bombsaway wrote:Callahan wrote:Yes, the alleged "death camp" of Treblinka is said to be a half mile or so south of the Malkinia station, since atrocity lies involving a massive spectacle have to be claimed as being done in a concealed area. Do you think this helps your case? The actual train destination on-record, which you claim as a "death camp", shows a location that is precisely where a necessary logistical (narrow to wide gauge rail) and administrative (GG to Eastern-occupied territories, District Bialystok) changes occurred -- exactly where Eichmann's coordination of transports should have ended, by the way, without any homicidal implications.
Google map of Malkinia Gorna to TII
It wasn't that close. IIRC, Treblinka Station was about 3.7 miles from Malkinia junction and T2 was about 2.5 miles from Treblinka Station. If you think gauge disparities existed for very long you need to prove that. The Germans would have converted the gauges quickly enough rather than any other workarounds. Revisionists have not shown this was not done and can't come up with evidence of there having been persistent gauge disparities - quite the opposite.
Show me evidence of this "Eichmann's coordination of transports should have ended". Eichmann was responsible for all transports everywhere. He is the one, for instance, responsible for the Hungarians sent to Auschwitz. Where are you getting this info I've heard you mention on numerous posts? I'm not so much denying it as saying that I am ignorant of this and am skeptical of it since it flies in the face of the Hungarian situation.
Given the scale of distances between stops, in general, that is essentially nothing (which is why I did not care to check before writing "half mile or so"). Given Treblinka is the only point of relevance to Germany at/around Malkinia station (aside from its crucial role as a major transit hub), it makes sense to use the terms interchangeably.
You are correct that Eichmann's department was technically involved at some level with Jewish movement all across Europe. That said, there are some areas where his department had more direct coordination and oversight (e.g. the Reich, the GG), and others where it had less and was typically competing in some way with local administrative structures. Treblinka/Malkinia was the "last stop" within the GG, hence justifying an "administrative hand-off" at this point.
This is supported by the fact that these relevant Fahrplanordnung documents are associated to "Generaldirektion der Ostbahn", e.g. see the header on the document, here:
http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org ... 0front.jpg
The "Generaldirektion der Ostbahn" (General Directorate of Eastern Railways)
did not include the territories east of the General Government. It ended at Malkinia/Treblinka, and approximately at the other AR camps. We should not expect these documents, therefore, to show destinations beyond this point. On the "Ostbahn":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostbahn_( ... overnment)
While reviewing some of this information, I started to wonder who, if anyone, within Eichmann's department (if not Eichmann, himself) was actually coordinating the precise train schedules such as that of the Fahrplanordnung document linked earlier. As it turns out, there are two particular subordinates of his who were more directly involved: Rolf Günther and Franz Novak.
Günther was Eichmann's deputy (focused more on meeting in-person with various authorities and coordinating/executing deportations on-the-ground), but Novak was Eichmann's main transportation officer, focusing specifically on transportation logistics (scheduling and securing trains, coordinating with Deutsche Reichsbahn, etc.).
In other words, it would seem that Novak is "our guy" -- he is the one, if anyone within the entire Nazi hierarchy and despite its intense levels of fragmentation (separation of duties), who could best answer the question of "where did they (Jews) go?". He is the man working directly under Eichmann, who worked directly on arranging those schedules as shown in the Fahrplanordnung documents.
This makes it strange that Novak, despite being brought to trial several times, has never been considered a "key witness" of the Holocaust (he also only ever served a few years in custody). Some insight, as follows, from the Eichmann trial. (see here:
https://www.nizkor.org/franz-novak-01-eichmann-adolf/ , and here:
https://www.nizkor.org/franz-novak-02-eichmann-adolf/ )
To the question, "What were your duties (transport matters)?", Novak answers:
As an assistant Specialist Officer, I had to draw up the timetables for the specific train journeys and to organize the manner of reporting. For this purpose, I was provided by Guenther with the stations of departure and destination and the number of persons, and I then had to prepare the requisite documents for the Reichsbahn (Reich Railways) about the means of transport, etc. Guenther or Eichmann would then sign these documents. After the timetables were submitted for each specific train journey, I then had to prepare the reports to the Departments concerned.
To the question, "Did Eichmann give orders on his own for deportations, or did he act only on the basis of orders which he had received?", Novak responds:
I have no way of knowing whether Eichmann himself gave orders for deportations or only carried out orders. I can only say that the RSHA was organized along strict military lines, and everyone knew only what he had to know in order to carry out his duties.
To the question, "With which German government authorities, Reich agencies, SS and Security Service offices and NSDAP authorities were you in constant contact when you worked in the Head Office for Reich Security?", Novak replies:
While I was working in the RSHA, I had dealings only with the Reich Transport Ministry and the Reich Railways Eastern Management [Generaldirektion der Ostbahn].
To the question, "Which was the authority of the Reich Government which was in charge of, and responsible for, providing timetables for the evacuation of Jews?", Novak adds:
Responsibility for drawing up timetables for evacuating Jews belonged to the Reich Ministry of Transport, in conjunction with the Head of Transport Matters in the army.
In case you missed it, this is rather intriguing information. Here is a recap from the above given Novak's statements and general knowledge of the NS organizational structure:
- Novak served as a Transportation Officer within Eichmann's section, organizing transports and drafting the timetables for Jewish evacuations.
- Novak's coordination efforts were primarily with the Reich Transport Ministry and the Generaldirektion der Ostbahn regarding logistics for evacuations (especially timetables).
- Specific requests for trains, including details like dates, times, and destinations, were based on orders from Novak's superiors (Guenther and indirectly Eichmann).
- Final responsibility for drawing up and implementing official transport timetables went to the Reich Transport Ministry.
- Despite making clear that timetables for evacuation of Jews regularly involved the Reich Transport Ministry and the head of transport in the army, Novak did not directly coordinate with the army's transport head -- he was limited to the civilian sphere (mainly with the Ostbahn).
Between the above knowledge about Novak and the fact of the Fahrplanordnung documents for AR camps pertaining only to the particular Generaldirektion der Ostbahn, we can conclude:
- The Fahrplanordnung documents which show "Treblinka/Malkinia" (or any other AR camps) as the last stop do so because these documents pertain to the Ostbahn territory (General Government) which had a border to which the AR camps were the final stop (also having significance or precedent in transit functions, given the rail-gauge changes). These documents, therefore, are no evidence of a deadly "last stop" for Jews.
- Eichmann's section (by way of Novak, the Transportation Officer) drafted the initial timetables which then had to be finalized, published, and implemented by the Reich Transport Ministry.
- Jewish evacuations involved timetables coordinated between both the Reich Transport Ministry and the head of transport in the army, suggesting Jewish evacuations regularly involved coordination with territories in the East.
- In general, as deportations/evacuations moved further east, they involved Novak (hence, Eichmann's section) less, and the military more.
EDIT: Forgot to add, there is no question that Eichmann's section and Novak were involved in the Hungarian evacuations and scheduling thereof but, in Novak's own words, "[f]or me, Auschwitz was just a train station."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Novak#Post-war