Dachau, 13 January 1947
Witness interview report in the case of Erich Muhsfeldt, born on 18 February 1913 in Neubrück [am] Spree [?] in Germany, presently a war criminal and a defendant in the trial of [the camp personnel from] Flossenbürg in Dachau.
I testify as follows in the case of Erich Muhsfeldt: when I, Jan Klimek, currently employed by and residing in Polish Guard Company 4089, was on duty at the inner post in the bunker for war criminals, on 24 December 1946 at 7.30 p.m., I recognized Erich Muhsfeldt. I would like to state that I first met him on 10 May 1943 in the concentration camp in Majdanek near Lublin (Poland), where he served as the head of the crematorium. I would like to state that at the time Muhsfeldt held the rank of SS-Scharführer. At the same time, Florstedt (I don’t know his name) was the camp commandant, and Thumann was his deputy; both of them are known to Muhsfeldt.
Muhsfeldt served as the head of the crematorium until the evacuation of the camp. I don’t remember the exact date of the evacuation. I would like to state that when he held the post of the head of the crematorium, Muhsfeldt committed mass murder. I myself witnessed murder committed by Muhsfeldt and two Gestapo men against approximately 35 people of various nationalities.
In the group of these 35 people, I recognized three residents of my commune whom I knew. It happened as follows: as an inmate of the Majdanek concentration camp, I worked in the Berlinische Straßenbau [?] kommando, and executions were held throughout the day in the vicinity of the place where we worked. Two days earlier I had learned from my friend Czesław Łapiński, currently residing in the village of Gościeradów (Kraśnik district, Lublin voivodeship), at the time also an inmate of the Majdanek concentration camp, that Stanisław Morgaś from Gościeradów and two brothers Lebioda, also from Gościeradów, were to be executed. I would like to explain that Łapiński had been arrested together with them and therefore had precise information about the sentence that had been passed on them. The execution took place in January 1944, but I don’t remember the exact date. I would like to state that when the car with the arrestees who had been condemned to death had arrived, the Gestapo men surrounded the car in a semicircle, and Muhsfeldt and two other Gestapo men shot their pistols at the arrestees, tied with barbed wire, on their leaving the car. I stood some 30 or 50 meters from the site of execution. After the execution, the Gestapo men left for Lublin, and the corpses remained at the site until the Krematorium kommando took them to the crematorium. At that time I approached the corpses and recognized my three friends, who were tied with barbed wire. Others were also tied in twos.
I propose Jerzy Tępczyk [?], currently in SS Compound in Dachau, as a witness who knows Erich Muhsfeldt and his activities in Majdanek.
As witnesses currently residing in Poland who knew Erich Muhsfeldt as a head of the crematorium in Majdanek, I propose: my brother, currently residing in the village of Księżomierz (Kraśnik district, Lublin voivodeship); Czesław Łapiński, currently residing in the village of Gościeradów (Kraśnik district, Lublin voivodeship), and the wife of Mr. Józef Malinowski from Ludmiłówka (Kraśnik district, Lublin voivodeship) as the most important witness.
Moreover, I would like to state that the above named witnesses might be able to provide surnames of other witnesses, also former inmates of the concentration camp in Majdanek.