Sent to the Military Auditor in Brussels
Schaerbeek, 5 June 1945
police commissioner
Brabant Province
District of Brussels
Schaerbeek Commune
2nd Police Division
Report no. 2262
File no. 58685
Investigation in connection with the repatriation of Helena Mol, residing in Schaerbeek at rue Joseph Van Camp 28, from Germany.
PRO JUSTITIA
On 4 June 1945 at 8.00 p.m. before me, Daniel Witdouck, police commissioner, delegated for this purpose by the police commissioner in Schaerbeek, appeared our special agent ff [?] Jan Backman, who provided the following information:
In accordance with the instructions from BSS 7369 [?] of 1945, reconstructing the Administrator for State Security’s note of 24 March 1945, we interviewed Helena Mol, single, born on 13 December 1924 in Warsaw (Poland), residing at rue Joseph Van Camp 28 in Schaerbeek, repatriated from Germany, who testified as follows:
I wish to give my testimony before the Court in French. I came back to Belgium on 25 May 1945. I returned from Grima. I was liberated by the American army on 27 April 1945. My journey back home looked like this: I walked from Thora [Mittelbau-Dora] concentration camp to Grima. Then I got to Münchhausen by train. I then travelled by truck to the Dutch border. I got to Liège by train, and from Liège travelled to Brussels by truck.
I got arrested by the Gestapo in the apartment where I used to live at the time, at rue du Transvaal 20 in Anderlecht. I was sent to Malines [Mechelen], and then to Poland, to the camp in Auschwitz. I was then detained in the camps in Birkenau, Ravensbrück, Maloff [Malchow] and [Mittelbau-]Dora.
In the camp in Auschwitz I saw the hanging of four young girls accused of sabotage. This crime was committed by Esler [Hössler], a German SS man, who wore green; I don’t know his address. I also saw a Jewish woman named Schnaider (I don’t know her address) being shot after she took a potato from the field during the evacuation of Mittelbau-Dora camp. Sylwia [Cywja] Bronitzky [Branicka] (a Jewish woman), residing at rue du Miroir 14 in Brussels, witnessed this. She was also deported.
I have read the report, confirmed its accuracy, and signed it.
We add that the witness has no document to present, for all of her documents were seized by the Gestapo during her arrest. She showed us the number 76 685 tattooed on her left forearm.
Due to the lack of detailed information concerning the identity of Schneider, we decided that drawing up a detailed report would not be of much use.
To the following testimony we attach the information about Helena Mol’s interview as well as three copies of the following testimony.
There is nothing unfavorable to add with regards to the behavior or moral conduct of Helena Mol. She does not appear in BCS [?], DCL [?], or on the list of suspects compiled by our court’s team.
The person to be interviewed: Sylwia [Cywja] Bronitzsky [Branicka], residing at rue du Miroir 14 in Brussels.
The report has been confirmed before me, Daniel Witdouck, assigned commissioner.
Dont acte, Witdouck