JAN KACZANOWSKI

Rytwiany, 21 September 1948, 1.00 p.m. I, Jan Jońca from the Citizens’ Militia Station in Rytwiany, acting pursuant to: the instructions of the Vice-Prosecutor of the District Court Prosecutor’s Office in Radom of 25 August 1948, L 774/48/2, issued based on Article 20 of the provisions introducing the Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 257 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, due to the unavailability of a judge in the township, in consequence whereof any delay could result in the disappearance of traces or evidence of a crime, which traces or evidence might cease to exist before the arrival of a judge, observing the formal requirements set forward in Articles 235–240, 258 and 259 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, with the participation of reporter Wacław Niezgoda from the said Rytwiany Citizens’ Militia Station, who was advised of the obligation to confirm with his signature the consistency of the report with the course of the proceedings, interviewed the person mentioned hereunder as a witness. Having been advised of the right to refuse testimony for the reasons stated in Article 104 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, of the liability for making false declarations in accordance with Article 140 of the Penal Code, the witness declared as follows:


Name and surname Jan Kaczanowski
Parents’ names Wawrzyniec and Agata, née Witaszek
Age 35 years old
Place of residence Rytwiany, Rytwiany Commune
Religious affiliation Roman Catholic
Occupation farmer
Place of residence Rytwiany, Rytwiany Commune, Sandomierz District
Relationship to the parties none

As regards the present case, I am aware of the following facts: In the spring of 1943, 10 residents of Rytwiany and 22 Polish citizens of Jewish descent were executed by shooting by the German gendarmerie. I am not able to provide the names of the Jews. They were executed in the Trzypek Forest, Rytwiany Commune. The ten residents of Rytwiany who were killed were:

1. Stefan Kaczanowski, aged 35, born in Rytwiany, farmer, executed in Staszów,
2. Stefan Dorosiński, born in Rytwiany, aged 30, farmer, executed near Raków,
3. Tomasz Kruk, born in Rytwiany, aged 34, laborer, executed in the Rytwiany forest,
4. Kazimierz Kępa, born on 1 January 1901 in Rytwiany, executed in Rytwiany,
5. Marcin Kamiński, born on 1 November 1907, laborer, executed in Opatów,
6. Feliks Kawalec, born on 20 November 1923, laborer, executed near Raków,
7. Wacław Brzeziński, born on 11 February 1909 in Rytwiany, laborer, executed in Opatów,
8. Stefan Jaroń, born on 7 March 1904 in Rytwiany, executed in Sielec, Busko-Zdrój District, laborer,
9. Jan Grochulski, born on 13 July 1903, residing in Rytwiany, laborer, executed in Golejów, Rytwiany Commune,

10. Jan Kalina, born in Rytwiany, aged 82, farmer, executed in Rytwiany, Sandomierz District.

I do not know the names of the Germans that took part in the execution of these Poles. I have testified everything I know.

At this point, the report was concluded, read out, and signed.