Auditor General, War Council
Brussels
PRO JUSTITIA
On 27 September 1945 at 10.45 a.m, we, Cattier, substitute of the Military Auditor, along with reporter Louis Steuerbaut, in the absence of the accused, heard the named witness, who stated that she wished to testify in French.
The witness presented the summons delivered to her for the purposes of making a deposition and was asked by us to state her surname, name, age, marital status, occupation and place of residence, as well as whether she is living in the same household, is of kin or otherwise related to the parties, and if so, in what way.
Ludwika Goldsztein, born 2 July 1916 in Wierowna [?], Polish national, residing at chaussée d’Etterbeek 99 in Schaerbeek, no occupation, declares that she is neither living in the same household, nor is she of kin or otherwise related [to the parties], and takes the following oath:
I swear to speak without hate and without fear, to speak the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help me God.
And testifies as follows:
I arrived in Auschwitz on 30 July 1943 from Malines, where I had been confined. I was arrested in Brussels on 28 May 1943 by the Gestapo. We were deported to Auschwitz by train, [in] cattle [cars], with 1,600 of us locked inside. There were [both] women and children as well as men. Having arrived in Auschwitz, we were sorted, and of the 1,600 people [only] 250 entered the camp. The rest were driven on a truck to the crematorium. No rules were followed in the sorting process and so, by sheer chance, I managed to avoid the crematorium.
When I entered the camp my hair was shaved off, I was undressed and given used clothing. I was taken to a block in which there were 700 women of different nationalities.
The head of the camp before my arrival was one Tauber, who had sent many prisoners to the crematorium. This creature was replaced by one Hössler, an SS man, to me aged around 45–50.
In November 1943, Hössler ordered Revier [hospital] no. 8, where I was staying along with around 700 other patients, closed. He had all the sick, completely naked, march before him. He was accompanied by some kind of phony doctor. They carried out a selection and around 600 people were sent to the crematorium. For the sake of precision, I wish to note that before meeting this fate, these people lived in fear for several days. They were first taken to block 25, completely naked. Then they were put on trucks, [still] completely naked, and were so transported in the cold to their final destination.
When I came out of the Revier in January 1944 I realized that the camp was almost empty. My judgment is that [within] around two months 40,000 people had been exterminated.
Hössler was the manager of a bullet factory in Auschwitz, SILS and Co. [?]. I worked in it along with 700 other prisoners; another shift of 700 female laborers worked at night. We were not paid. In September 1944 four workers stole some gunpowder. They were denounced and hanged in front of us. I cannot recall the last names of these girls, they were all Polish. Before they were hanged, Hössler delivered a speech to us, in which he explained what would happen to us if we sabotaged our work.
I am filing a complaint against Hössler.
The report was read out and signed.
The witness adds: I had the number 51784.