On the 8th of December 1941, the first extermination centre, or death camp, was put into operation. This was called the Chelmno Extermination Camp, and used gas vans to take the lives of its victims. These gas vans were airtight due to hermetic sealing, and used the engine’s exhaust pipe bent into the interior of the van to gas Jewish prisoners to death. Jews were told that they were being transported to other locations, before the gas would emerge.
