Remarkable Holocaust Nonsense #4: Twelve Bodies at a time in the Cremation Ovens of Bergen-Belsen
In yet another instance of absurd claims made about the Germans in World War II. I quote an assertion of British origin about the SS using a single cremation oven to burn twelve corpses at a time in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
This is reproduced from the wildly popular history of 'Nazi atrocities' named 'The Scourge of the Swastika' authored by Edward Russell (aka Lord Russell of Liverpool) who was a key figure in the Nuremberg and Tokyo War Crime Trials.
I quote from the caption of a photo showing a cremation oven from Bergen-Belsen:
'Cremating oven at Belsen where 12 or more bodies were burned at a time.' (1)
For reference this is the photograph that Russell is describing:
To give a sense of the ludicrous nature of this claim. It is easiest to show a picture of a similar concentration camp cremation ovens with only one partially cremated bodies in each:
In the second photograph we can see that to even fit two bodies in the oven - let alone twelve - they would have had to be jam-packed into it. From this we can conclude that is near enough impossible to fit even a third body in one of these cremation ovens and to suggest that they could fit, let alone burn, twelve bodies at a time is pure fantasy.
If you look at the first photograph – which Russell uses – you can see that the oven has a metal feed tray-cum-trough that is clearly designed to accommodate one body at a time and no more.
Additionally if you examine the height and width of the open oven in the first photograph and then compare it to second photograph with partially cremated bodies in similar ovens. It is clear that such a cremation oven was only built for one corpse at a time and could barely accommodate two bodies let alone more.
In summary: Russell's claim that twelve bodies were burned at a time in the crematory ovens of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp is pure fantasy with no factual or even realistic foundations to it whatsoever.
References
(1) Edward Russell, 1972, [1956], 'The Scourge of the Swastika', 14th Edition, Corgi: London, between pp. 112-113