Gas Vans
Josh Lehoux
Killing Machines
The Nazi's first began experimenting with poison gas in 1939. They used gas to kill hundreds of mental patents. After the June of 1941 invasion of Russia the Einsatzgruppe police complained that they were physically and emotionally exhausted by being forced to shoot hundreds of women and children. The gas vans were better because they were less costly and less upsetting for the SS. The mobile killing units they built were windowless trucks with doors that could not be opened from the inside. Engine exhaust was diverted into the bed of the truck. Everyone inside the truck suffocated. These trucks led to the idea of stationary gas chambers. The first of these was built in 1942.
Gas Van
This is an example of a gas Van. These trucks had no windows. Each could hold 50 people. There was no way for victims to escape. Sometimes towns people would see the trucks pass and hear screams from the people inside.
Thousands of People were Exterminated by the Nasis
Gas Vans were the first step in mass killings. Eventually the Nazis used this plan to kill thousands each day at death camps.
The Nazi Gas Chambers
3 different Gas Chambers
This animated video demonstrates how the Gas chambers actually worked and what it did to the people. The video explains how this method of killing began with the gas vans.