On 11 September 1947 in Sieradz, the Municipal Court in Sieradz, with Judge P. Obertyński presiding and with the participation of court reporter J. Kwapisz, heard the person named below as an unsworn witness. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations and of the wording of Article 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the witness testified as follows:
| Name and surname | Władysław Nowakowski |
| Age | 44 |
| Parents’ names | Władysław and Marianna |
| Place of residence | Sieradz, Krakowskie Przedmieście Street 5 |
| Occupation | clerk at the Municipal Board in Sieradz |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Relationship to the parties | none |
From 18 May 1942 until 11 November 1944, I was a prisoner in the concentration camp in Auschwitz. I knew Hans Aumeier as the Lagerführer [camp leader]. I saw him the most often at the daily roll calls. I came across him directly in the toilet, where he accused me of smoking cigarettes in spite of a ban. He carried out a detailed personal search on me, but didn’t find any cigarettes, so he behaved completely fairly towards me. I first heard of Hans Aumeier from prisoners who, shortly after my arrival, referred to him as the Lagerführer. I have no direct information about Aumeier’s criminal activity, nor did I ever witness it myself.
In 1943 I worked as a draftsman in the museum where I met August Bogusch, who worked in the office of the labor service. I don’t have any information about his criminal activity, and from my own observation I can state that he behaved quite decently towards the prisoners.
In the same year, I was warned by fellow prisoners to avoid Max Grabner, a member of the Political Department. He was known in the camp as the “Terror of Auschwitz”. I came across him directly in the summer of 1943 when, while returning from work from the Headquarters, where I was making inscriptions on binders, he stopped me and carried out a personal search because he noticed that I was carrying a box of pens. Because I had nothing suspicious on me, he behaved fairly towards me. I have no direct information about Grabner’s criminal activity.
In 1943, Arthur Liebehenschel took up the position of the camp commandant. After he had taken office, the prisoners experienced an improvement in the conditions in the camp, although the discipline continued to be rigorous and the labor forced. Probably, at his behest, the guards stopped using draconian methods in relation to the prisoners.
I didn’t know any other former members of the armed crew of the Auschwitz concentration camp mentioned in the list read out to me.
During my stay in the camp, I only once witnessed the abuse and beating of five prisoners by the third Rapportführer [report leader] Kaduk (I don’t remember his first name). In addition, I often saw German guards beat individual prisoners, but I don’t recall either the names of the guards or the prisoners.
I was in Auschwitz with Władysław Miś, a clerk at the Municipal Board in Sieradz, Kielek, a butcher residing in Sieradz, Józef Stępiński, manager of a printing house in Sieradz.
The report was concluded.