In the death camps during the Holocaust, when the Nazis placed the
victims'bodies into the chutes moving toward the open crematoium
ovens,was the position of the bodies usually head first, feet first,
or  random? (The answer must be accurate for an essay I am writing)
Thank you.

Dear regale,

The position of the victims' bodies was obviously random. Please have
a look at this drawing [1], depicting this process; you will note that
the corpse is being pushed in the oven feet first:
http://topf.squat.net/topf/virtueller_rundgang/aufzug.jpg

However, this photograph [4] taken immediately after the liberation of
Auschwitz, with a prisoner demonstrating the cremation process, shows
an unburned body that is still lying in the chute prepared for
cremation, head first:
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/auschw2.jpg

This shows that there was no general rule defining the position of the bodies.

The drawing was made by an eye witness, David Olère, a prisoner at
Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp who had been forced to work in the
Sonderkommando: A labor unit of prisoners who had to bring the bodies
from the gas chambers to the crematoriums, to remove all valuable
materials such as golden teeth and hair, to burn the corpses, and
later to remove the ashes. His drawings are considered accurate and
valuable historical documents since no photographs were taken at
Auschwitz of what went on in the gas chambers and crematoria.

In case you would like to learn more about David Olère, you may want
to read these articles:
[2] http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/arts/DOBio/DOArts.htm
[3] http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/gallery2/D57.htm

Hope this will be helpful!
Regards,
Scriptor


Sources:

[1] Besetztes Haus Erfurt: Gustav Linse - Lastenaufzüge für Auschwitz
http://topf.squat.net/topf/virtueller_rundgang/station_5.html

[2] A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust: David Olère Biography
http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/arts/DOBio/DOArts.htm

[3] A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust: David Olère Drawings & Paintings
http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/gallery2/D57.htm

[4] History Learning Site: Auschwitz-Birkenau
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/auschwitz-birkenau.htm

apparently even it the same camp the procedure varied from crematorium
to crematorium
for several different descriptions of the procedeure at Birkenau go
here and search for the word "stretcher"
http://www.holocaustdenialontrial.com/evidence/vaniv.asp
there are some pictures here including what apperas to be a metal stretcher trolley
hope this is of some help but I am personally disinclined to research any futher
should you consider this sufficient answer please make a donation of
your list price to Yad Vashem or a similar charity
http://ecom1.gov.il/YadVashemDonation/homepage_en.aspx