On 25 September 1947 in Chorzów, the Municipal Judge A. Panek from the Fifth Branch of the Municipal Court in Chorzów interviewed the person named below as a witness. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations and of the provisions of Article 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the witness testified as follows:
| Name and surname | Gerhard Włoch |
| Date and place of birth | 4 October 1919 in Chorzów |
| Parents’ names | Józef and Maria, née Lip |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Occupation | student at School of Business and a proxy at the Construction Company |
I was detained in the concentration camp from 18 December 1940 to 6 April 1943. From the list I have been presented I can recall the following names: Hans Aumeier (No. 1), Wilhelm Gerhard Gehring (No. 23), Max Grabner (No. 28), Kurt Hugo Müller (No. 65), Ludwik Plagge (No. 72). I wish to note that prisoners usually didn’t know the names of those who made up the camp personnel. I suppose that I would recognize more members of the camp staff if I saw them or if I were shown their photographs.
1) Hans Aumeier – Hauptsturmführer. He served as Lagerführer [camp leader] from the
middle of 1942 until my release from the camp, that is, until 6 April 1943. I knew him by name. I often saw him beating prisoners in the face with his fist or with a riding crop. He also enjoyed kicking them. The reasons for the beatings were trivial – a prisoner seemed to be walking too slow or simply irritated Aumeier. Now I am unable to recall specific examples of mistreating prisoners. I generally remember that he persecuted prisoners for no reason at all.
2) Wilhelm Gerhard Gehring, whom I also knew by name, served as commandant of the lock- up in block 11 and carried out flogging sentences passed by Lagerführer or even by Berlin.
He acted in this capacity until the middle of 1942, that is, until my release from the camp. Gehring arrived in Auschwitz from Sachsenhausen where, it is believed, he was extremely cruel. I conceived of him as a typical Prussian who is ready to carry out every order he is given. He would even kill his brother if so ordered. He had moments of good-naturedness and that is why we called him a “grandpa”. But he would fly into fits of rage and everyone was scared of him. I don’t remember details regarding the mistreatment prisoners suffered at his hands. My fellow inmate Maksymilian Chlebik (Karwina-Solca Street 72, Zaolzie, Czechoslovakia) can provide more detailed information about Gehring’s behavior.
3) Max Grabner. From the beginning of the camp’s existence until my release, Grabner was head of the Political Department. Everyone in the camp knew him. It was clear that his appearance in the campground marked the carrying out of new selections and the decimating of prisoners. He always brought death with him. I am unable to provide details of the crimes he committed. Feliks Myłyk (Gliwice, Association of the Former Political Prisoners), who worked as a clerk at the Political Department, can provide more detailed information about him.
4) Kurt Hugo Müller and Ludwig Plagge (referred to in the camp as “Little Pipe”). I met them and I remember them, but I am unable to provide any information about their behvior because they were attached to other kommandos. As far as I know, Ludwig Plagge took
part in the gassing of prisoners. Franciszek Brol (Gliwice, Wybrzeże Wojska Polskiego Street 7) can provide information about these men.
The report was read out and signed.