The Holocaust Historiography Project
Auschwitz, by J.-C. Pressac
Photos 8, 9, 10 and 11
[PMO neg. nos. 6685, 6686, 6687 and 6688]
Views of the inside of the Trzebinia crematorium with the remains of the Kori single muffle cremation furnace, minus its front plate, in 1945. Photo 8 is looking north, 9 northwest, 10 west and 11 south. It would appear that before this series of photos was taken, a start had been made on clearing the debris to search for human bones and ashes, a search which proved negative and which would explain the lack of bars to support the corpse inside the furnace. In the center of Photo 8 is the base of the chimney, with on the right the fuel oil tank and on the left the blower housing from which the fan and motor have been removed. Bottom tight is the corpse loading stretcher, which was supported by two rollers mounted on a frame in front of the furnace [see Drawing 12]. On Photo 10, the deformation of the oil tank was probably caused by the second explosion, outside the furnace, while the slight gap between the upper and lower metal case of the furnace were caused by the internal explosion. Photo 11 shows the rear of the Kori furnace, where there were two burners, only the lower of which remains, the main burner having been blown out by the first explosion. On the right are the air lines from the blower and on the left the oil line from the tank above. Center right of the burner is the oil feed shut-off, while the wheel on the near end of the burner is the oil flow regulator.
Photo 8 Photo 8
Photo 9 Photo 9