ination camp. Thereafter cattle cars brought in ship loads of Jews monthly. They
were brought from all over in these filthy cars, going for days without food, water, or
washing facilities. Many times these cars were so crowded that people were simply
crushed to death. During the first few months of operation, Auschwitz simply housed the
Jews because an effective method for mass extermination had not yet been found. They
performed many experiments on the prisoners to find a gas that was cheap and quickly
effective. Also, they had not yet begun cremating the bodies so they had prisoners dig
huge trenches 15 ft. wide, 15 ft. deep, and 150 yds. long to bury them. These massive
holes would be filled within days. However, during the summer, the bodies bloated and
rotted and a disgusting purplish liquid began seeping up from these graves, smelling of bile
and rotting flesh. Nearby fish farmers complained that their fish were dying from pollution
caused by the rotting bodies. Some other way to deal with the prisoners had to be found,
especially since their numbers were increasing with every arrival. The Nazis then
discovered Zyklon B. It was a very effective killing gas. Since they were then able to kill
more efficiently, they had to find a more efficient means of disposing
...