On 9 September 1947 in Kraków, Acting Judge Franciszek Wesely, Judge Advocate, delegated to the Kraków District Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes in Poland, acting at the written request of the First Prosecutor of the Supreme National Tribunal, this dated 25 April 1947 (Ref. no. NTN 719/47), in accordance with the provisions of and procedure provided for under the Decree of 10 November 1945 (Journal of Laws of the Republic of Poland No. 51, item 293), and in connection with art. 254, 107, and 115 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, interviewed as a witness the person specified below, who testified as follows:
Name and surname | Roman Jaszczyński |
Date and place of birth | 5 April 1918, Bochnia |
Parents’ names | Michał and Rozalia |
Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
Marital status | bachelor |
Occupation | merchant |
Place of residence | Karpacz, [...], Jelenia Góra district |
Criminal record | none |
On 8 October 1940, I was transported from Tarnów prison to the Auschwitz concentration camp as a political prisoner and I was issued prison number 5695. Initially, I was interned at block 17a, where the block elder was a German prisoner who went by “bloody Alojzy”. The initial period was very difficult for me. SS men often beat me at the roll-call square and during the so-called sport, but due to the passage of time, I cannot provide their names, all the more that in the beginning, I did not know the names of the SS men.
The witness was shown a photograph of suspect Ludwik Plagge.
The witness testifies as follows: I recognize suspect Ludwik Plagge beyond all reasonable doubt. He was well-known for his cruelty and was nicknamed “Fajeczka” [little pipe] because he smoked a pipe all the time. He put us through our paces especially during the so-called sport. When a prisoner faltered and could not carry out his hipfen command, that is squats, Plagge sadistically beat him with a cane and kicked him. After each such installment of “sport”, out of a group of 200–300 prisoners, 8–10 were transported to the camp hospital. I was also beaten by Plagge with a cane, on my head and all over my body, which resulted in the appearance of bloody welts on my face. I would come across Plagge in 1940, because later he was transferred, but I do not know where exactly.
I recognize Hans Aumeier in the photograph presented to me. He was Lagerführer [camp leader]; because he was short, he was nicknamed „Łokietek”[elbow-high]. He was extremely malicious to prisoners and on many occasions I saw him beat and kick prisoners, and he also called Polish political prisoners polnische Banditen [Polish bandits]. In 1942, I was assigned to the Gemeinschaftslager kommando [civilian worker camp work detail] that is to the kitchen of civilian workers, which was located outside the perimeter of the camp proper. I worked there as a cook for a year. At that time, I came across suspect Josef Hiller, who was head of the canteen for civilian workers. Hiller – as far as I know – was an understanding man and I never saw him beat any of the prisoners. He turned a blind eye to “rustling up” cigarettes and food for prisoners from his canteen. At the beginning of 1944, I was transferred back to the Auschwitz I camp, where, thanks to the backing from my brother, who was a janitor prisoner at the camp, I became a seller at the prisoners’ canteen. At that time, I had an opportunity to come across suspect Herbert Ludwig, whom I recognize in the photograph shown to me. At the camp, I would also come across Kurt Müller, whose photograph I was shown. However, I cannot say anything negative about the two suspects, Ludwig and Müller, only that Kurt Müller was an extreme case of a martinet and fearing his superiors submitted frequent reports. From the photographs presented to me (the witness was presented photographs of all the suspects), I also recognize August Bogusch and Paul Szczurek. Bogusch worked at the Lagerführer’s office and he treated prisoners crassly; he called the Poles verfluchte Polen, Schweine [damn Poles, pigs]. As regards Paul Szczurek, I often saw him beat prisoners with a fist and kick them for no reason.
On 15 August 1944, I was arrested on charges of contacting the underground and interned on the second floor of block 11. After two weeks, I was deported to Sachsenhausen on a penal transport. During my time at block 11, I was beaten up a number of times, but I do not remember the name of the SS man who beat me. In any case, he is not among the suspects. I know suspect Grabner by sight and I recognize him on the photograph shown to me, but I do not know the details of his activities first-hand, only from stories told by my fellow prisoners. I only know that Grabner expressed particular antipathy toward Polish intelligentsia. I have testified everything that I know about the suspects named on the list presented to me.
At this point the procedure and report were concluded. The report was signed after it was read out.