Update on Rebuttal of Alvarez on Gas Vans: Why the Diesel Issue is Still Irrelevant

Rebuttal of Alvarez on Gas Vans

Part I: Why the Diesel Issue is Still Irrelevant (update 1, 2)
Part II: Producer Gas

 Part III: The Ford Gas Wagon (update)
Part IV: The Becker Letter (update)
Part V: The Rauff Letter to the Criminal Technical Institute (update 1, 2, 3, cf. on Mattogno)

Part VI: The Turner Letter

Part VII: The Schäfer, Trühe & Rauff Telexes

Part VIII: The Einsatzgruppe B Activity & Situation Report (cf. on Mattogno)

Part IX: The Just Memo

Part X: The West-German Trials Against Members of Einsatzkommando 8

According to Why the Diesel Issue is Still Irrelevant, the German homicidal gas vans were running on gasoline, Saurer chassis were not always Diesel and the gasoline-driven Saurer homicidal gas vans were obtained from German-occupied France. In the mean time, I obtained some more sources entirely confirming this finding, which are worth to highlight in a separate posting. 

 How Not to Read a Book

Before starting with new material, first an additional comment on an already known source. I had used the monograph by Wipf et al. (Saurer. Vom Ostschweizer Kleinbetrieb zum internationalen Technologiekonzern) to establish that the Saurer trucks produced in occupied France were mostly running with gasoline engines, which refutes the Revisionist claim that Saurer were always on Diesel (for new vehicles purchased by the Germans during the War; for older or manipulated chassis this was false already before).

But it turns out as even more unfortunate for the Revisionist gas van "specialist" Santiago Alvarez than I previously thought. I assumed Alvarez was just not aware of the book. But it's even cited by him to support that "Saurer had been a Diesel engine pioneer for decades" - right after claiming that "Saurer...equipped their trucks only with Diesel engines" (The Gas Vans, p. 24). So Alvarez used a source to support a minor and somewhat irrelevant point, while the same source is refuting his main point made in the same sentence!

Of course, enquiring minds now want to know why didn't he read the WW2 chapters, but only the pre-war chapters of Wipf et al.? The gas vans were used during the war, so it would have made some sense to see what Saurer was doing during the war, wouldn't it? Or, perhaps he didn't even read the book, but was passed on the info by somebody else, who doesn't know how to read relevant chapters of a book either? Only Alvarez himself can tell us what went wrong here.

French Saurer With Gasoline Engines

Here's a new source making the same point:

"In the German war program vehicles France, Saurer appears as producer of a 4.5 tons vehicle until the end of the war...These were type 3 CT 1 with 6 cylinder carburator engine, 7970 ccm...and 3 CT 1 D with 6 cylinder Diesel engines."

(Spielberger, Beutekraftfahrzeuge und Panzer der deutschen Wehrmacht, p. 77, my translation)

Note that Alvarez cited a different book of Spielberger (Spezial-Panzer-Fahrzeuge des deutschen Heeres; see Alvarez, The Gas Vans, p. 97), but which is far less relevant than this one on captured vehicles as some of the homicidal gas vans were likely based on captured chassis, e.g. the Diamond Ts.

Gasoline Engines in Homicidal Gas Vans

Hermann B., motor pool of Einsatzkommando 8:

"Already because the G-wagon used a lot of gasoline, it was only used for 'compelling' operations."

(interrogation of B. of 2 March 1964, Yad Vashem Archives [hereafter YVA] TR.10 File 1118 item 3528038, p. 104, my translation; in his earlier interrogation of 20 May 1963, B. stated that the gas van was a Saurer make)

"Since the gas wagon used about 35 liter gasoline per 100 kilometres and was running on high throttle/revolutions [Touren] during the gassing, I met with the Einsatzkommando 8 leaders. I had difficulties to get the gasoline and wanted to achieve that the G-vehicle will be used less."

(interrogation of 21 May 1964, YVA TR.10 File 1118 item 3528038, p. 111, my translation; according to the gas van driver Josef Wendl, his Saurer consumed about 30 l gasoline on 100 km, statement of 6 October 1970, YVA TR.10 File 1118 volume 9, p. 688; the Saurer 2 CRv 5 tons truck consumed about 28 l gasoline per 100 km according to the factory specification, see Kopacs, Die Österreichischen Saurer-Werke, vol. 2, p. 163)

Heinz Schlechte, gas van driver of Einsatzkommando 8:

"The G-wagon had a very strong gasoline engine of the make 'Saurer'. It may have had 4500 - 5000 ccm."

(interrogation of Schlechte of 25 January 1963, YVA TR.10 File 1118 5, p. 537, my translation)

" ... I was told that this was a gas wagon. I just wondered that such a big vehicle was equipped with a gasoline engine and not with a Diesel engine."

(interrogation of Heinz Schlechte of 6 November 1964, YVA TR.10 File 1118 5, p. 581)

Wilhelm Findeisen, gas van driver of Sonderkommando 4a:

"The sight glass of the carburator was always frozen, because it was so cold."

 (interrogation of Findeisen of 23 November 1967, Bundesarchiv [BArch], B162 / 18154, p. 102)

"I ran the gas wagon with normal gasoline, which was also used by the Wehrmacht."

(examination of Findeisen of  30 December 1968, BArch, B 162 / 17919, p. 111, my translation)

Victor W., Sonderkommando 4a motor pool:

"Blobel ordered that I merely had to supply the gas wagon with gasoline and tyres."

(interrogation of 11 May 1966, BArch B162 / 18154, p. 107)

"He [Blobel] said that this vehicle does not belong to our commando, I had merely to supply it with gasoline."

(examination of W. of 17 February 1969, BArch B 162 / 17920, p. 468)

Friedrich Merbach, motor pool of Sonderkommando 1b/commander of the Security Police in Minsk:

"I also had to make sure that the gasoline required for the gas wagons was there."

(interrogation of Merbach of 12 October 1959, BArch, B 162 / 4776, p. 56)

Robert Mohr, commando leader of Einsatzkommando 6:

"The gassing should have been carried out in the vehicle during the drive. My unit had nothing to do with the whole thing. Sackenreuter with the few men had just the possibility to get gasoline and provisions from my unit."

(interrogation of Mohr of 22 March 1960, BArch B 162 / 1570, p. 59)

Walter V., Einsatzkommando 6:

"I think the gas van was no longer used in Rostov to save gasoline."

(interrogation of 1 December 1961, BArch B 162 / 1570, p. 232)

The French Origin of the Saurer Gas Vans + Another Gasoline Engine

Josef Wendl, gas van driver of Einsatzkommando 8:

"It was a French 'Saurer vehicle', 5 t, with a box like coachwork...the vehicle was equipped with a gasoline engine, 6 cylinders."

(deposition of Wendl of 10 March 1964, YVA TR.10 File 1118 item 3528038, p. 28, my translation)