The Gas Vans: A Critical Investigation - Holocaust Handbooks

140 SANTIAGO ALVAREZ, THE GAS VANS
of another Polish citizen, name unknown, for a period of six to eight
hours. The interrogation was effected in the night from 22 May to 23
May 1945. Franz Ziereis was seriously wounded – his body had
been penetrated by three bullets – and knew that he would die shortly
and told me the following:” (p. 280)
Before we turn to some excerpts of what Maržálek claims what
Ziereis told him, we must pause for a moment and consider the situation:
The former German camp commander Ziereis has been shot and is
slowly bleeding to death. Yet instead of trying to save his life, they let
him slowly die. In addition, the weak and dying Ziereis is being incessantly
interrogated for hours on end through the night. This interrogation
is not done by some neutral investigating person, but instead by
three former inmates who must have had many axes to grind.
There is no signed and sworn “confession” by Ziereis. We only have
Maržálek’s word for what Ziereis allegedly said, among which we find
for instance:
“Chemielskwy and Seidler in Gusen had human skin specially
tanned on which there were tattoos. From this leather they had
books bound, and they had lampshades and leather cases made.” (p.
281)
After U.S. units had spread the atrocity story about lampshades and
“leather” objects manufactured from the skin of murdered prisoners in
the Buchenwald camp, Maržálek made sure “his” camp could compete
with this by putting into Ziereis’ mouth a similar nonsense, for which
there is not a shred of evidence.
“According to an order by Himmler, I was to liquidate all prisoners
on behalf of SS-Obergruppenfuehrer Dr. Kaltenbrunner; the
prisoners were to be led into the tunnels of the factory Bergkristall
and only one entrance was to be left open. Then this entrance was to
be blown up by the use of explosives and the death of the prisoners
was to be effected in this manner. I refused to carry out this order.”
(ibid.)
So wasn’t Ziereis a humane commander after all? The entire story is
probably invented, though.
“A gassing plant was built in Concentration Camp Mauthausen
by order of the former garrison doctor, Dr. Krebsbach, camouflaged
as a bathroom. Prisoners were gassed in this camouflaged bathroom.”
(ibid.)