| Drawing 2197(a)(r) |
This inventory drawing is the combination of the principal Bauleitung project drawings for Krematorium II (and by extension, for Kr III), with the addition of a situation plan of the building. The protect drawings were also updated according to the modifications made during construction.
Drawing 2197 is made up as follows: |
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Situation drawing, 1:5000, with orientation, showing the location of Krematorium II with respect to BA.I (the first construction stage of the Birkenau camp); |
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Schnitt / Section A B: cross section of the building through the Vorraum/ Vestibule leading to Leichenkeller 1 and 2 and the Vorplatz / Antechamber, including the modifications shown on drawing 2003, except as regards the corpse chute, which remains; |
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Schnitt/ Section G-H: partial copy of drawing 934 showing cross-sections of Leichenkeller 1 and 2, the cross-section of Leichenkeller 2 (the undressing room) being unchanged |
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Kellergrundriss/ basement plan: taken from 932, it shows: |
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The final arrangement of the basement, with [on 2197[a] and [b](r) only] the drainage system, basically as on drawing 1300, adapted according to the changes made; |
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The final arrangement of the former Leichenkeller 3 and the junction between Leichenkeller 1 and 2, as shown on drawing 2003, with the corpse chute retained, contrary to what had been planned, though the bottom end was truncated to stop it encroaching on the vestibule (making passage from Leichenkeller 3 to Leichenkeller 1 easier) the opening at the foot of the double stairway being closed off by double doors. It is not known whether these doors were ever installed, but on 19/3/43 the DAW workshops completed a Bauleitung order of 17/3/43 for a wooden wall to fence off the chute of Krematorium II, this coming more or less into line with drawing 2003: |
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On the three versions of 2197, there is an access stairway at the western end of Leichenkeller 2, making the path taken by the victims more “linear”. The drainage of this room was modified accordingly. |
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Drawing 2197[b](r) shows not only the final version of the drainage system, but also the water taps [using the symbol  ] and the electric lamps  in Krematorium II. Thus Leichenkeller 2, the undressing room, had five taps along its southern wall and 10 lamps placed alternately on the north and south walls. Leichenkeller 1, the gas chamber, was fitted with three taps, which were subsequently removed and 16 lamps arranged in pairs along the longitudinal center beam. This number of taps and lamps is confirmed by the inventory of the Krematorium II basement drawn up as part of the official handover procedure, and makes it possible to correct an error made by a Bauleitung employee, who made an entry of the wrong line of the form; |
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Schnitt/ Section C-D: copy of the cross section of Krematorium II through the chimney, as per drawing 934: |
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West Ansicht / West elevation: copy of drawing 936 (original north side, now become west) with additional traces of the roof of Leichenkeller 2 (cross-section) and the beginning of the roof of Leichenkeller 1; |
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Erdgeschoß / Ground floor plan: copy of drawing 933 with the following modifications: |
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The original dissecting room is divided in two: the dissecting room proper and a laboratory for examining the results; |
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In the WC in the southeast part of the Krematorium, the shower shown on drawing 933 has been omitted, though it was actually installed (according to the account by Dr Miklos Nyiszli; |
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The forced-draught installation supplied by Messrs Topf & Sons was removed after many problems caused by the motors overheating, and natural draught proved to be perfectly adequate. The three rooms thus freed (though still designated “Motorraum") were allocated to new functions [according to Henryk Tauber — see Part III, Chapter 3]. One became the room of the Chief Capo of the Krematorien and the other two were converted into a shower room (with a dozen showers) for the Sonderkommando; |
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The waste incinerator is shifted slightly to occupy a more central position than that originally planned; |
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The creation of two yards. enclosed by walls about one meter high. According to former Sonderkommando members, the northeast yard (dimensions: 6 m by 12 m) was used to store various personal documents brought by the victims, “waste” of no market value to the SS, before it was burned in the waste incinerator. In 1944, this yard was a covered lean-to roof extending from northeast roof of the north wing of Krematorium II, to protect these papers from the rain. In addition, the east window of the incinerator room was made bigger to accelerate the process of feeding the “waste” from the yard to the incinerator. The second yard, to the south, (dimensions 2.5 m by 8 m) was used to contain the human ashes from the furnaces (the clinker from the firebox side of the furnaces was dumped on the north side, near the coke store); |
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Schnitt/ Section E-f: copy without change of the longitudinal section of the basemented part, as per drawing 1174. The encroaching part of the corpse chute is maintained on this section, whereas it no longer exists on the basement plan; |
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Süd Ansicht, Schnitt I-J/ South elevation, section I J: copy of drawing 1173 (itself derived from the south elevation of drawing 936) with the following additions: |
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Construction, perpendicular to the west side of the Krematorium of a wall to keep access to the corpse chute clear by holding back the earth bank covering the roof of Leichenkeller 2; |
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Erection of the ventilation and air extraction chimneys for Leichenkeller 1 and 2, the furnace room and the dissecting room/ laboratory/ washing room complex. In actual fact, after having been built according to drawing 2197 [photographic proof: PMO neg. no. 20995/497] these chimneys were later increased in height [photographic proof: PMO neg. no. 20995/460 and -/504 for Kr II and 20995/507 for Kr III]. |
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Construction of the south yard for human ashes, below the last two double windows at the south end the furnace room; |
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Werksatz / Roof frame: taken from drawing 980 without modification except that the detail is drawn for the western half of Krematorium II only; |
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Nord Ansicht / North elevation: copy of the north elevation of drawing 936 with the north east enclosed “waste paper” yard and the beginning of the roof of Leichenkeller 2; |
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Ost Ansicht / East elevation: copy of the east elevation on drawing 936 with the two new enclosed yards. |
