On 14 February 1946 in Gdańsk, Acting Investigating Judge W. Kępiński heard the person named below as a sworn witness. The witness was advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations and of the significance of the oath. The judge took an oath from the witness, who then testified as follows:
| Name and surname | Jan Wiśniewski |
| Age | 45 years old |
| Parents’ names | Adam and Franciszka, née Ciechowicz |
| Place of residence | Gdańsk-Wrzeszcz, Lelewela Street 33, flat 5 |
| Occupation | driver |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Criminal record | none |
| Relationship to the parties | none |
At the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, I lived with my wife at Wolska Street 11, flat 31. On 5 August 1944, all the residents of that house were in the basements, as there was fighting going on in the vicinity, with the Germans using Tiger tanks.
At about 9.00 p.m., the Germans reached Towarowa Street, meaning they had already passed by our house. On their way, the Germans were setting fire to the houses, throwing torches and incendiary grenades into the flats and leading the people out, separating the men from the women. At one point our house was also set on fire. When this happened, the women and children who were in the basements began to call to the Germans, asking them to help them. On hearing these screams, nine SS men arrived in our courtyard and ordered everybody out of the basements. The women left first. The Germans greeted them with kicks and rifle butts. They also lined them up against the wall, threatening them with shooting. At the same time they were robbing people who were leaving the basements of money, watches, rings, and other valuable items.
The men had to leave with their arms raised. When we left, we were divested of money, watches and rings, and we were also beaten with rifle butts, hands, or other objects, and kicked. Then we were separated from the women and led out to the street, from where we were marched to Krochmalna Street 90 and stood against a fence. A dozen or so corpses, including women and children, were already lying at this site. We saw many corpses on the way there as well. We were marched by seven Germans, young SS men, of whom the majority weren’t even twenty years old. Four of them placed themselves a few steps away from us and began the execution. They didn’t have any machine guns, only ordinary handguns.
I would like to emphasize that nine men were led from our house: Jan Wiśniewski, Jan Konarski, Wacław Konarski, Duda, Władysław Zawadzki, Zawistowski, Rutkowski with his son-in-law, and Piekarski from Krochmalna Street 83. At the execution site we also met three other men from the neighboring houses, but I don’t know their surnames. Seeing what was going to happen, people began to scream, beg and lament, but the Germans didn’t pay any heed to that. Then I said to my companions in a loud voice, “We’ll pretend that we’re dead, it will work”. The Germans fired a few salvos, and I fell down immediately, although I wasn’t hit, and pretended to be dead. The bodies of the people who had really been killed fell on top of me, hiding me from plain sight. After the execution, the Germans approached us and finished off the wounded who were still alive with shots from their rifles. I lay motionless and thus managed to save myself. I remained lying there for about an hour after the execution, and then I managed to sneak into one of the basements of a burning house. Some time later I was joined by both Konarskis, and later also by Duda. I am not sure what happened to the rest, but they had probably perished.
About a week after the execution, the Germans arrived at the site with a group of Polish hostages. They dismantled the neighboring fences, piled the wood on the corpses and set them on fire, all of which we observed from the basement. They also brought other corpses from the vicinity and placed them on the pile. I saw the remnants of that pile and human bones at the execution site as late as in January 1945, after the entry of the Soviet troops.
I don’t know what happened to them afterwards.
To be precise, the execution was carried out at about 10.00 p.m., or slightly later, in the courtyard of the house at Krochmalna Street 90, by the fence, at the spot where the residents had made a small altar.
The women from our basement were taken to the church at Karolkowa Street. I don’t know what happened to them next.
The Germans who carried out the execution wore SS markings on the flaps of their uniforms. Some of them wore camouflage uniforms.
The Konarskis presently reside in Warsaw, at aleja 3 Maja 2, flat 15. Duda also lives in Warsaw, at Ludwiki Street 8.
I also know of the following executions: at Karolkowa Street, opposite no 60, and at Krochmalna Street 99, in the house at the corner of Krochmalna and Karolkowa streets; a dozen or so corpses are buried in the courtyard there.
I am unable to provide the surnames of the people who survived the other executions.
The report was read out.