Warsaw, 28 August 1948. Member of the District Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes in Poland, Judge Halina Wereńko, heard the person named below as an unsworn witness. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations, the witness testified as follows:
| Name and surname | Józef Zdunek |
| Date of birth | 14 January 1903 in Mika, Garwolin county |
| Parents’ names | Andrzej and Agata née Tomaszek |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| State affiliation and nationality | Polish |
| Education | seminary |
| Occupation | rector of vocational school no. 1 in Warsaw |
| Place of residence | Warsaw, Rakowiecka Street 21 |
When the Warsaw Uprising broke out, I was in the seminary at Krakowskie Przedmieście Street 54 in Warsaw. I managed to reach the fire service building on Unii Lubelskiej Square. Then on 3 August 1944, I went out onto Puławska Street and walked in the direction of Rakowiecka Street. On Puławska Street, I was stopped by German soldiers (I didn’t recognize the formation). At about 6.00 a.m. I was placed in a group of up to 30 tram drivers who had been led out of the depot on Puławska Street and we were all marched to the Gestapo headquarters at aleja Szucha 25. I noticed two ticket inspectors in the group (I don’t know their names). We were taken into the yard and told to lie down. One of the soldiers took me to a so-called “tram” cell.
I don’t know what happened to the group of tram drivers, so far I have not met any of them.
I remained in the cell on 4, 5, and 6 August. On 6 August in the morning, as I was going to the bathroom, I saw a group of priests in the corridor. I was told to join them and we were taken to a flat on the ground floor. Present there, were: Father Cegłowski, curate of Our Savior’s parish; Father Fultyn, curate of Our Savior’s parish; seminary student Romańczuk from Łuck (I don’t know his address); Father Włodarczyk from Our Savior’s parish, now a rector in Pelcowizna; a priest form the diocese of Krakow whose name I don’t remember; a monk whose name I don’t know, and me.
A few minutes past 4.00 p.m. we were taken to the hall, and a moment later a German general came and gave a speech. He said that his best Hauptman [captain] and a soldier had been killed by an insurgent bullet fired from the tower of Our Savior’s Church. He gave us an hour to bring the insurgent in, threatening that the church would otherwise be bombed. I don’t know the name of this general. He was above medium height, an elegant man, with an elongated face. I don’t remember details of his appearance, I don’t recognize the general who talked to us on the print shown to me (the witness was presented with a photograph of von dem Bach published in the issue of 28 January 1947). I cannot not rule out the possibility that it was the same person, and I don’t suppose I would recognize him even if I saw a better photograph or the man himself.
All the priests, including myself, went back to Our Savior’s Church. I climbed the church tower and saw that no insurgents were present there. An hour later, I went to the Gestapo HQ with Father Fultyn to inform the general that there were no insurgents in the church and thus to prevent its bombardment. We were admitted to the first room in the Gestapo HQ and we spoke with the same general who had given the speech an hour earlier. He told us that one of the priests should keep constant watch so as to prevent insurgents from carrying out military operations from the premises of the church.
When I left the Gestapo HQ, I managed to get to Rakowiecka Street 21.
At that the report was concluded and read out.