The Gas Vans: A Critical Investigation - Holocaust Handbooks

72 SANTIAGO ALVAREZ, THE GAS VANS
capacity of the Saurer trucks of five tons. 46 Hence the statement “although
no overloading occurs thereby” is clearly false.
Finally I may suggest that it is psychologically impossible to pack
people that dense under the claimed circumstances without having their
disciplined cooperation. Beating them up and threatening them, as the
perpetrators are said to have done according to numerous court verdicts,
would more likely have led to panic rather than cooperation. In this context
Marais cited a newspaper report, according to which the Japanese
traveling in Tokyo’s subways do not succeed to pack themselves more
densely than just over seven people per m², although they all cooperate
and try hard (Le Monde, 20/21 January 1985).
Hence the claim that nine to ten people per m² could be and usually
were loaded into these trucks is simply bogus.
2. Remark: The off-road capability of a vehicle depends for the most
part on its design and not on its load. It is primarily ensured by the existence
of several driven axles – the front axle among them – a reduction
gear unit, and possibly a limited slip differential. (As to the reason
of driving the truck off-road: from several court verdicts it emerges that
the trucks are said to have been driven to off-road mass graves or tank
ditches where the victims were allegedly buried.)
– The author of the memo categorically states next: “A reduction of
the load area appears to be necessary.”
3. Remark: The way this sentence is phrased it implies that a reduction
of the load area would compensate for the reduced off-road capability,
which is very odd. But when continuing to read, it becomes apparent
that the decrease in size is demanded for a different reason.
– Next the author of the letter claims that the impeded off-road capabilities
could not be remedied by “reducing the number of units.”
4. Remark: Reducing the number of those locked up in the cargo box
would indeed have solved the difficulty – if an excess load had been the
reason to begin with. Yet such an approach is claimed unsuitable because…
– The author of the document claims to prove that a mere reduction
of the number of people per load would increase the time needed for the
killing, “since the empty spaces also must be filled with CO.”