Auschwitz II Birkenau Entry To Gas Chamer

This is the entry stairs to one of the four permanent gas chambers at Birkenau. Those selected for gassing first descended into a chamber where they were ordered to undress for bathing and delousing as part of the elaborate deception the SS engaged in to keep the process as orderly as possible. Woman and children went first followed by the men who invariably were fewer in number (as more men were chosen for work detail prior to execution at some point down the road). Once in the gas chamber it was sealed off and the Cyclon B dispersed into the chamber. Often as many as one third the people died quickly while the other victims screamed and clawed at the walls. After twenty minutes no one survived though the time depended upon variable such as outside weather conditions including temperature and relative humidity, the quality of the gas, and health of the victims. A half hour later the doors opened and ventilation began. Bodies were removed for the crematoria but first gold teeth were extracted and the female victims had their hair removed. The gas chambers and crematoria were blown up by the SS before the Red Army liberated the camp in January of 1945. (Picture taken by Steven Mercatante on September 5, 2014).