JANINA MEHLER

On 28 August 1947 in Katowice, district investigating judge in Katowice, Judge W. Mędlewski, with the participation of a reporter, Stefan Krawczyk, interviewed the person named below as an unsworn witness. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations, the witness testified as follows:


Name and surname Janina Mehler
Age 23 years old
Parents’ names Mozez and Schifra, née Kleiman
Place of residence Katowice, Gliwicka Street 8, flat 3
Occupation married woman
Criminal record none
Relationship to the parties none

I stayed in the camp in Płaszów from 1943 to August 1944. In 1944, defendant Alice Orlowski, whose name was already known to me at the time, was assigned to that camp as an overseer. Orlowski was a terror of the camp inmates. Wherever she appeared, all prisoners tried to get out of her sight. It was because the defendant used to beat and torture the prisoners and also set a dog on them. It was widely known that the defendant was always tipsy. One could infer from her behavior and the way she treated the inmates that beating prisoners was her sole occupation. I witnessed her beat prisoners every single day, both during and after the roll call.