Auschwitz architectural plans uncovered

Jerusalem Post ^ | 11/9/2008 | Staff

[mojito]

The German newspaper Bild published never-before-seen architectural plans of the Auschwitz extermination camp on Saturday that reveal, in their unequivocally marked sections, that everyone involved in the operation of Auschwitz knew full well that it was intended for the systematic extermination of human beings, the paper said.

The floor plans, cross-sections and maps on yellowing paper, mostly on a scale of 1:100, were reportedly found during the evacuation of an abandoned Berlin apartment. They were drawn up between 1941 and 1943.

The 28 documents include detailed blueprints of prisoner barracks, gas chambers marked clearly Gaskammer (Gas chamber) in a Gothic-inspired font and a cross-section of the gate into which the rails of trains entered carrying Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, disabled persons and other people the National Socialists sent to die.

One of the maps carries the handwritten signature of Gestapo commander Heinrich Himmler.

The plans were not construction plans but were drawn after Auschwitz-Birkenau was built (on the foundations of an old military base from the Austro-Hungarian Empire).

On January 20, 1942, Nazi officials met in the resort of Wannsee east of Berlin where they devised the Final Solution, and this has traditionally been taken by historians as the beginning of the Nazis' extermination campaign.

One of the drawings, predating the Wannsee Conference by eight months, sheds new light on the chronology of the German genocide machine.

Dr. Hans-Dieter Kreikamp, chief director of the Bundesarchivs, the federal archives in Berlin, said the find was of "extraordinary importance."

"The plans are authentic certificates of a systematically planned genocide of European Jews," Bild quoted Kreikamp as saying.

As the plans show a "Laundry and shower room" leading into a "Dressing room" and then to the "Gas chamber," there could be no doubt of the purpose of the large room marked Gaskammer.

The documents rebut the last of those who would deny the Holocaust, Bild said in its report.

[syriacus]

Since the late 18th century, Fraktur began to be replaced by antiqua as a symbol of the classicist age and emerging cosmopolitanism. The debate surrounding this move is known as the Antiqua-Fraktur dispute.

However, the shift mostly affected scientific writing, while most belletristic literature and newspapers continued to be printed in broken fonts. This radically changed when on January 3, 1941 Martin Bormann issued a circular letter to all public offices which declared Fraktur (and its corollary, the Sütterlin-based handwriting) to be Judenlettern (Jewish letters) and prohibited further use. It has been speculated that the régime had realized that Fraktur would inhibit communication in the territories occupied during World War II.

Fraktur saw a short resurgence after the War, but quickly disappeared in a Germany keen on modernising its appearance.

When I learned German in HS in the early 60's we had to learn to read Fraktur, as well as modern script because of the fact that so many books were still around which were printed in Fraktur.

[syriacus]

The original article in bild.de has some more images..

[FrogBurger]

Actually, a liberal of the era would have seen Gaskammer and automatically decided it meant de-lousing room.

Depends on the size. If you have a 10x10 ft room with wooden racks all along the walls, then yes, it's a delousing room. But to exterminate so many human beings in a few short years, you'll need something bigger. Not to mention the problem of manipulating the corpses after that (cannot really touch them if they are oozing cyanide gas...) -- all of that requires a lot of infrastructure, and I don't think it would be mistaken if it was on blueprints.

That said, there is a distinct possibility that the blueprints are fake. Just like venomous spiders, the Nazi regime continues to exert a sort of fascination, including among Jews. There is a very active market for fake Nazi paraphernalia. And we all remember the latest Hitler diaries which turned out to be gross forgeries.

A Jewish friend who works in publishing once told me that a Nazi story with a swastika on the cover will always outsell a similar story without these references. Pretty sad.

[SJackson]

Without getting too involved in the conversation since it’s not the thread topic, you’re absolutely right that Obama is not evil, despite having associations I’d put in that category, though I’d probably use different terminology. Equating Obama to Hitler or suggesting he advocates genocide is not only factually indefensible, it completely negates the many legitimate reasons to oppose the man. To the extent those things are associated with conservatives, the ability of conservatives to persuade is diminished.

[SJackson]

That said, there is a distinct possibility that the blueprints are fake. Just like venomous spiders, the Nazi regime continues to exert a sort of fascination, including among Jews. There is a very active market for fake Nazi paraphernalia. And we all remember the latest Hitler diaries which turned out to be gross forgeries.

You need a heck of a lot more than that to accuse Jews of forging these plans. To my knowledger, Konrad Kujau wasn't Jewish.

[Fichori]

I’ll bet that sent a tingle up Zero’s leg...

[justiceseeker93]

...rails of trains entered carrying Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, disabled persons, and other people the National Socialists sent to die.

This writer is wrong to lump all these Nazi victim groups together, as if their fates were all the same. Auschwitz was predominantly used for the mass murder of Jews. The Nazis didn't have a genocide program against any other group. Statistics clearly show that in the Nazi cancentration camp system as a whole, non-Jewish prisoners had a much higher surivaival rate than Jewish prisoners, because they were not subject to anywhere near the same degree of deprivation.

[Brown Deer]

This aerial view shows the layout of the largest concentration camp and death camp run by Nazi Germany during World War II at Auschwitz near the Polish town of Oswiecim, Poland, Aug. 25, 1944. Auschwitz is the main camp and Birkenau is the nearby extermination center.

[Skooz]

What you post is, of course, absolutely true — but that is beside the point.

The point is to (mis)state that “homosexuals” were just as much a victim group as Jews and gypsies, when nothing could be further from the truth.

The primary victims of the Holocaust were Jews, gypsies and communists, with many other disparate groups (political opponents, Soviet army prisoners, et al) suffering as well.

But, the modern politically correct historiography simply cannot resist casting the oh so precious subculture of homosexuals into the role of “victims” so homosexuals can share in the victim cache.

It’s repulsive and disgusting, of course, but it has become so ingrained as to be ubiquitous.

[wideminded]

The point is to (mis)state that “homosexuals” were just as much a victim group as Jews and gypsies, when nothing could be further from the truth.

The Holocaust Museum in Washington has a display that shows the various insignia that were required to be worn by different groups in the concentration camps. There was a special one for homosexuals. As you can see in this chart, they were required to wear a pink triangle. Evidently enough of them were rounded up to make this separate category necessary.

[Skooz]

Yes, but if you search for evidence that homosexuals were rounded up and put into the camps exclusively because they were homosexuals, you'll be wasting your time.

The Nazis had no interest in anyone's sexual orientation. Indeed, they ignored the homosexual subculture of the SA for the entirety of the Reich.

[Aliska]

In my family alone I'm outnumbered 10 to 1 by Obama voters but they would not stand idly by as I and millions of others were rounded up and sent for "reeducation" or extermination.

You don't know what anybody would do until they are tested and believe their life will be spared if they betray you.

I think it is already built (the main one) and is hiding in plain sight. The targeted people will be fundamental Christians and gunowners because they are the worst "offenders" when it comes to holding back "progress".

That Field of Dreams movie comes to mind. If you build it, they will come.

That's all I care to say publicly, and yes, a lot of the hype out there is just that. But . . .it will happen . . .again.

[Grizzled Bear]

The documents rebut the last of those who would deny the Holocaust, Bild said in its report.

Liars are not swayed by facts. They already know the truth.

[justiceseeker93]

I’m very well aware of “the modern politically correct historiography.”

[PhilDragoo]

Go to the article and look at the thickness of the walls of the gaskammer compared to the other rooms.

We have the statement of the confidential informant regarding the SDS intention to reeducate after the revolution and eliminate those who resist.

Twenty-five million (25,000,000) is the figure used in this room of twenty-five Weathermen with graduate degrees ca. 1970.

Bill Ayers was in Caracas in 2006 screaming Viva la revolucion bolivariana! Hasta la victoria siempre!

Hussein gave his cousin Raila Odinga a million dollars, in person campaign support, email and telephone coaching, including the rioting and the claims of stolen election.

No one would say Hussein said burn a thousand Christians, burn only Christian churches, put three hundred thousand out of their homes.

Stuff happens.

Omelettes, broken eggs.

Ayers' comrade Klonsky was welcomed in Beijing in the 'Seventies--Rudd claimed to be a Maoist--is he at that Community College in Santa Fe now.

Frank Marshall Davis was the real deal, and Hussein's main man in the most formative years.

Saul Alinsky dedicates a book to Lucifer; Bill Ayers dedicates Prairie Fire to Sirhan Sirhan; Bernie Dohrn gets a tingle up her leg from Charles Manson.

Hussein is an honorable man; so are they all, all honorable men.

Ted Kennedy wanted to work with Andropov to defeat Reagan; Andropov was the head of the KGB as well as Premier.

Ted Kennedy was in the vanguard of the Hussein movement.

And Ted Kennedy is an honorable man.

So too is Tom Harkin who shook hands with Daniel Ortega the Communist daughter raper. (Zolamerica's deposition in 1998 ran to over forty pages).

Hussein wants to sip sweet tea with the world's premier Islamoterrorist Holocaust denier.

But we must not worry for John McCain does not fear the Hussein regime.

He's got his Solitaire.

[Yossarian]

BFL

What does "BFL." mean? Banned for Life? I don't get it. Please explain.

[FTL]

Yep. I heard Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn were doing their basic planning to execute the Obama - Ayers Doctrine based off of those plans.