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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