The thirteenth day of trial
Presiding Judge: The next witness, Zbigniew Kukla.
Witness: Zbigniew Kukla, 37 years old, bank clerk, Roman Catholic, no relationship to the parties.
Presiding Judge: I advise the witness to speak the truth. Making false declarations is punishable with a prison term of up to five years. As far as the mode of hearing of the witness is concerned – are there any requests?
Prosecution: No.
Defense: No.
Presiding Judge: The witness will testify without taking an oath. Will the witness please tell the Court what he knows about the case, especially in relation to the defendants whom he recognizes? What specific facts can the witness share with us?
Witness: I arrived with the first transport at the Auschwitz camp and I stayed there until its liquidation, which was on 18 January 1945. From September, I worked in the kitchen, so I knew what food was served to prisoners and what resources the kitchen was given to cook. Potatoes were rotten, turnip was frozen, and meat was often in a state of decomposition. After some time, the Birkenau camp was established and I was transferred there. I also worked in the kitchen in that camp, where I had a direct contact with defendant Medefind, who was the head of the storehouse and managed the distribution of food for individual kitchens. He occupied that post till the end of 1944. During that period, I constantly saw cars packed with food, sugar and margarine leaving the storehouse where food for prisoners was kept. Those food supplies never reached the camp kitchen: they were delivered to the SS kitchen. What is more, I also saw Medefind beat prisoners who were caught near the storehouse, hanging around when the car with bread supplies arrived.
From among the defendants, I also know Weber who visited the Gypsy camp as the head of the kitchen. I saw him there organizing punitive exercises for the personnel consisting of Gypsy women. He abused them, kicked and beat them with a cane.
Defendant Aumeier. I saw him in the summer of 1942 when the members of the penal company were planning an escape. Their plot was discovered and Aumeier, accompanied by SS men, burst into the yard of the penal company. (The yard was situated in front of the kitchen, so I could see what was happening.) I saw Aumeier select 20 of 400 people from the company and shoot them dead. After the execution, he burst into the kitchen with a gun in his hand and ordered us to clean his bloodied shoes. I had to do it myself and he beat me twice with the gunstock.
Defendant Kraus. I know him as the Lagerführer [camp leader] in Birkenau, He occupied that position till November 1944. With his arrival, the terror began. Kraus wanted to reintroduce terror into the camp. He announced to all Blockführers [block leaders] that from the moment of his arrival, the camp had to be ruled by iron discipline. He would constantly organize searches and visit the blocks. If he found a cigarette or some ham, he would kick and beat us with a cane.
In Nordhausen, I met defendant Josten; he was the Lagerführer. At that time, the mortality rate in the camp amounted to 200 people per day. Conditions were horrendous, and prisoners would die of starvation.
When Plagge arrived at the camp, he became the head of punitive “sports activities”. During such exercises, he would kick and beat prisoners with a thick club, especially the elderly who were not able to do the exercises correctly. From the kitchen’s windows, I could see Plagge, the head of the penal company in the Kiesgrube [gravel pit], abuse and beat prisoners with a thick stick. As a result of his behavior, the penal company under his command brought from 20 to 30 dead prisoners to the camp per day. Then, Plagge became Rapportführer [report leader] in the Gypsy camp, where he also abused Gypsy women. He would even kick and beat pregnant women.
I know Buntrock as the Rapportführer in the Czech family camp. Buntrock abused the prisoners, constantly walked around the camp, and – day and night – he trampled and beat elderly prisoners, regardless of their sex.
I also know defendant Götze. As a Blockführer in the men’s camp, he also demonstrated excessive zeal, which consisted in organizing searches of prisoners entering the camp. If he found something, he would take it away, then kick and beat the prisoner.
I also know Hoffman.
Presiding Judge: Will defendant Hoffman please stand up so that the witness can make sure it is him? (Defendant Hoffman stands up.)
Witness: I know this man, Hoffman, very well. He claims he was only a clerk who managed the papers. I declare that Hoffman was delegated from Auschwitz by the Politische Abteilung [Political Department] head office and he had his office in the Blockführerstube [headquarters of the block leaders] in the Gypsy camp. One of his duties was to interrogate prisoners. He tortured the prisoners, so after the interrogation they were collected by an ambulance.
Presiding Judge: Was the witness present during such events?
Witness: Yes, I was. On 8 December 1944, I myself was interrogated by Hoffmann. Then I saw prisoners with festering wounds whom he had interrogated. They claimed defendant Hoffmann had interrogated them. There is also another Hoffmann, Unterscharführer. I am aware of that, because I knew both of them. I am convinced that the one in the dock is the Hoffmann who, on behalf of the Politische Abteilung, conducted all interrogations that often ended in bloodshed.
Presiding Judge: Did Hoffmann beat the witness personally?
Witness: Yes, he did. On 8 December 1944.
Presiding Judge: How did he beat the witness?
Witness: With a thick cane on my head.
Presiding Judge: Why was the witness interrogated?
Witness: I was accused of contacting civilian workers.
Presiding Judge: Has the witness anything else to say?
Witness: In the storehouse in the Gypsy camp, there were delicacies for Gypsy children, such as cocoa, different puddings, butter and white bread. Of course, the Gypsy children saw a scarce part of those supplies, because they were first delivered to the SS kitchen, and only then the remaining items went to the Gypsy camp’s kitchen. The kitchen, in turn, would serve those foods to the whole block, so before they reached a Gypsy child, all that was left was a small piece of butter or other products to eat with their bread. Defendants Medefind, Weber and other SS men who were in charge of the kitchen were responsible for that situation. They would order us to use the products intended for the prisoners and prepare them special dinners consisting of four to five courses.
Presiding Judge: The witness has finished. Are there any questions?
Prosecutor Szewczyk: The witness has mentioned that Kraus was remarkably cruel in the camp. Does the witness remember the last days of the camp’s liquidation? How did Kraus behave then?
Witness: Defendant Kraus was in Auschwitz at that time. He wasn’t in Birkenau.
Prosecutor Szewczyk: Did the witness stay in Birkenau till the end?
Witness: No, I stayed there till 8 December 1944.
Prosecutor: Does the witness remember the activities of Maria Mandl from that period?
Witness: Yes, I do. I met defendant Mandel very often, because I had to cross the women’s camp to reach the food storehouse, which was managed by defendant Medefind. I saw Mandl many times beat women or force them to kneel with a brick in their hands.
Prosecutor: Was defendant Brandl also present there?
Witness: Yes, she was.
Prosecutor: Can the witness say anything about her activities?
Witness: I heard something from the female prisoners, but personally I didn’t see anything.
Prosecutor Brandys: One question, please. The witness worked in the kitchen, so I would like to know how food was distributed among the prisoners in the winter of 1941/42.
Witness: At the turn of 1941/42, the camp commandant’s office gave an order to serve food to the prisoners in the evening, after they had returned from work. When the roll call was over and settled, the prisoners returning from work were given soup, which had been poured into the bowls at 9.00 a.m. and had stood at the concrete floor till the evening. When the prisoners came back from work, they were given cold soup. They would eat it, because they were hungry. As a result, the mortality rate in those months amounted to about 500 people per day. The prisoners were being killed by bloody diarrhea.
Defense Attorney Kruh: What was the relationship between the witness and defendant Medefind?
Witness: There was none. As a prisoner, I would only come to the storehouse for food.
Defense Attorney: When was it and how long did it last?
Witness: In the years 1941 and 1942, when the kitchen was under the management of defendant Medefind and the head of the kitchen.
Defense Attorney: Does the witness know what defendant Madefind’s attitude was towards the prisoners he employed?
Witness: The whole camp knew that SS men treated their own prisoners decently, because it was convenient for them. But when Medefind caught a prisoner organizing something or trying to steal a piece of bread, the defendant kicked him.
Defense Attorney: So it concerned only the prisoners who were trying to organize some action?
Witness: Yes, but Medefind had Russian prisoners of war working for him, those who had survived from the fourteen thousand.
Defense Attorney Kossek: The witness mentioned Götze. In what year did the witness see Götze in Birkenau?
Witness: In the years 1943–1944.
Defense Attorney: Does the witness know that there were two men named Götze?
Witness: Yes, I know them both, but in this case it was this one.
Defense Attorney Rymar: The witness mentioned that the terror grew stronger after Kraus arrived at Birkenau. When did defendant Kraus arrive there?
Witness: At the end of November 1944.
Defense Attorney: Did the witness stay there much longer?
Witness: Two weeks more.
Defense Attorney: Did defendant Kraus stay there after the witness had left Birkenau?
Witness: Yes.
Defense Attorney: What was the rank of defendant Kraus at that time?
Witness: He was a company commander, and later he became Lagerführer.
Defense Attorney Ostrowski: The witness mentioned that he worked in the kitchen. How does the witness know what was the defendant’s function?
Witness: Defendant Hoffmann didn’t work in the Gypsy camp, but at the entrance of the Gypsy camp there was the Schreibstube [office] where Hoffmann had its office and worked on behalf of the political department.
Defense Attorney: What were defendant Hoffmann’s duties regarding the Gypsy camp?
Witness: The defendant had control over the whole camp. He dealt with escapes and organized actions, and he was present during interrogations.
Defense Attorney: How does the witness know that Hoffmann interrogated caught escapees?
Witness: It was a rule. Whether it was an escape from the Gypsy camp or from the camp in general.
Defesce Attorney: How did the witness know that?
Witness: I could see it from the kitchen’s window.
Defense Attorney: Not only Hoffmann was present there, but also other SS men.
Witness: Defendant Hoffmann had his office in front of the barrack as a representative of the political department.
Defense Attorney: What was his rank at that time?
Witness: Rottenführer.
Presiding Judge: Defendant Medefind.
Defendant Medefind: I would like to ask the witness a few questions. Will the witness please tell the names of the members of SS with whom I committed the deeds I am accused of?
Presiding Judge: The defendant asks inappropriate questions.
Witness: Defendant Medefind often visited the SS kitchen that was directed by Peschke. After such a visit, a vehicle would come to collect margarine, sugar and other products.
Defendant: Will the witness tell me who ordered the officers to go to the kitchen and collect the food?
Witness: The head of the kitchen, Hendel.
Defendant: How could the witness know that I visited the SS kitchen?
Witness: From the men’s kitchen window, I saw Medefind visit the SS kitchen, which was situated 50 meters away from the storehouse. I also saw from that window that food was taken from there and loaded into vehicles headed to the SS kitchen.
Defendant Medefind: Did the witness see where the food was unloaded?
Witness: In the SS kitchen in Birkenau. Unterscharführer Pasche received the transport.
Defendant Medefind: Did the witness see it?
Witness: Yes, I did. I went there every day to collect dinner for the nine managers. I went with a cart, so I could see prisoners who worked for Medefind unload the food supplies in the storehouse.
Defendant Medefind: I can only say that I never came by any car to the SS kitchen.
Defendant Aumeier: The witness has testified that during the execution of prisoners from the Sonderkommando in Birkenau, I burst into the yard together with other SS officers. I wanted to ask what officers were present there.
Witness: Lagerführer Schwarzhuber, penal company commander Moll. Twenty prisoners were killed then, and the following day, the whole penal company, consisting of 400 people, was gassed. After the execution, defendant Aumeier yelled at the yard that he would shoot them all dead. The kitchen windows were open, and the penal company was situated 20 meters from the kitchen, so we saw what was happening there. Defendant Aumeier selected those 20 men himself and shot them.
Defendant Aumeier: I wanted to say that – even if it were true – the witness could not have seen it from the kitchen’s windows, because, as far as I remember, the SK [penal company] yard was surrounded with a high wall. I believe that the witness could not have seen anything through that wall.
Presiding Judge: Does the witness maintain his position?
Witness: I do. I will also add that when Aumeier burst into the kitchen, he was yelling at the manager, asking him if the cooks had seen what happened in the SK. The manager told him that nobody saw it, because all cooks were busy with their work. Defendant Aumeier replied that they were lucky, because otherwise they would have shared the fate of the Sonderkommando.
Defense Attorney Rappaport: Did the witness work in the kitchen with defendant Weber?
Witness: I didn’t. He worked in the Gypsy camp, while I worked in the meat storehouse. When I visited the Gypsy camp, I saw several times the “sports activities” he organized.
Presiding Judge: Are there any questions for the witness?
Defendant Plagge: I would like to ask the witness where I served in 1944.
Witness: In Majdanek, as Rapportführer.
Defendant Plagge: I meant Birkenau in 1944.
Witness: In 1943, Defendant Plagge was Rapportführer in the Gypsy camp.
Defendant Plagge: That is correct, but the witness said that after the liquidation of the Majdanek camp, I was assigned to serve in Birkenau.
Witness: I saw defendant Plagge, fully dressed, burst into the kitchen and tell my manager that he had to run away from Majdanek, because the Russian army was approaching. He ate his fill in the kitchen, the manager gave him an old uniform, and I never saw defendant Plagge again. It was in September 1944. I do not know if he was in Auschwitz.
Defendant Plagge: In September 1944, I was in Flossenbürg, which can be confirmed in my files.
Defendant Weber: I would like to ask the witness how he can claim that I collected food every day and that during my term many people died in Birkenau because of bad food. When I worked in the kitchen in the women’s camp, I always prepared clean dishes. I also do not agree that I served too little food, because every day I received goods based on special calculations. I did not stay long in the Gypsy camp; it was rather temporary. I cannot say what happened when I was not there. When I was on duty, I never served inappropriate food, and I always looked if it was clean. My supervisor can confirm that. If I organized “sports activities,” I never beat anyone. I never did it out of boredom or arrogance, but because it was in everybody’s interest. The prisoners did not steal from me, but from each other, and I was responsible for that. I was responsible for order in the kitchen and for the quality of food.
Presiding Judge: Does the witness maintain his position?
Witness: I want to add that the kitchen that was managed by Weber prepared delicacies for children, but they were served only a small amount of them. As far as “sports activities” are concerned, I can say that he would beat prisoners so hard that after every such “sport” women were sent to hospital with bruised kidneys and backs.
Defendant Götze: I would like to ask the witness if he remembers that in July 1944 a prisoner escaped from block 9 in the men’s camp in Birkenau. It was a clerk from block 9. I was arrested for that and sentenced to 21 days in strict prison. In September, after those 21 days, I was transferred to Buchenwald.
Witness: I know that a Schreiber [clerk] escaped from block 9. I do not know if defendant Götze was arrested for that, because it was of no interest to me.
Presiding Judge: Are there any questions for the witness?
Prosecution: No.
Defense: No.
Presiding Judge: The witness is excused.