Report, dated 28 September 1945, concerning a German crime
On 19 September 1944 an American aircraft was shot down over Dziekanów Leśny, commune of Cząstków, district of Warsaw. The airmen descended on the said village, some on parachutes and some still in the plane. While falling in his parachute, one of them was shot dead with a revolver – even though he signaled his intent to surrender by waving his handkerchief. But the Germans showed no regard for his gesture and shot him with small arms when he was just above the ground. Of the entire crew, only one airman fell to the ground alive, although he had a few wounds. The Germans took the injured soldier to their headquarters for interrogation, and nothing has been heard of him since. The Germans undressed all the dead American airmen, leaving their bodies in the field, at the mercy of the elements.
However, the residents of Dziekanów Leśny gathered these corpses, seven in all, and buried them in a joint grave in the village of Dziekanów Leśny.
When the Germans left the area, local inhabitants fenced the grave of the American airmen – so tragically perished over Polish territory – and observed five minutes’ silence in their honor; the grave was entrusted to the care of the elementary school in Dziekanów Polski.
The above may be attested to by eye witnesses and those who took the bodies of the fallen airmen to the joint grave, namely: forester Wincenty Pieniek, Marian Zaborowski, Szczepan Mazanko, Janina Niegodzisz, and Jan Stański.
All of the aforementioned witnesses are from Dziekanów Leśny, commune of Cząstków, district of Warsaw.
They have confirmed the truthfulness of their testimony with their signatures:
| 1. | Marian Zaborowski |
| 2. | Jan Stański |
| 3. | W. Pieniek |
| 4. | Szczepan Mazanko |
| 5. | Janina Niegodzisz |