STEFAN POLAK

On 11 January 1946, in Radom, the 2nd judge of the District Court in Radom, based in Radom, Judge Kazimierz Borys, heard the person named below as a witness. After being informed about the criminal liability for giving false testimony, the witness testified as follows:


Name and surname Stefan Polak
Age 38
Parents’ names Jan and Marianna
Place of residence Wólka Klwatecka, Wielogóra county
Occupation farmer
Criminal record none
Relationship to the parties none

I live beyond the settlement of Firlej. No cars passed in front of my house carrying Poles condemned to death to the Firlej sands. However, I often heard the sounds of gunfire coming from the sands. I don’t remember in which year these executions began. From a distance, I saw cars turning into the Firlej sands. After every transport, you could hear shots. A few times, after the cars had departed, I went to the sands and saw freshly dug earth. It was obvious that those who had been murdered recently were buried there. I wasn’t a direct witness to any execution and I didn’t see anyone killed.

In the autumn of 1943, the Germans deported people who lived near the Firlej sands, after which a foul-smelling smoke began to billow around us. The sands were screened with mats. I didn’t see what was happening behind this curtain, but I suppose that corpses were being burned there. This incineration of corpses lasted until spring 1944. While the corpses were being burned, the shooting continued.

After this time, the executions ran right up until the final days preceding the entry of the Red Army.

The report was read out.