SOBIBÓR - Holocaust Handbooks

J. GRAF, T. KUES, C. MATTOGNO, SOBIBÓR 111
such structures are asserted to have been located in camp III. The reason
why Kola inserted this unfounded claim in his description of camp III
will become apparent later in this chapter when we turn to the subject of
the excavated building remains.
After a preparatory survey had been conducted in autumn 2000, the
actual study commenced in spring the following year. Its first goal consisted
in marking out archeological remains detected by probing drills
on a large-scale map (1:1000) of the former camp site area. For the sake
of the survey the camp site and its immediate surroundings – a rectangular
area measuring 700 × 900 m – were divided into 63 areas of one
hectare each (� 2.5 acres), numbered I to LXIII. The progress of the
work is summarized thus by Kola: 304
“The program of archeological excavations of the Sobibór camp
in 2001 consisted of two phases – one taking place in spring, the
other in autumn. During the six week long spring phase in the period
between 17 th April and 9 th June, archeological identification of the
camp structure was carried out, starting with the supposed area of
Camp III. In 2000, as part of the reconnaissance research near the
mound commemorating the tragedy of the murdered Jews erected in
the 1960s, mass graves were discovered by a few of the archeological
probes made in this area.
Following this lead, it was decided in 2001 to continue excavations
in the region of these finds. This was carried out through archeological
drillings using hand held geological drills with a 2.5
inch diameter, i.e. approx. 65 mm. Due to the considerable area to
be explored, initially the drilling locations were determined by the
intersections of a 5 meter grid, with an additional, narrower grid at
sites where the drill cores had shown positive results (i.e. in places
where cultural objects had been located – e.g. relics of buildings or
graves). With this assumption in mind, at least 400 drillings would
be required on each hectare.
In the second phase, carried out from 19 th August to 13 th October,
investigations of the camp’s terrain using coring continued. Simultaneously
excavations of selected structures (localized as a result of
the phase one drillings) were started.
During the springtime phase, 4 hectares of the area of the former
Camp III (i.e. hectares XVII, XVIII, XXIV and XXV) were fully inves-
for storing property.”
304 A. Kola, op. cit. (note 300), p. 116.