Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes in Warsaw
Testimony of Alicja Sobolewska (born on 13 November 1913, a clerk at the Warsaw City Board, living at Stalowa Street 27/28), regarding German crimes committed in Warsaw in August 1944.
On 31 July 1944, along with my husband, attorney Ludomir Sobolewski, I returned from a summer resort to our house at Senatorska Street 29/183 (the Luksemburg Gallery) in Warsaw. At the moment when the Warsaw Uprising began, we were at home. Already on the first day of the Uprising it was impossible for us to leave our house because of the shooting taking place near Teatralny Square. All the residents were hiding in the shelter (that is, in the basements). On 7 August 1944, at 5.30 p.m., a group of drunken “Ukrainians” stormed into the shelters with sub-machine guns and grenades in their hands. Screaming and firing from their guns, they led mainly women out into the street. Then several dozen of them burst into our basement. One of them threw a grenade through the door into the adjacent basement, which was also filled with people. I was dragged out of the basement along with other women in a brutal way. As I resisted parting with my husband, one of the “Ukrainians” hit me hard with the butt of his gun and with his fist, and pushed me out into the street. We were escorted to the statue of St. Jan Kanty near the Maltese Hospital where, herded into a tight group, we waited for the other women who had been forced to leave their homes. After a few minutes I saw some men and my husband running. The men were unbuttoned, without caps and with their hands raised. My husband had neither his hat nor his backpack, and his clothes were torn. They were arranged into a second column, standing next to us with their hands raised. We weren’t allowed to approach them. With my own eyes I saw one of the “Ukrainians” shoot a woman who tried to walk up to her husband. After a few minutes we, the women, were marched off in two groups. I was in the group that was escorted to the Iron Gate Square. The other group went along different streets. The men were detained. On the way we were robbed of our jewelry, bags and suitcases. A “Ukrainian” grabbed me by the hand and pulled a ring off my finger. Theft was systematic. One group would steal our jewelry and the other our watches. Those who had nothing to give were either beaten or killed. I saw an old lady who was wounded severely because she had no watch. I saved my life by giving away my watch. After being robbed, we were marched through the Iron Gate Square. All the streets, including street exits, were filled with German soldiers and drunk “Ukrainians” who, laughing loudly, fired at us from pistols and submachine guns. I saw women falling down, wounded and killed, hit by bullets fired from all sides. I fell down on the ground and crawled across the square. All the surrounding houses were aflame. Having crawled across the square, I found myself in a street both sides of which were burning. Some SS or Wehrmacht soldiers emerged and detained those of us, about 200 women, who had got through the square alive. After a while we were told to go. Columns of tanks appeared to our rear, driving us in front of them. When we got closer to Wola, we were arranged in the following way: the women were led along the outer sides of the streets, the tanks, driving in the direction of Wola, were on the right side, behind us, and to their left, walking through the middle of the street towards Warsaw, were columns of German infantry. In this way the Germans were shielded from all sides.
I don’t know how many women, if any, followed our group, because we had to run not to be run over by the tanks, and those who stopped or lagged behind were shot at. When we got near the church in Wola we stopped and noticed that our escort was gone.
I was extremely exhausted, but I managed to get to Włochy by the evening, where I found shelter.
I have testified truthfully. I have read the report before signing it.