Sonderkommando
the writer of this essay submits that the real work of the Sonderkommando
consisted in burning the bodies of those who had died as a result of disease,
old age, and other natural causes. Indeed, if what Nyiszli writes is true, how
do we explain the survival of numerous self-described Sonderkommados, such as
Bomba and Mueller? It seems that a large number of the Sonderkommandos survived
the war, with the exception of those who were killed during the Auschwitz
revolt, a subject which will be addressed in detail later.
....It is true that their tasks were loathsome, for it
appears that they were responsible for loading the diseased corpses of
unfortunate inmates onto the lifts and dragging them to the crematoriums or to
the autopsy rooms or morgues. It seems clear that they were also responsible for
maintaining these areas, and perhaps part of their unenviable duties consisted
of removing gold fillings from the mouths of the deceased, a practice which was
recently reported and exposed in a crematorium facility in Pasadena, California.
Nysizli's reference to the Sonderkommandos as heroes does not seem to be
particularly apt, especially if one were to accept the story that they assisted
in the mass gassing of millions of fellow Jews, including their own family
members, all for a few months of sleeping on beds with silk sheets and pillows,
eating the food of the condemned, reading their books, smoking and selling their
cigarettes for profit, and cheating their fellow inmates. Such antics can hardly
qualify as heroic behavior. Because they are so far removed from normal human
behavior, the author of this essay reiterates his belief that the duties of the
Sonderkommandos never involved participation in the mass murder of millions or
the disposal of their alleged remains.
The Amazing
Claims of Miklos Nyiszli