Witness' Family & Given Names: JASTRZĘBSKI Zygmunt
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Polish Research Institute at Lund University, Sweden Date of the protocol: Malmö, 6th March 1946, Protocol No. 211 Witness’ family & given names: XXXXXXXXXX Places of internation Born on 8th December 1910 Time period Placed in: Prisoner data Notes from / to (triangle, number, letter) Birth place: Sancygniów, Summer 1940 / AUSCHWITZ Red triangle, 1195, “P” Concentration County, Poland April 1943 camp Profession: Physician Pińczów Nationality: Polish April 1943 / BUCHENWALD Red triangle, 10643, “P” Concentration Polish Summer 1944 camp Religion: Roman Catholic Summer 1944 / “Dora” Red triangle, 10643, “P” Concentration ParentsCitizenship: names (F/M) Edward/Teofila May 3, 1945 camp Last domicile in Poland: Warsaw Present domicile: Warsaw, Poland The testimony consists of 8 pages of handwritten text and covers the following main items: 1. Arresting of the witness with incriminating evidence and first interrogation, transfer to the Montelupich prison in Cracow. Interrogation by the Gestapo – confrontation with the informer; beatings of the witness. Transfer to the prison in Sosnowiec – interrogation. Prison i – compulsory laying down used to punish the prisoners. Return to the prison in Cracow. 2. Year 1940 – Beginningsn o Mysłowicef the camp – first transports. Camp functionaries, recruited from among German criminals. Work conditions. in Auschwit Liquidation of the “group” by Germans. Executions. FirstAuschwitz. “gassings”. 3. Transfer to Buchenwald. WorkOrganization in the “Bombenkommando” z, so called in Cologne. “grupa Return Oświęcim”. to Buchenwald and transfer to Duisburg and then to Lehesten – slate quarry. Living conditions of inmates in that mine. As punishment, witness works in a detail that carries cement sacks. 4. “Dora” – subterranean factory producing “V1” rockets. Beatings and deadly maltreatments. Death penalty for sabotage; inmates made responsible for mistakes made by German engineers. 5. Work in the auxiliary camp “Klosterwerke”. Camp evacuation by the end of March 1945. 6. Bombardment of the ship “Cap Arcona”. Page 1 of 10 Polish Research Institute Copy Malmö, 6th March, 1946. at Lund University Record of Testimony given by XXXXXXXXXX Protocol No. 211 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Institute member at the protocol: Krystyna KARIER, (Translation from Polish by Kris Murawski1) RECORD OF WITNESS TESTIMONY No. 211 Name, Mr. XXXXXXXXXX Born: 8th December, 1910 In: Sancygniów, , Poland. Profession: Physician Religion: Roman CatholicPińczów County Parents 1st names: Edward, Teofila Last domicile in Poland: Warsaw, Current domicile: Warsaw, Poland Instructed about the importance of truthful testimony as well as on responsibility and consequences of false testimony, the witness testifies as to the following: I was in: AUSCHWITZ Concentration camp from: summer 1940 to: April 1943, as political prisoner with number: 1195 and red triangle with letter “P” then I was in: BUCHENWALD Concentration camp from: April 1943 to: summer 1944, as political prisoner with number: 10 643 and red triangle with letter “P” then I was in: “Dora” Concentration camp from: summer 1944 to: May 3, 1945, with number and triangle as in Buchenwald. Asked if in connection with my incarceration, my work in concentration camp, I have any specific information about camp organization, the camp regimen, prisoners’ work conditions, treatment of prisoners, medical and pastoral care, sanitary/hygienic conditions, and also any specific events in all aspects of the camp life, I testify as follows: (Signed) XXXXXX Mr. XXXXXX testimony consists of 8 handwritten pages and includes the following: 1. Arresting of the witness with incriminating evidence and first interrogation, transfer to the Montelupich prison in Cracow. Interrogation by the Gestapo – confrontation with the informer; beatings of the witness. Transfer to the prison in Sosnowiec – interrogation. – compulsory laying down used to punish the prisoners. Return to the prison in Cracow. 2. YearPrison 1940 in Mysłowice – Beginnings of the camp – first transports. Camp functionaries, recruited from among German criminals. Work conditions. Auschwitz. Liquidation of the “group” by Germans. Executions. First “gassings”. Organization in Auschwitz, so 3. Transfercalled “grupa to Buchenwald. Oświęcim”. Work in the “Bombenkommando” in Cologne. Return to Buchenwald and transfer to Duisburg and then to Lehesten – slate quarry. Living 1 Translator’s notes (if any) are in cursive, enclosed in square brackets Page 2 of 10 Translation from Polish by Kris Murawski, 17th September, 2013 Polish Research Institute Copy Malmö, 6th March, 1946. at Lund University Record of Testimony given by XXXXXXXXXX Protocol No. 211 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ conditions of inmates in that mine. As punishment, witness works in a detail that carries cement sacks. 4. “Dora” – subterranean factory assembling “V1” rockets. Beatings and deadly maltreatments. Death penalty for sabotage; inmates made responsible for mistakes made by German engineers. 5. Work in the auxiliary camp “Klosterwerke”. Camp evacuation by the end of March 1945. 6. Bombardment of the ship “Cap Arcona”. On February 8, 1940 I was arrested at the Miechów County seat, where I arrived with 2 thousand copies of the underground publication “Walka” [“The Struggle”]. So, I was captured with the incriminating evidence. After the arrest, at 3 PM, they took me to the Gestapo station in Miechów. Right away I got terrible beating, because the Germans, judging from the amount of the material that I must be an important person in the underground movement, wanted me to disclose names and places where I had obtained the illegal publication. I was disoriented not knowing how come I was arrested; I assumed that someone informed on me and I decided to behave passively and to say nothing. After two hours I found myself in cell No. 1 of the local jail. Polish guards staffed the jail. I was taken there at 5 o’clock and at 6 there was a change of guards, and a roll call including a revision of all cells was conducted by the new guards. Konarski, as the guard who checked my I recognized a member of ZWZ, Criminal prisoners who shared the cell withcell, me,and knewhe recognized that I was me, a political too. prisoner from the way I looked, because criminals were not treated so badly. The guard Konarski, mentioned above, informed me when it became possible, what I should do to defend myself and he told me also who denounced me (who was a member of the Theorganization, next day attoo). 4 AM I was taken, in chains, to custody in so called Montelupich prison in Cracow. Right on arrival I was treated with an initiation in form of 25 whips. By way of consolation, as I was told in the cell, it was a routine admission of every new custody inmate. I was in cell 149. On the same day was my first interrogation, which resulted in a ruined typewriter and quite a number of bamboo sticks broken on my person. The best testimony I was brought upstairs and thrown into the cell as a bundle. I thought then that there will be a breakhow I looked,in interrogations can be provided and that by I Professorwill have aTomiczek, chance to who pull passedmyself togetherout when a he little, saw but me when unfortunately I was wrong. Next day before noon the cell door opened and an SS-man shouted my name. I was unable to get out of bed and even treatment with a kick could not force me to do it. Seeing this, my “guarding angel” pulled me by the collar and this way helped me to get from the second floor, downstairs to the interrogation room. On that day I was confronted Page 3 of 10 Translation from Polish by Kris Murawski, 17th September, 2013 Polish Research Institute Copy Malmö, 6th March, 1946. at Lund University Record of Testimony given by XXXXXXXXXX Protocol No. 211 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ with the gentleman who denounced me, and on whom I was shifting the responsibility Becauseaccording the to aboveinstructions mentioned from gentlemen, the organization. obviously, firmly rejected the insinuated blame, I got again an appropriate dose of lashes to force me to change my testimony. Because I continued to deny, I was asked to take up a starting position for the forthcoming pacification. This time the role of the executor of justice was played by the provocateur. After that, a swap of roles was proposed, to which I responded that I am in too bad of a shape, that my hands are hurt and that I am not able to force the testimony by beating. Because of that, it had to be done without me – he was beaten by the Gestapo men, who were waiting in the corner and were specially designated for that purpose. Because I continuously was not changing my testimony, the officials in charge of the interrogation decided that it is enough for today and began getting ready to leave. One of the Gestapo men, who stood in the corner of the room, ran out and brought two pairs of American handcuffs. He put these bracelets on my arms and legs, and using the old system pulled me by the collar and dragged me, half-conscious, to cell 56, so- He turned the light on, entered the cell and said with a s wirst Du singen.” This gentleman had clearly his method, which was limited to hitting in the same spotcalled – in Dunkelzelle. this case the experimental spot was my forehead. Using a short whip,mile, he “jetzthit me one after another in the forehead. In spite of being half- ble to notice, being a physician, that the gentleman is in some kind of alcoholic stupor and that if I do not begin to “sing”, this will be the last day of my life. Methodical hittingdazed, on Ithe was head a causes an unbelievable pain and also does not allow one to pass out. It was clear to me, that if I don’t say something to stop the uninterrupted suffering, I will get mad. Obviously, the pain caused my involuntary movements and automatic tightening of the handcuffs.