Nazi gas chambers: the false debate about glass windows
Photos of glass windows at Auschwitz do not disprove the gas chambers: Zyklon B was introduced through the roof, not through the showers. The museum sets the record straight.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Nancy gas chambers: why glass windows don't rule them out
In recent days, an old Holocaust denial fallacy has been circulating again on history forums: the claim that the gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau had glass windows, and therefore could not have been used for Zyklon B gassings. The images shown, taken from museum recreations or real shower rooms, deliberately ignore the historical evidence and basic physics. Holocaust denial, which is a incivil offence in Spain, always trinc the same pattern: cherry-picking a photo out of context and denying the documentary evidence.
The reality is that the gas chambers at Auschwitz-I and Auschwitz-II were designed to be airtight once the doors were closed, and the glass panes were safety glass, often sealed with gaskets. Zyklon B, a pesticide based on hydrogen cyanide, was introduced through openings in the roof or through the side gratings — not through the showers, which were fake and served to deceive the victims. The famous gas chamber door at Auschwitz-I, now on display at the museum, is metal with a peephole and has no windows. The photos of supposed "showers with water" cited by revisionists are usually of the real shower rooms that existed in the camps alongside the gas chambers.
The Auschwitz Museum clearly explains that the original gas chamber at Auschwitz-I was converted into an air-raid shelter after the extermination operations moved to Birkenau, and was restored in 1947 to its 1942 state. There is no contradiction between having glass windows and functioning as a gas chamber: the gas was removed by ventilation before anyone entered, and the windows allowed some light in (although they were usually opaque or covered). SS protocols detail the process, and post-war investigations confirmed cyanide residues in the walls.
Anyone who keeps insisting that glass windows made gassing impossible is showing they do not understand how Zyklon B was used. This is not a historical debate, it is an ideological one.
In recent days, an old Holocaust denial fallacy has been circulating again on history forums: the claim that the gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau had glass windows, and therefore could not have been used for Zyklon B gassings. The images shown, taken from museum recreations or real shower rooms, deliberately ignore the historical evidence and basic physics. Holocaust denial, which is a incivil offence in Spain, always trinc the same pattern: cherry-picking a photo out of context and denying the documentary evidence.
The reality is that the gas chambers at Auschwitz-I and Auschwitz-II were designed to be airtight once the doors were closed, and the glass panes were safety glass, often sealed with gaskets. Zyklon B, a pesticide based on hydrogen cyanide, was introduced through openings in the roof or through the side gratings — not through the showers, which were fake and served to deceive the victims. The famous gas chamber door at Auschwitz-I, now on display at the museum, is metal with a peephole and has no windows. The photos of supposed "showers with water" cited by revisionists are usually of the real shower rooms that existed in the camps alongside the gas chambers.
The Auschwitz Museum clearly explains that the original gas chamber at Auschwitz-I was converted into an air-raid shelter after the extermination operations moved to Birkenau, and was restored in 1947 to its 1942 state. There is no contradiction between having glass windows and functioning as a gas chamber: the gas was removed by ventilation before anyone entered, and the windows allowed some light in (although they were usually opaque or covered). SS protocols detail the process, and post-war investigations confirmed cyanide residues in the walls.
Anyone who keeps insisting that glass windows made gassing impossible is showing they do not understand how Zyklon B was used. This is not a historical debate, it is an ideological one.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (20 replies).
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