Eugeniusz Rutkowski
Class 4
Memories of German crimes
The Germans came to our village, stole cattle, sheep and pigs and took four farmers to the camp. Two farmers were murdered in a neighboring village. One of them had two sons and their friend murdered. The Germans murdered people in cruel ways. They burned villages, and when people fled from the fire, they shot at them. Those who were not killed were mauled by the dogs, and small children were thrown into the fire. In the parish of Trzczów [Tczów] the Germans gathered 90 people near the church. They stripped them naked, placed them in a row, trampled them and beat them with rifles, and the dogs tore at their bodies. The Germans dug one big grave, put these people next to it and killed them. In Radom, they erected a gallows for the Poles. Four or up to seven people a day were hanged. This went on for three months. Behind Skaryszew, they brought 24 Poles from various villages and pointed rifles at them. The Poles knew that death was imminent. One of them shouted, “Let us run away, brothers!” Ten people escaped, 14 were killed. For one German who perished in the village of Ranachów, 50 Poles were murdered in Karolina. In Kazanów, 25 Poles died a shameful death. The murdered were buried together with 25 Jews. Poles were placed underneath the Jews. The Germans took people from various villages to Ciepielów, and killed three to six people a day there. Then they burned everyone in the graves with electricity [sic!].