Was the death in the Nazi gas chambers fast, or was it a painful process for the victims?
Nazi gas chambers did not kill people in a fast and painless manner as others would think. The victims survived through severe hardships. The pellets of Zyklon B used in most camps emitted a gas of cyanide on impact with the air. This was an internal poison that did not allow oxygen to reach the heart and the brain. People could breathe as hard as they like but they did not get any real air. Witnesses and survivors have said it was similar to drowning on solid ground. The rooms were big and had many people and hence it took time before the gas spread. As long as 15 or 20 minutes victims remained awake in terror. Heavier individuals trampled those who were weaker and children out of the way as they scrambled up to the roof, where there were still small spaces of air. The scene has become a hell of panic, screams, and desperate struggle. The Nazis in other camps such as Belzec and Sobibor employed carbon monoxide of big trucks. This was a slower way of killing. The ...
