On 3 November 1947 in Lublin, Mieczysław Nowakowski, Deputy Prosecutor of the Court of Appeal in Lublin, a member of the District Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes in Poland, pursuant to Articles 107 and 115 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, interviewed the person specified below as a witness, who testified as follows:
| Name and surname | Władysław Skowronek |
| Age | 39 |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Occupation | farmer |
| Criminal record | none |
| Relationship to the parties | none |
| Place of residence | Dziesiąta village, Zemborzyce commune, Lublin district |
I don’t remember exactly when the concentration camp in Majdanek, in Lublin was established – whether it was in 1940 or 1941. When the Germans started building it, I was summoned along with others as an owner of the field and told to immediately get rid of the beets from the field. A German who informed me about this order, also said that barracks for the army will be built as well. Since 8 hectares of my land were taken away to be used for the camp, I was consequently deprived of my livelihood and forced to find other sources of income. My acquaintance Kaczmara took over the construction business which was building barracks in Majdanek and thanks to that I got a job transporting building materials. Being always in Majdanek, I had an opportunity to observe what was going on there.
Thumann was camp commandant, Muhsfeldt was head of the crematorium. He is the person whom I saw today in the photograph (the witness was presented with Muhsfeldt’s photograph). Muhsfeldt brutally abused the detainees.
I once saw a group of prisoners being lead somewhere, while one of them collapsed on the ground, being unable to walk from exhaustion. Muhsfeldt noticed that, approached the Jew who was lying on the ground (I don’t know his name), and started kicking him with his boot all over the body. When the prisoner on the ground could hardly breathe, Muhsfeldt ordered other prisoners working in the crematorium to transport this Jew there. He was probably killed there and thrown into the oven. People were finished off with special sticks – they were hit in the back of the head. I didn’t see how the Jew was finished off but I know from others that this is what happened to those who were sent into the crematorium alive.
On another occasion I saw an SS woman (I don’t know her name) bring four Jewish boys to the crematorium and hand them over to Muhsfeldt, who shot them and ordered to throw them into the crematorium oven. These boys were 8–9 years old.
Apart from these two incidents that I have mentioned, I also saw Muhsfeldt beating prisoners with a whip or a shovel handle. Three or four months before the Germans retreated from Lublin, Muhsfeldt left the camp in Majdanek along with Thumann and allegedly went to Auschwitz. The Germans carried out mass executions mostly at night, to avoid witnesses, because many civilians worked in Majdanek during the day. They could watch what was happening there, and the Germans wanted to keep it all secret.
I have nothing more to add.
The report was read out.