Hermann Langbein
[back] Eye Witnesses
[back] Auschwitz-Birkenau
In Historical Fact No. 24, Walendy published an article by Ingrid Weckert
entitled "Mass Killings or Disinformation?." Weckert analysed the book
Nationalsozialistische Massentötungen durch Giftgas (National Socialist Mass
Killings by Poison Gas) [ edited by Kogon, Langbein and Rückerl] and determined
that it contained much false information, contradictions and technical
impossibilities. (28-7680, 7681) As an example, on page 115 of the book, the
authors claimed that in Chelmno:
"The crematoria ovens had a width
of ten metres and a length of about five to six metres. They were not protruding
from the ground. They had no chimneys. They tapered down towards the bottom
where grates were fastened. These grates consisted of railroad tracks; the
shorter rails are the grates. The longer ones, however, served the purpose of
camouflaging the crematoria ovens from airplanes. These rails were placed over
the pits and covered up with metal sheet. On top of each layer of dead bodies, a
layer of wood logs was placed. As far as I can remember, the oven was lit from
the bottom. Whoever was lighting the fire had to make his way through the
opening, the ash opening to get underneath the grates. I would like to remark
that an underground corridor led to the ash box serving as an air supply channel
as well as for the purpose of removing the ashes. The corpses burned quickly.
New corpses were constantly being thrown on top."
Walendy testified that this account
was so absurd, that one shouldn't have to give any explanations at all with
respect to it. In principle, burnings of corpses could not be carried out in
pits and trenches with wooden logs because the oxygen supply was insufficient.
It was even less possible if the wooden logs were covered with sheet metal and
the lighting was carried out from the bottom. It was not possible to continue a
fire in such conditions. (28-7690 to 7693)
At page 247 of the book, the
authors included an account of how gassings took place:
"If a gassing was to be carried out, Roth ordered one
of the camp inmates under his command, usually the witness Kanduth, to heat up a
brick inside the crematoria. Often Roth carried the hot brick on a shovel into a
gas cell and placed it into a gas input device consisting of an iron box with a
removable lid which could be closed airtight by using wing screws and a gasket.
The introduced hot brick served the purpose of vapourizing the subsequently
filled-in poison gas which was bound to paper scraps using the uprising heat."
Walendy testified that the gas
chambers as described in the book were so large that several hundred people were
placed in them. The introduction of one brick into one of these large chambers
would have had no effect in terms of the intended purpose. Furthermore, Zyklon B
was produced as a pest control substance. It was delivered in closed containers
in the form of grains. It had nothing to do with scraps of paper. (28-7694)
The book was of special importance,
said Walendy, because it was written by three well- known authors. Eugen Kogon
was a professor and a former inmate of Buchenwald. Hermann Langbein was a former
inmate of Auschwitz and Rückerl was the chief prosecutor and head of the Central
Office of Judicial Administration. Walendy believed it was important, from a
political point of view, to know whether the allegations contained in the book
were true or false. (28-7681, 7682)
[Udo Walendy] The 'False News' Trial of Ernst Zündel --
1988