The picture presents the crematorium in Raversbrück KL shortly after the camp's liberation by Red Army.

Until April, 1943, when death rate in the camp was relatively low corpses were cremated in the incinerator located in near town Fürstenberg. In April 1943, a crematorium was build near west wall of the camp and started operating on 29th of the month of that year, at first with two then from December, 1944 with three incinerators. From January till March of the year 1945, 6400 corpses were cremated. Caused by overheating of incinerators, a roof of the crematorium caught fire in February 1945. The number of the corpses cremated in earlier periods prior to January 1945 is unknown. SS-Unterscharfürer Schenk was responsible for the crematorium's overall operations. The distinct smell of burned bodies spread out in the vicinity of the crematorium.

In summer of the 1944, a morgue was build between I and II Revier of the camp. At the same time prisoners from the adjacent men's camp were employed to install equipment for a gas chamber located in wooden barrack near the crematorium. The comendant of the camp, Fritz Suhren testifying before the English Military Tribunal in Hamburg in 1947 stated that the gas chamber started operating on 2nd March, 1945. However the were clear indications that, at the beginning of February,1945, selected sick prisoners from Infirmary and so called "Jugendlager" the "Youth Camp" at Urckermarck were sent out to the gas chamber. There were number of cases of injured at work prisoners (work accidents or bombardment victims) who were sent to the chamber as well.

The gas chamber dimensions were 9 by 4.5 meters. Every time approximately 170-180 women prisoners could be packed and killed in the chamber. The chamber worked from November 1944.

Before that period, a truck with metal container called by prisoners "green mine" and an old train wagon with gas equipment were used. Both were located behind wooden area near the camp. Approximately 50 women could be put to death at one time in such devices.

In his testimony, Schwarzhüber described the operation of the gas chamber before the English Military Tribunal in Hamburg in 1947. He said that victims took cloths off before entering the chamber then doors were closed and a prisoner wearing gas mask poured down granules of cyclone-B through the hole in the roof of the chamber. Screams coming out from inside of the gas chamber were heard for 3 minutes. Later on all dead bodies from the chamber were taken by group (commando) of 11 men prisoners to the crematorium. According to the testimony of the German female prisoner Minny Lepedies, a fate of those 11 men is well known today. On 25th April, 1945 they were kept in the Bunker of the camp. During that day all received poisoned soup and coffee. Poison was administered by wardress Möves and SS-man Trasse. Next day those of the group who did not die of poison were executed by the camp's SS-men.

Entire gassing process was supervised by SS-Sturmbanfürer Sauer, Dr. Trommer and Dr. Moll. SS-Unterscharfürer Schäfer was responsible for the operation of the gas chamber.

Allegedly, because the crematorium was not able to process all died in gas chamber some bodies were thrown into pits where gasoline was poured over the pile of bodies which later was set on fire.

 

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