Presiding Judge: The next witness, Jan Podgórski.
Witness: Jan Podgórski, 46 years old, businessman in the automobile industry, Roman Catholic, no relationship to the defendants.
Presiding Judge: I advise the witness to speak the truth. Making false declarations is punishable with a prison term of up to five years. Are there any requests regarding the mode of hearing of the witness?
Prosecution: No.
Defense: No.
Presiding Judge: Will the witness please present to the Tribunal everything he knows about the case, and particularly concerning the defendants? Does the witness recognize any of them? What facts can the witness provide?
Witness: From among the defendants, I recognize Dinges, Orlowski, Liebehenschel, and Schumacher.
Presiding Judge: In relation to these defendants, can the witness provide any instances of abuse from the witness’ own experience?
Witness: I can testify under oath in relation to Dinges. As a Fahrbereitschaft [car pool] worker, I met him almost every day. When he returned in muddy clothes, he often made us clean his boots. If we did something wrong, Dinges would kick us and call us Polish swine. I cleaned his boots once and he kicked me, because I left a bit of mud at the back. He practiced boxing. I remember that one day he took two prisoners to the hall where vehicles were parked, and he started boxing with them. Fortunately, it didn’t last long, because someone passed by.
I also remember when – Dinges, Majewski and Schmidt were present there – alternately hot and cold water was poured on a Jewish prisoner. The Jew had participated in the Warsaw Uprising and when he stepped out of that shower, he was red as a beetroot. I saw it with my own eyes. Later on my friends, who can testify as well (they are in Kraków), told me that Dinges had abused prisoners, hitting them with a whip on the hands or even on the nose. He enjoyed such tricks. A prisoner from Katowice – no. 17000 – who was almost constantly beaten by Dinges is here in Kraków right now. I would like him to testify as well, because he has not been interrogated yet.
Presiding Judge: Will the witness please state what else he knows? What can the witness say about defendant Orlowski?
Witness: When I stayed in the Płaszów camp, she abused female and male prisoners, and would often burst into the laundry room. I saw with my own eyes how she slapped one of the female prisoners (currently, Dr. Beck’s wife) in the face. When children were transported out of Płaszów, Orlowski threw them on the cart like wooden logs. Once, I saw the defendant look at burning corpses in Płaszów. She was relishing that sight. My friends also told me that during an execution Orlowski shot at the prisoners.
Presiding Judge: But the witness did not see it?
Witness: I didn’t, but I heard it from trusted people.
Presiding Judge: And what did the witness see?
Witness: I saw her beat prisoners, even men. She was often drunk. I also saw her one morning searching female prisoners who were about to leave for work. It was in August or September 1944. She searched them very carefully, emptying their every pocket, and brutally abusing them.
Presiding Judge: Are there any questions for the defendant?
Prosecution and Defense: We have no questions.
Defendant Dinges: I would like to know when the witness worked in the car pool of the construction management.
Witness: Your Honor, I worked there for the whole time as a car locksmith. I can even say what car Dinges drove and what motorcycle he had.
Defendant: What did the witness mean by saying in the Montelupich prison the following words: “I’m going to make sure that they execute you”?
Witness: That’s a lie, I said nothing to him. I only asked him where Schmidt was.
Defendant: It seems that I did not have to order the prisoners to clean my boots or clothes, because since I returned from the courses for workshop drivers, that is since June 1942 until December, I lived with my family in Neuwerun. Witness Stefan Karkoszka can confirm that.
Witness: Your Honor, I was not the only prisoner who was harassed by Dinges. He abused a number of other prisoners, he was a gold dealer and he extorted gold from prisoners. From time to time, he would give us a bottle of vodka, but it’s a proven fact that he beat us. He beat prisoners not only in the Fahrbereitschaft, but also in other kommandos. It is a lie that he had his own painting studio. There was only one Pole who would paint a picture of a car for him from time to time. He knew how to paint a portrait, but it doesn’t mean he was an artist.
Defendant: As far as showers are concerned, I can only say that it was not my task to make sure that prisoners took showers, because my only concern was to always have a “Fox” ready to drive. I never gave showers to prisoners, because kapos were responsible for that.
Presiding Judge: Is there anything the witness would like to say?
Witness: Your Honor, I declare that I saw Dinges, Schmidt and kapo Maniewski turning on the hot shower.
Presiding Judge: The witness has already said that. Defendant Orlowski, please.
Defendant: Your Honour, I would like to ask the witness a question. In which work unit was the witness employed in Płaszów?
Witness: In the garage.
Defendant: After the roll call, all prisoners went to work, so how could you have seen what was happening in the camp?
Witness: I worked in the garage, but I lived in the camp in block 29. Like every other prisoner, I attended the roll call and then I went to work with my kommando.
Presiding Judge: Does the defendant have any more questions?
Defendant: The witness claims that I was in the camp during an execution. I never saw nor participated in any execution in Płaszów, and, as far as I know, nothing like that ever happened there.
Presiding Judge: Does the witness maintain his position?
Witness: I do. Your Honor, I would also like to say something about Liebehenschel. I remember that one day defendant Liebehenschel visited the camp in Mysłowice, which was subordinated to the Auschwitz camp commandant. Liebehenschel praised kapo Sowa for brutally abusing prisoners who were forced to lie on their stomachs all the time, and when one of them moved, Sowa would beat him.
Presiding Judge: Thank you. The witness is excused.