FRANCISZEK CHYB

On 22 November 1947 in Radom, the District Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes with its seat in Radom, this in the person of a member of the Commission, lawyer Zygmunt Glogier, interviewed the person mentioned hereunder as a witness, without taking an oath. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations, the witness testified as follows:


Name and surname Franciszek Chyb
Age 52
Parents’ names Jan and Teofilia née Kleszczowska
Place of residence Radom, 1 Maja Street 1. and 20
Occupation farmer
Criminal record none
Relationship to the parties none

I was arrested on 24 September 1942 by the Radom Gestapo.

Along with me around 60 people were captured, among others: Kiełbowicz, Rogalski, Slisinger with his son (hanged, used to reside in Jastrzębie – worked in a factory), Engineer Nowosielski, who was also hanged in October 1942 in Radom, and others, whose surnames I don’t recall at the moment.

I was placed in the 3rd Section (cell no. 1) at Koch’s, who welcomed me with kicking. There were around 30 people in my cell – including those who had been arrested before. They included Wacław Karcz, Barwicki, Dr. Kruszer and others.

At the beginning of October, specific prisoners were called out from a list. It happened when it was still dark. Seven prisoners were called out from our cell, that is Kiełbowicz, Szlissinger with his son, Rogalski and others (I can’t recall the surnames) – we later learned that they were hanged in Radom. All of them had first been interrogated and usually badly beaten at the Gestapo [premises]. Kiełbowicz and Rogalski were terribly mauled.

[Altogether] – as we managed to determine with the other cells – around 50 people were called out then. As [I learned from a conversation] with those from our cell, who were called out, they were usually charged with smuggling weapons out of the factory, even though most of them didn’t work there.

Around 15 October 1942, a large cargo of prisoners was brought from Góra Puławska and the surrounding villages – it might have been 80 people, 27 of whom were placed in our cell. They were all called out for interrogation to Kościuszki Street, which went on for a couple of days. As I found out from the detainees from Góra Puławska, they were arrested in relation to the murder of a married couple who ran a shop in Góra Puławska, and who collaborated with the Lublin Gestapo. They were all tortured during the interrogations.

On 27 October 1942, when it was still dark, about 50 people were called out from a list, including a priest from Góra Puławska; they were then – as I learned from the arrestees who arrived later – hanged in Góra Puławska and in nearby villages.

Personally, I was taken for interrogation at Kościuszki Street 20 times, on nine of them I was actually interrogated, and three times in the [so-called] górka. The first time, I was interrogated in the room opposite the bathroom. I was questioned by a tall dark-haired man with an oval face, and a short blond man named Stasio was the translator. The second time, I was interrogated in a room which looked over Kościuszki Street. The investigator was “Ryży”, also known as Albin, and a short dark-haired man with a mustache, who could speak perfect Polish. During each of the interrogations I was beaten with rubber, the severity varied. Finally, on the third floor – the so-called górka, I was subjected to hanging and beaten with rubber. I was also beaten while in the dental chair that was in that room. “Ryży” along with the dark translator hanged me two times, and the third time a tall brown-haired man with an oval face, who spoke Polish well, did it.

On 18 May 1943 I was taken away to Auschwitz, along with 27 other people, without being given the reasons for being arrested. We were taken in a prisoner van with our hands tied behind our backs.

I need to add that I would always be taken to the Gestapo interrogations cuffed.

I returned from the camp on 18 December 1946, after three years of being held at the camps.

I hereabove testified.

The report was read out.