BRONISŁAW POLAK

Warsaw, 22 August 1945, Halina Wereńko, acting as an investigating judge, delegated to the District Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes, interviewed Bronisław Polak as a witness, who, having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations, testified as follows:


Name and surname Bronisław Polak
Date of birth 28 August 1923, Warsaw
Religious affiliation Roman Catholic
National and state affiliation Polish
Marital status married
Place of residence Warsaw, Kobielska Street 88, flat 79
Occupation chauffeur

During the Warsaw Uprising, after a few days of hiding in the ruins, on 11 August I was captured by the Germans and put to work mending Schutzpolizei cars at aleja Szucha 14. I worked in the second courtyard. I was employed there until 16 September 1944.

Working in the second courtyard, I didn’t see the mass executions which took place in the ruined building next to the third courtyard. However, during the period from 11 to 22 August, I saw Gestapo men (dressed in yellow shirts) leading groups of Poles (mostly men) through the second courtyard in the direction of the park. I always heard shorts and moans after a group had passed by. That is why I am stating that mass murders in the area of the former Main Inspectorate of the Armed Forces [GISZ] took place until 22 August 1944. Later, individual people or small groups were taken there, after which I heard shots.

I would like to add that after each execution an empty platform would arrive in the backyard and leave soon after, loaded with clothes. The platforms, I noticed, took the clothes to Litewska Street, I don’t remember the house number, but it had formerly held a nursery. I heard that men detained in the labor camp were made to clean up. They were executed around 20 August. I noticed that until 11 August, on average five, six parties were led in to be executed. The parties were led in particularly frequently during the first days I was working there.

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