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Kurt Gerstein's Insights on Belzec Camp
May 12, 2025
Lecture Notes: Kurt Gerstein's Observations on the Extermination Camp at Belzec
Introduction
Presenter
: Kurt Gerstein, an engineer working for the SS
Date of Observations
: August 17, 1942
Purpose
: Gerstein's account provides a detailed observation of the extermination processes in Nazi camps.
Overview of Extermination Camps
Lublin
: SS Gruppenfuehrer Globocnik's remarks emphasize secrecy; those who breach it face death.
Camps Described
:
Belzec
: Capacity of 15,000 persons per day.
Sobibor
: Mentioned with a capacity of 20,000 persons per day.
Treblinka
: Capacity of 25,000 per day.
Majdanek
: Under construction during Gerstein’s visit.
Instructions to Gerstein
Tasked with disinfecting large quantities of clothes.
Conversion of gas chambers from Diesel exhaust to cyanide.
Fuehrer and Himmler's visit highlighted the need for faster operations.
Discussion on Disposal of Bodies
Ministerial Director Dr. Herbert Lindner's Suggestion
: Incineration versus burial.
Globocnik's Response
: Emphasizes the ideological duty and importance of the work.
Hitler's Agreement
: Supports Globocnik's stance.
Belzec Camp Details
Location
: North of Lublin-Lvov road, near a small station.
Initial Observations
: Presence of a vile stench, "Dressing Room" barrack, and "Barber's Chairs".
Infrastructures
: Passage with barbed wire leading to "Baths and Inhalation Installations"; flower pots deceptively decorate the area.
Arrival of Trains
Details
:
Train from Lvov with 6,700 people, with 1,450 already dead.
Ukrainians forcibly unload passengers.
Process for New Arrivals
Instructions
: Remove clothes, hand in valuables.
Hair Removal
: Women's hair cut for use in submarines.
March to Death Chambers
: Led under false pretenses of disinfection.
Deception
: SS soldiers provide false hope to maintain order.
Tragic Reality
Death Chambers
:
Infants, children, families enter without resistance.
Many realize their fate due to the smell.
Resistance
: Example of a Jewish woman protesting and being brutally silenced by SS Captain Wirth.
Conclusion
Date of Documentation
: Gerstein documented his witness account on May 26, 1945.
Source
: Yad Vashem's "Documents on the Holocaust".
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https://wwv.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%204031.pdf