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in hpdmd48:misc.headlines ralphw@b-cpu.UUCP (Ralph Winston) writes:
>
>              *** Inside the Auschwitz 'Gas Chambers' ***
> 
>                           Fred A. Leuchter
(etc)

I was poking around in this newsgroup and came across this posting.  I
probably shouldn't even respond to it, but feel that my own experience, while
limited and not scientific, might at least be of interest to the allegation
at hand.  

I have personally been to Auschwitz (in the late '70s), stood beside the ovens
and inside one of the gas chambers, toured the grounds, viewed the pictures,
etc.  I saw, Written over the entrance gate to the camp, the equivalent words
for "work makes free" in wrought-iron letters.

I have seen the the concrete firing wall where some of the executions took
place.  The wall is literally filled with craters from bullets.  

I have seen the piles of personal items - cups, baby toys, hair, shoes,
clothing items, etc.  

I have seen pictures of the mass graves where people fell into huge pits while
being gunned down (hundreds of people at a time), and buried by bulldozer.
Thousands of people per day could have been killed in this manner.  If I
remember right, the mass graves have been verified by digs.  

Anyway, I found some of the following comments interesting in comparison with
my personal memory, imperfect as it might be.  An experience such as a visit to
Auschwitz is not something that is easily forgotten.



>4. Construction
> 
>     Construction of these facilities further shows that they were
>never used as gas chambers. None of these facilities were sealed or
>gasketed. 

I had no such misgivings when I was standing inside the underground gas
chamber.  There were two large, heavy doors - one opened up into the room
where the ovens were (underground), and the other led to the outside (above
ground) entrance.  people who came in to the chamber (from above) probably
exited via the flue stacks which rose from each oven.  The layout of this
facility was clearly (to me) designed for the the efficient elimination of
people, though it would be difficult for me to estimate its capacity.

I'm not sure why, if one did not find gaskets on the doors, one would conclude
that they were never put there.  I didn't see any at the time.  The appearance
of the doors reminded me of those in a cold storage facility.


>                                      No provision ever existed to
>introduce or distribute the gas throughout the chamber.

what I remember seeing were pipes mounted on the sides of the walls either
mid-wall, or close to the ceiling (I don't remember exactly).


>                                                          No
>explosion-proof lighting existed and no attempt was ever made to

I don't remember seeing any lighting at all in the chamber, save a single
fixture (or perhaps two) that were obviously added for the benefit of 
visitors.


>effect any amount of safe handling. The chambers were too small to
>accommodate more than a small fraction of the alleged numbers. Plain

The single room I stood in could have easily held 100 persons.
I'm sure they didn't follow occupancy permits . . .

>and simple, these facilities could not have operated as execution gas
>chambers.

Sure could have if you were to ask me! 

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