there WAS advanced technology used.
Monday, January 24, 2011 @ 4:47 AM
Gas vans and guns were used to kill the victims.
These might not sound very advanced to you right now, but back then, they were considered as advanced technology.
It is basically a van with an airtight compartment in the back.
The victims were forced into the compartments, and eventually died of carbon monoxide poisoning or suffocation.
The exhaust gas was released from the pipes when the engine was still running.
However, the gas vans had disadvantages as well.
First, it did not work as fast as the NKVD wanted it to, it took more than 2 minutes for the victims to die.
Also, the vans could not block out the voice, so the screaming of the victims before they died could be heard, and most soldiers found it disturbing.
Most of the executions were carried out using the Mosin–Nagant rifle, which was considered advanced back then.
It is a bolt-action, internal magazine-fed, military rifle used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various other nations.