? Human skin, organs, perhaps skulls?

What exactly is "Entwesungsanlage"? "Execution place"?

Sergey Romanov · Post by **Sergey Romanov** » 31 Dec 2004 20:40

Harri wrote:Doesn't "sonderbehandlung" mean something like "special handling"? I think Germans perhaps had some special purpose for those who were handled in sauna.

SB usually meant murder in Nazi vocabulary, but it seems it might have had some other meanings too.

What could they have needed? Human skin, organs, perhaps skulls?

Hardly probable.

What exactly is "Entwesungsanlage"? "Execution place"?

Delousing installation. It's how the Zentralsauna was called in one document.

Harri · Post by **Harri** » 31 Dec 2004 23:40

Sergey Romanov wrote:SB usually meant murder in Nazi vocabulary, but it seems it might have had some other meanings too.

Yes, now when you mentioned it I actually know that. You don't think Germans would have heated up this sauna with corpses?

Sergey Romanov wrote:
What exactly is "Entwesungsanlage"? "Execution place"?
Delousing installation. It's how the Zentralsauna was called in one document.

Yes of course (I didn't have German dictionary in my disposal).

Ostuf Charlemagne · Post by **Ostuf Charlemagne** » 31 Dec 2004 23:57

Serguey :

You knows so much ! I'm amazed ,really !

No thanks to you and the Sondersaunas ( damn nazi bastards ! Always obsessed to have clean prisonners !) , I do believe that the nazis have extermined six billions jews ( with a B ).

Carry on the good job !

Sergey Romanov · Post by **Sergey Romanov** » 01 Jan 2005 00:05

Ostuf, you really think that your postings are witty and informative?

David Thompson · Post by **David Thompson** » 01 Jan 2005 00:44

Knock off the banter, Ostuf. Our readers are looking for information, not jests.

Ostuf Charlemagne · Post by **Ostuf Charlemagne** » 01 Jan 2005 01:44

Serguey :

The informative man is you ....I don't have so deep a knowledge .

But I would like to humbly write some notes :

I find strange that those nazis bastards were so much obssesed with cleanliness . For instance :

They exterminate jews in showers (and now ,in Saunas !!!)

Instead to use a good ol'combat gas (Hyperite ,Saryn) they did it with a desinfectant (Zyklon B) just to add injure to the offense .

An advice ,Serguey : Since the nazis are always active (watch the Odessa file movie ) and nazis conpiracies are up all over the world (thanks God we got some of their agents :Barbie , Demanjuk , Priebke etc.....)

Don't wash ,Serguey ,it's dangerous .

Be a real bolshevik ,don't take shower !

Afterall you will remember that in the eastern front ,it happened that SS patrols spotted Red Army patrols because of the smell (and that one is not a joke )

(Sorry ,Thompson , I couldn't refrain .... considers it the last Friedenthal hit and run coup of the Year )

Serguey : If you want serious answers , why don't you open serious topics ,instead of balloneys ?