MARIANNA MICHALCZYK

In Skronina on this day, 18 September 1948, at 4.00 p.m., functionary Górczyński from the Citizens’ Militia Station in Białaczów, with the participation of reporter Jerzy Galant, heard the person named below as a witness. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations and of the wording of Article 140 of the Penal Code, the witness testified as follows:


Name and surname Marianna Michalczyk
Parents’ names Franciszek and Rozalia
Age 47 years old
Place of birth Skronina, Białaczów commune
Religious affiliation Roman Catholic
Occupation housekeeper
Place of residence Skronina village, Białaczów commune
Relationship to the parties distant relative of Serwatka

On the morning of 15 March 1943, at about 8.00 a.m., I noticed some gendarmes and Gestapo men in our village. Later on I saw the gendarmes and the Gestapo men across the road from my flat, at Serwatka’s; they brought eight strangers with them. They led these people into Serwatka’s flat.

There were also other strangers in the flat, as they were crushing oil. When the Germans who were pacifying the neighboring villages learnt that people were crushing oil at Serwatka’s they decided to execute all the people gathered there. They shot at random and then set the flat on fire. Some people were only slightly wounded and as a result burnt alive. When the people who were burning alive let out wails of anguish, the Germans threw a few grenades into the flat. When they exploded, the flat went quiet. Before setting the flat on fire, these German bandits took out some of the best things, which they loaded onto their carts.

Approximately 18 people met their death in the flames then: the family of Serwatka, consisting of five people, the family of Chojda and two family members, Feliks Kalinowski, Leon Cozac, Józef Kołodziejczyk and other people, unknown to me.

I would like to add that the following people were murdered in the field: Jan Kowalski, Antoni Szymczyk, Władysław Szymczyk and Mieczysław Serwatka. All of them were murdered in a bestial way.

The following people were taken to concentration camps, from which they never returned:

1) Władysław Mijas, 40 years old, a railwayman, 2) Józef Mijas, who came back from the camp, 3) Stanisław Serwatka; his family was burnt, but he managed to come back. Currently he lives in the West.

This is all that I know in the present case.

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