The Gas Vans: A Critical Investigation - Holocaust Handbooks

76 SANTIAGO ALVAREZ, THE GAS VANS
dried by the hot exhaust gases, hence this issue of fluids would not have
been considered to be a problem during a gassing. The hole could have
been blocked by any other object, though, which might have been accidentally
or intentionally dropped into the hole by a victim. Such a
blocking of the pipe would have caused the motor to die right away,
which would have ended the gassing operation right there. And if such
a blocking of the pipe could occur accidently, how could one have prevented
the victims from deliberately blocking this inlet hole with an object?
How can one gas 97,000 people under such circumstances?
I may also point out that the reference to the frequent corrosive destruction
of the connecting hoses contradicts the initial claim of the letter
that so far no “defects in the vehicles” have become “apparent.”
4. Adding a drain in the floor and slanting the floor toward it
While adding a drainage opening in the middle of the floor does not
pose any difficulties, it is not at all easy to design the floor in a way that
it has an incline toward that opening in order “that all fluids flow toward
the center immediately.” Since the floor of utility vehicles is generally
even, this requested change would either have required the construction
of a special concave floor or a second floor of this shape covering
the original floor. Both solutions would have required comprehensive
efforts.
Regarding the subsequent sentence that such a floor would prevent
“that fluids enter into the pipes” (this must refer to the pipes for the introduction
of gas), it seems the author of that letter has forgotten that in
the previous paragraph he had requested to move that introduction pipe
away from the floor, which, if realized, would have completely solved
the problem of cleaning the cargo box – unless he assumed right away
that his suggestion of moving the gas inlet had hardly any chance of being
accepted. But if his superiors would not implement such a small
change as moving the exhaust opening away from the floor, how could
he seriously assume that they would go through the trouble of installing
a concave floor?
5. and 6. Removing observation window and better protected lamps
Removing the observation window would indeed facilitate the production
of the vehicles, even though their installation does not pose a
technical problem, as Udo Walendy has pointed out.