Warsaw, 1 March 1946. Judge Stanisław Rybiński, delegated to the Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes in Poland, heard as a witness the person specified below. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations and of the importance of the oath, the witness was sworn and testified as follows:
Name and surname | Józef Wieczorek |
Date of birth | 18 November 1891 |
Parents’ names | Józef and Franciszka née Stachurska |
Occupation | pensioner |
Education | Higher School of Commerce graduate |
Place of residence | Warsaw, Stalowa Street 46, flat 16 |
Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
Criminal record | none |
I came to the Commission’s office as I have read a proclamation in the papers. To prove my identity, I present my Kennkarte no. 156519 (the witness produces it). At the outbreak of the war in 1939, I was in Kobyłka, a village near Warsaw. After the surrender in October 1939, I came back to my permanent place of residence in Warsaw, where I also live now. I submit four copies of German posters with lists of the Poles executed in public executions and three memoranda concerning these executions. At that time, when the Germans were placing the posters on the walls of Warsaw, I was trying to copy them as accurately as possible. I could not, however, copy all of them, as there were too many. Sometimes I would just take down the date of the execution and the number of victims (submitted). As for myself, generally I was not being persecuted by the Germans. However, there was one such event.
At the very beginning of November 1939, when I was leaving home, I noticed an armed sentinel walking in front of some German office opposite my house. I looked at him and tapped my finger on my forehead. He was so enraged at that gesture that he came at me, arrested me and brought me to his office, and then he resumed his post. Other soldiers, who learned from him what it was all about, told me to clean the office, to wash the floor and the toilets in the latrine, and on the top of that they beat me about the body and the head (once) so violently that I lost consciousness. I admit that I had been imprudent, and when they had asked me why I had tapped my finger on my forehead, I had told them that I was displeased that they had entered a country that was not theirs. At first they forced me to carry a heavy wheelbarrow with rocks, and then, as I have already mentioned, to clean the kitchen and the toilets.
I would like to add that my wife’s nephew, major Stanisław Juszkiewicz, a Polish Army officer in active service, did not register, although the Germans demanded this. When they learned that he was an officer, they incarcerated him in Cracow, kept him in prison for a long time and finally executed him.
The report was read out. | Warsaw, 1 March 1946 |
Józef Wieczorek | |
Warsaw-Praga, Stalowa Street 46, flat 16 |
To the Main Commission
for the Investigation of German Crimes in Poland
The building of the municipal courts, room 643, 6th floor
Leszno Street 53
in Warsaw
I submit five copies of announcements which I have copied out myself, with 252 (two hundred fifty two) names of people executed by the Germans. In the announcement of 1 December 1943, which I did not copy, I noticed the name of a friend, E. Ciurlik. E. Ciurlik, born in 1892 or 1891, was the son of a folk school teacher in Kazimierza Wielka village, in the Miechów or Pińczów district in the Kielce Voivodeship.
Finally, I would like to add that in 1939, in Kobyłka, a village near Warsaw, I read a short decree, threatening collective responsibility for any anti-German acts.
Announcement
On 13 November 1943, two German soldiers were robbed and seriously injured with many shots near the West Railway Station in Warsaw [...]. On 15 November 1943, one German soldier at Białołęcka Street and one SS soldier at Różana Street were both ignobly assaulted and injured.
Therefore, I ordered that the following people, who had been sentenced by a summary court but were to be reprieved, be executed on 17 November 1943 in a public execution.
1. Sterniński Witold born on 9.5.1925
2. Modrzewski Franciszek 1.8.1924
3. Miziarski Jan 22.5.1924
4. Rękowski Jan 9.1.1925
5. Fijałkowski Lech 5.7.1925
6. Durlik Ryszard 17.1.1925
7. Podhorecki Roman 31.12.1919
8. Skrzypczyński Władysław 18.3.1916
9. Wilkoszewski Wacław 27.6.1907
10. Olejnicki Władysław 2.6.1828
11. Dąbrowski Eugeniusz 29.8.1914
12. Miszewski Władysław 11.1.1921
13. Sawicki Andrzej 12.1.1914
14. Lipczyński Wiesław 29.1.1922
15. Leśniewski Wacław 28.5.1906
16. Horwath Bohdan 20.9.1922
17. Polkowski Zygmunt 12.8.1916
18. Wardziński Antoni 23.6.1915
19. Karolak Eugeniusz 7.3.1905
20. Wardziński Bartłomiej 3.6.1923
21. Malec Adam 31.5.1920
22. BiriukowWładymir 1.10.1909
23. Borawski Mieczysław 5.3.1922
24. Duda Henryk Jan 5.2.1923
25. Pawłowski Stanisław 16.6.1923
26. Suchecki Henryk 26.8.1914
27. Carewicz Jan 14.4.1914
28. Zarzycki Stefan 12.8.1921
29. Zieziulewicz Kazimierz 3.12.1913
30. Okoński Andrzej 22.10.1924
31. Tarkowski Bogusław 9.11.1914
32. Wojciechowski Kazimierz 4.3.1908
33. Gryczuk Zbigniew 11.3.1920
34. Buczkowski Józef 1.4.1904
35. Kryński Kazimierz 1.12.1885
36. Trociński Walenty 16.2.1903
37. Smolik Bernardyn Marian 20.5.1922
38. Szeszko Leon 20.2.1907
39. Sopoćko Zbigniew 4.9.1927
40. Lemańczyk Edmund 15.2.1903
Further, the following people were condemned to death on 16 November 1943 by the summary court of the Security Police for firearms possession and membership in illegal organizations, pursuant to Art. 1 and 2 of a decree of 2 October 1943 on combating offences against the reconstruction work in the General Government.
1. [Zięcie]lski Feliks [?] born on 16.9.1916
2. Siemnowicz Wiktor 21.5.1923
3. Kowalski Feliks 29.5.1893
4. Klimowicz Wiesław 23.12.1922
5. Kowalski Józef 7.2.1890
6. Bedyk Franciszek 23.10.1899
7. Biłat Eustachiusz 14.4.1912
8. Hankus Karol 24.5.1893
9. Grzybowski Zygmunt 2.5.1912
10. Kucharski Stanisław 6.1.1892
11. Mazulak Władysław 21.2.1902
12. Reda Jerzy 14.6.1908
13. Skibiński Jerzy 6.6.1909
14. Wereszczaka Witold 12.12.1914
15. Cybulski Tadeusz 1.8.1899
16. Kądziela Julian 22.10.1921
17. Hejncz Zbigniew 2.3.1925
18. Zaleczny Eugeniusz 4.1.1925
19. Sienkowski Jan 2.4.1900
20. Goryński Ludwik 7.6.1908
21. Rybicki Kazimierz 30.11.1884
22. Rudziński Wiesław 2.6.1918
23. Szczepański Stanisław 4.10.1924
24. Kowalski Antoni 17.1.1924
25. Mańkowski Edmund 21.10.1903
26. Zycki Władysław 20.6.1920
27. Pieta Franciszek 9.12.1905
28. Bicz Hieronim 8.6.1925
29. Kułakowski Józef 16.10.1920
30. Kułakowski Jan 14.5.1908
31. Siwek Władysław 15.8.1900
32. Chmiel Roman 14.2.1908
33. Kułakowski Józef 13.3.1913
Of the above listed, those assigned the numbers from 1 to 3 had already been executed for
firearms possession and membership in terrorist groups. Those assigned the numbers from
4 to 33 are to be reprieved. Should any acts of violence occur during the following three
months in the city of Warsaw or in the starosty of the Warsaw district, especially assaults
on Germans, citizens of countries allied with the Greater German Reich, or on Germans
working for the reconstruction in the General Government, and should the perpetrators not
be arrested immediately, the sentence will be promptly carried out on those who are to be
reprieved, in the following manner: for each assault on such a person as mentioned above,
the reprieve will be cancelled for at least 10 convicts.
Should the crime be committed by communist elements, the communists will be excluded from reprieve from among the group of people mentioned above, and should the crime be committed by other people who had been brought astray, people who are closest to them in a political sense will be excluded from the list of people who are to be reprieved. It is, therefore, in the hands of the German people [sic] to save those who are to be reprieved from execution, by immediate arrest or bringing about the arrest of the perpetrators, or by exerting an influence over known criminal elements, or finally by denouncing suspects.
Warsaw, 18 November 1943
SS Commander – and Police Commander
for the Warsaw district
Announcement 63
Lublin, 23 November 1943
24 deaths
100 hostages
Announcement
Warsaw, 1 December 1943
20 deaths
Eugeniusz Ciurlik
Announcement
Warsaw, 30 November 1943
30 deaths; 50 hostages
Announcement
Warsaw, 15 December 1943
270 deaths
Announcement
Warsaw, 20 December 1943
20 deaths; 23 hostages
Announcement
Warsaw; 3 January 1944
40 deaths; 23 hostagesAnnouncement
70 Poles, who had been recently assaulting Germans with firearms, had been in possession of firearms for this purpose, or had been helping the perpetrators, were condemned to death by the summary court, pursuant to Art. 1,2,3,4,5,6,8 and 9 II of a Decree of 26 November 1941 on combating crime in the General Government and Art. 2,3 of a Decree on possession of firearms in the General Government. The sentence was executed.
Warsaw, 12 February 1943
Der Höhere SS-und Polizeiführer im Generalgourernement, der Staatssekretär für das Sicherheitswesen
SS-Obergruppenführer u. General der PolizeigesKrüger
Announcement
Warsaw, 27 December 1943
40 deaths; 63 hostages
Announcement
Warsaw, 10 December 1943
20 deaths; 107 hostages
Announcement
Warsaw, 2 December 1943
30 deaths, 30 hostages
Announcement
Warsaw, 3 December 1943
100 deaths
Announcement
Despite many appeals, on 19 November 1943, assaults on Germans and people in the German service were again committed. A few soldiers were seriously injured in an express train near the East Railway Station in Warsaw, and one Wehrmacht soldier was injured with revolver shots at Nasielska Street.
Therefore, I ordered that the following 20 criminals, who had been sentenced by a summary court of the Security Police and were to be reprieved, be publicly executed on 24 November 1943.
1. Klimowicz Wiesław born on 23.12.1922
2. Hemkus [?] Karol 24.5.1893
3. Grzybowski Zygmunt 2.5.1912
4. Kucharski Stanisław 6.1.1892
5. Mazulak Władysław 21.2.1902
6. Reda Jerzy 14.6.1908
7. Skibiński Jerzy 6.6.1909
8. Wereszczak Witold 12.12.1914
9. Kądziela Julian 22.10.1921
10. Hejncz Zbigniew 2.3.1925
11. Zaleczny Eugeniusz 4.1.1925
12. Sienkowski Jan 2.4.1900
13. Goryński Ludwik 7.6.1908
14. Rybicki Kazimierz 30.11.1884
15. Rudziński Wiesław 2.6.1918
16. Szczepański Stanisław 4.10.1924
17. Kowalski Antoni 17.1.1924
18. Mańkowski Edmund 21.10.1905
19. Życki Władysław 20.6.1920
20. Pieta Franciszek 9.12.1905
Furthermore, the following people were condemned to death on 23 November 1943 by the summary court of the Security Police for firearms possession and membership in illegal organizations, pursuant to Art. 1 and 2 of a decree of 2 October 1943 on combating offences against the reconstruction work in the General Government.
1. Wróblewski dr Józef born on 5.3.1908
2. Romanowski Henryk 22.12.1913
3. Wojtowicz Jan 14.4.1915
4. Czarnecki Kazimierz 17.2.1980
5. Jóźwiak Bolesław 25.1.1912
6. Szymoniak Marian Tadeusz 16.8.1922
7. Olszewski Zdzisław 30.9.1911
8. Godlewski Antoni 5.5.1896
9. Pietrakiewicz Aleksander 14.6.1924
10. Lipiński Henryk 1.1.1902
11. Zielnik Bogusław 16.6.1924
12. Czarnecki Kazimierz 18.10.1907
13. Kochanowski Edward 13.10.1914
14. Willich Edmund 25.2.1899
15. Ściślak Jerzy 30.11.1922
16. Szczepański Ryszard 4.4.1912
17. Nowakowski Tadeusz 28. 10.1907
18. Czajkowski Mieczysław 19.5.1898
19. Wiśniewski dr Tadeusz 12.5.1905
20. Kotlarewski Feoktist 4.1.1894
21. Kętrzyński Stanisław 10.9.1876
22. Kuckowski Zygmunt 11.11.1923
23. Dolanowski Władysław 19.12.1910
24. Motyl Władysław 25.6.1888
25. Grabarczyk Stanisław 15.4.1917
26. Antolak Stanisław 1.11.1908
27. Orzechowski Bogumił 12.12.1826
28. Kozera Mieczysław 1.12.1911
29. Panek[?] Jerzy 17.8.1918
30. Szymański Romuald 7.2.1905
Of the above listed, those assigned the numbers from 1 to 7 had already been executed for firearms possession and membership in terrorist groups. Those assigned the numbers from 8 to 32 are to be reprieved.