Warsaw, 1 February 1946. Judge Halina Wereńko, delegated to the Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes interviewed the following person as a witness. Having advised the witness of the criminal liability for making false declarations and of the significance of the oath, the judge swore the witness in accordance with Art. 109 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The witness testified as follows:
Name and surname | Eugeniusz Stefan Brycki |
Date of birth | 9 August 1929 |
Names of parents | Mieczysław and Leokadia née Płócińska |
Occupation | apprentice locksmith employed at the municipal gasworks |
Education | seven grades of primary school |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Place of residence | Gasworks, Dworska Street 25, Warsaw |
I was in a flat at Skierniewicka Street 4 in Warsaw when the Warsaw Uprising broke out. I lived with my grandmother Stefania Płócińska (aged 66) and my brother Tomasz (aged 12). During the first days of August our area was controlled by the insurgents. All day long on on 4 August 1944 we heard from afar something like scared, desperate cries; at the time we were thinking that these were the “Ukrainians” shouting urra.
On 5 August 1944 at 5 or 6 p.m. a couple of SS-men burst into the yard of our house, ordering everybody to get out (raus). Together with my grandmother and brother I came out onto Skierniewicka Street, joining a group of residents of our house. Men were separated from women and children.
We were brought to Wolska Street. There, multiple groups of soldiers in German uniforms were roaming about on the pavement. The soldiers were watching the people arriving, trying to detect who had a ring, a watch, or other jewellery. They called such a person to step out of the group and they robbed them.
We were brought in threes through the gate of the “Ursus” factory in Wolska Street, first men, then women. To the right of the entrance, along the wall between the fence from the side of Wolska Street and a factory building located somewhat further in the factory grounds, there were corpses lying in layers. On the left, the bodies were less densely distributed. I also saw corpses further, between the factory shacks. In front of the buildings, the layer of irregularly scattered corpses was at times even one meter high. Near the entrance, somewhat to the left, SS-men and “Ukrainians” were standing in a cluster, shooting at our walking group from behind with handguns. Half a meter from the factory hall, I fell down without being hit. A man who had been shot fell over me and died. I was face-down to the ground.
After a while I heard footsteps. A soldier dragged the corpse away from me, searched his pockets and then he stepped on my body, moved my hands, kicked me, and seeing that I was not giving any sign of life and remained inert, walked away. I heard single gunshots during that time. I think that the soldiers were killing off the wounded. From among the corpses the soldiers pulled out a wounded person, I heard them saying Englisehe, nach lazaret.
It grew dark and quiet. I got up then, and five more men also got to their feet from among the dead: Stanisław Wituski and Zieliński, about both of whom I've had news, Mierzejewski, presently residing in Warsaw, and two tenants from our house, whose names and addresses I don't know.
One of them was a caretaker in our house.
I heard later that more people survived this execution, among others Rybak, who is presently employed in the Spirit Monopoly in Praga [district] in Warsaw. Our entire group made it to Płocka Street through the factory hall, past the entrenchments and a fence.
We separated there. Together with Mierzejewski and Zieliński I crept to Dworska Street. We reached the gasworks and started working there.
People told me later that after the “Ursus” factory execution the corpses were taken away and burnt.
In March 1945, after I returned to Warsaw, I didn't see any signs of a pyre or any human remains on the factory grounds. In the group driven in front of me there were Mr. and Mrs. Witulski together with their daughters, son-in-law and granddaughter; Klajne – mother and daughter; Mr. and Mrs. Woźniak, mother and son-in-law; Balicki with his wife and son; Mr. and Mrs. Łuczko with their son; Mrs. Osiewańska; Mr. and Mrs. Kujat with their daughters; Mr. and Mrs. Grzelecki with their son; Mr. and Mrs. Kurowski with their daughter; the Zielińskis; the Miernickis; Mrs. Jaworska with her daughter; Mr. and Mrs. Zaraś with their daughter; Mrs. Zalerowa; Mrs. Kniejowa with her daughter and granddaughter, Zielonka.
At that the report was concluded and read.