ANTONI WYSOCKI

Warsaw, 15 December 1949. Court trainee Irena Skonieczna, acting as a member of the Main Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes in Poland, heard the person named below, who testified as follows:


Name and surname Antoni Wysocki
Date and place of birth 9 June 1904, Warsaw
Names of parents Józef and Anna, née Tatar
Occupation of the father shoemaker
State affiliation and nationality Polish
Religious affiliation Roman Catholic
Education 4 grades at elementary school
Occupation merchant
Place of residence [Warsaw] Wileńska Street 43, flat 121
Criminal record none

When the Warsaw Uprising broke out, I was in the house at Żelaznej Bramy Square 8. It was a large house, encircled by the following streets: Ptasia, Przechodnia, Żelaznej Bramy Square, and some blind alley the name of which I do not know. Until 7 August 1944 this area was occupied by the insurgents. In the late morning of that day, the Germans entered our house; I had the impression that these were SS men and “Ukrainians.” The residents of our house were gathered in the basements then. The Germans started to shout for us to leave. As we were leaving, the third floor of our house from the side of Hala Mirowska [the market hall] was burning.

There were several hundred people in the basements, but I cannot tell exactly how many.

I left in the first group, which numbered some 50 people. At first the Germans led us along Przechodnia Street in the direction of the Saxon Garden. However, on Przechodnia Street they ordered us to go back in the direction of trade halls. On the way, at the corner of Zimna Street and Żelaznej Bramy Square, I saw a dozen or so human corpses. We were gathered by the hall. The women and children were separated from the men. The women were told to go in the direction of Wolska Street, while we, the men – there were 20-30 of us – were placed by the wall of the hall with our hands up, and the Germans began to shoot at us. We all immediately fell to the ground. After some time, maybe a few minutes later, some SS man approached the one who was shooting, forbade him to shoot and addressed us in Polish, telling all those who had survived to get up and walk in the direction of Wolska Street. I was afraid to comply, as I suspected a trap, fearing that the Germans would continue to shoot at those alive. However, seeing that other men got up and the Germans were not shooting, I also got to my feet.

Some 10 men died by the hall then. I knew one of them, Adolf Karoń, who also lived in the house at Żelaznej Bramy Square 8. The wounded and those who survived unscathed (I was not wounded myself) joined the women and we went together along Wolska Street in the direction of St. Stanislaus’ church in Wola.

On the way, the Germans separated the men from the women. The women were led towards Pruszków, and the men were taken to the church. On the second day we were transported from the Western Railway Station to Pruszków.

I did not hear about the execution in Ptasia Street during the Uprising.

I don’t know what happened to the rest of the people from our house. I cannot even provide any surnames of people who left the house after me.

At this the report was concluded and read out.