1. German children's home in Bromberg searched five times

Threatening of German children's nurses by Polish soldiers and armed civilians.

As proof of the baseness with which Polish soldiers and armed civilians went against minority Germans in the September days of 1939, we publish in the following an eye-witness's account based on a statement made on oath by Sister Schmidt concerning the events in the German children's home in Bromberg. Though no act of murder was committed in this case the fact that the search was repeated four times at short intervals on the ground of persistent and completely unfounded assertion that weapons were hidden in the children's home, speaks for itself.

On the "Blood Sunday" five searches in all were made in the German children's home in the Thorner Strasse in Bromberg. At about 7 a.m. two Polish soldiers arrived and demanded admittance. They searched the house for weapons and departed after having convinced themselves of the uselessness of their action. These soldiers were quite polite. At about 9.30 a second search was made by six Polish soldiers. They knocked at the door with their rifle-butts and demanded entrance with much noise and abuse. One of them put his pistol at the temple of Sister Olga, the head of the children's home. Asserting that a machine-gun was in the home and had just been fired, they demanded from Sister Olga that the weapons should be handed over. She replied that there were no weapons in the home and left it to them to make a search if they so wished. The second party also had to leave without finding any weapons, after they had completely searched through the home and smashed in containers which could not be easily opened. In the course of the late forenoon, when the children were just sitting down for lunch, the third search took place by four to five Polish soldiers, accompanied by as many civilians. Some of these soldiers had already taken part in the previous search. The soldiers demanded to see the machine-gun, again asserting that fire had been opened from the home; one of them pointed his bayonet at the chest of the sister. Sister Olga again replied that she had no weapons. One of the soldiers, whom the sister took to be an officer, declared: "But we have been told that shots have just been fired from here." Those soldiers who already took part in the previous search confirmed to the sister that in fact "nothing was upstairs". However, the Pole Maximilian Gackowski, who was the only civilian who had followed the soldiers into the hall, kept on shouting in between: "But shots have been fired, I have seen it myself." He shouted at Sister Schmidt: "You old witch, you old woman, you and your breed [brood] should have gone long ago." He also added: "If I could do as I wished, you would no longer be alive, I should have killed you long ago." In saying so he brandished a weapon, which the sister took to be a steel switch, in front of her face. Gackowski had this time no luck with the soldiers, on the contrary, they left the home.

In the early afternoon, at about 3 o'clock, the next search was made by about five soldiers and five civilians, among the latter again being Gackowski. The leader of this squad ordered all the inmates, consisting of three sisters and 18 children aged from 2 to 18, to line up with raised hands. Gackowski also on this occasion repeated his previous abuse and repeatedly asserted that shots had been fired from the home, and demanded to see the machine gun. He also dragged in an alleged witness who, he said, was going to state on oath that shots had just been fired. Whilst the soldiers searched the home, one of them remained in front of Sister Olga with his bayonet. Gackowski took part in the search. When this squad had also not found anything, he declared, "They work during the day, but at night they have men with them, and smoke cigarettes. I have seen it myself; and at night they shoot." This squad was leaving the home, when a man was brought in from the direction of the Rifle Club and of whom it was also asserted that he had fired. Gackowski was the first who took up this assertion and approached the man. After this fourth search the sisters discovered that small valuables, such as Sister Olga's watch, were missing.

The last search in the house took place in the evening at about 5.30, and again soldiers and civilians took part. The leader of this squad approached Sister Olga with levelled rifle, and threatened to shoot her. At this moment one of the sisters who had been sent to the station to assist in the work of clearing up, returned to the home followed by a batch of soldiers and civilians. On returning home, this sister was covered from head to foot with dirt, as she had to clean the railway track at the station. At the instigation of Gackowski, who was again one of the party, a railway worker declared that the engine oil on the hands and the dress of the sister originated from a machine-gun. Also on this search Gackowski incited the soldiers continually with the assertion that shots had been fired. In point of fact, however, neither were any weapons in the home, nor had any shots been fired from there.

Witness Wilhelm Starke, Director of the Vereinsbank in Lissa, deposed on oath as follows:

It was asserted that the cap of a member of the Black Guards had been found in the possession of Berndt, the horticulturist [in Lissa], who together with his two brothers was thereupon arrested. Neither Berndt nor his two brothers had had the cap in their homes, and it was subsequently ascertained that the cap was "captured" during an attack by Poles on the village of Geiersdorf. At this place there were ten members of the Black Guards who had to leave the village and abandon their equipment. It was definitely proved that the cap was the property of Ernst Wiedermann of Vienna, a member of the Black Guards.

"Always three to the front" – and shot down

Bromberg, Sept. 16, 1939.

Military Court of the Air District Staff 3.

Present:
Judge Advocate Dr. Waltzog,
acting as Judge.
Gunner Endlich
specially engaged as Secretary.

Re. person: My name is Herbert Matthes, I am 46 years of age, a Protestant, furniture maker in Bromberg, 24 Albertstr.

Re. matter: I hand over herewith a declaration drawn up by myself entitled "The march of death of about 150 minority Germans to Piecki near Brzoza," together with a supplement "Researches of a Field Company".¹ Both documents have just been read out to me once more. The additions in pencil have been made in my presence, and according to my statements. I make these documents the subject of my evidence.

The witness took the oath.

Re. person: My name is Heinz Matthes, I am 13 years of age, pupil of the German High School in Bromberg, and live with my parents.

Re. matter: Both reports compiled by my father have been read out to me, I make them the subject of my evidence. Polish soldiers in Piecki stabbed me with a bayonet through the right shoulder.

The witness, in view of his youth, did not take the oath.

The fatal march [Death March] of about 150 minority Germans to Piecki near Brzoza

On the "Blood Sunday", September 3, 1939, at 10.30 I was driven out from the air raid shelter in my factory, together with my two sons, 13 and 15 years of age, by four young bandits armed with axes. In the yard we were taken over immediately by two soldiers with fixed bayonets and had to run with raised hands to the main guard room. On the way there the mob howled. Women and girls were like furies. We were spat on and beaten, the soldiers making no attempt to stop this. At the main guard room we were beaten with rifle butts, whilst passing a line of about 8 yards. With raised hands we stood about one hour against a wall, after our pockets had been searched. After that a group of about 100 persons, mostly well-known citizens of the town, were driven out into the street and, under guard, we had to go through the Danzig [and] Elisabeth Strasse up to the barracks at the station, all the time with raised hands. On the way the beasts threatened us with swords, daggers and axes; they spat on us and beat us – the poor boys could hardly go farther. There were several of these boys among us. In the riding-stable a platform was erected; "All come up here" – we were the first. There were still more coming in – many fathers with their sons, and, at last, when it was getting dark, there were about 400 of us. They were all calm, quiet, but with courage in their eyes. A sudden enervation set in only when an intelligent man of about 20 years moved six steps away from us. He was pushed back with a bayonet, when he called out "Heil Hit...," – a sharp report, and he fell to the ground, hit in the body. His legs, which still moved, were fastened to a stretcher and he was carried out, whilst filthy abuse was used.

Then a sudden command: "Those to report who carry military papers." The papers were taken from us –"you can call for them to-morrow at the Commissions' Office." A section of us were called out to load up ammunition – these were the few lucky ones, because the majority of them are still alive to-day. We others were put together and had to march out on the Kujawier Strasse to Brzoza. Very soon on the way the old men, who lost their breath, were stabbed with bayonets, and some were murdered. Shortly beyond the town "Halt" was commanded; we were forced to give a cheer for Poland, and were to go home. The group had hardly got as far as No. 40 to 60, Kujawier Strasse, when shots were fired at us from the front and the rear. Many of us were murdered in a bestial manner. Driven together, we were now only about 150 and were dragged off further by a convoy. I covered my boys and was stabbed with a bayonet in the right upper thigh. Those who could not run and sat down, were knocked down with the butt, because after about two hours the Lieutenant forbade shooting because of the loud reports.

Behind milestone No. 10 we had to go 2 miles to the left into the wood and were penned into a low, miserable, open cow stable; it was 5 o'clock Monday morning. We were terrified to find that only 44 of us were left; frightful thirst and hunger tortured us all. My son Heinz was examined every hour five steps ahead of us, as to whether I or others had fired on Polish soldiers. He defended us all rather efficiently in the Polish language under my guidance, which I could at times whisper to him, because he was permitted to come back to us, and he succeeded at last, through his engaging manners, to soften the hearts of the brutal Polish soldiers. A horror lamed [paralyzed] us all, however, when Heinz whispered to us that they were sending for petrol and were going to burn us, that however the children would be allowed to go home. However, they did not find any petrol. We were suddenly called out and were given coffee and a small biscuit. We will be left alive, was what we now all hoped, but Döring, a turner, whispered in my ear: "this is the farewell meal." He proved to be right; at 7.30 soldiers came running in, wildly shouting: "line up, three of you at a time." Silently the first three went out, a sharp report – and they had died for our country. This was repeated six times. Heinz courageously went to the hole and begged that he and his brother Horst should be spared; he was stabbed with a bayonet through the right shoulder; "Again three out!" I counted the steps, they were ten to twelve, and they had been murdered. Now Heinz told me that the corporal had said it was a waste of good cartridges, the rest should be stabbed to death. "Ah – my God!" could now only be heard. Those who were not yet quiet received the dull deadly butt blows.

Now we three were next; there were five behind us, who would not go out and firmly held on [to each other] for dear life. We went out hand-in-hand, but were pushed aside to the left. Two soldiers, corporals, took hold of us and pushed us a few steps ahead; they were the two robbers whom Heinz cleverly had told during the day that we carried many valuables and much money on us. We gave them all we had and they began to quarrel about the distribution. We utilized this moment and ran off.

At night, always in front of Polish machine-guns: we found no sleep. There was no end to our wandering about; it was Monday night. Heinz was bandaged up with a piece of my shirt. We were only in our shirts, our shoes had been kicked off our feet during the run in Bromberg. It became disastrous on Wednesday night – we saw many military in our vicinity, ran on to two battery-positions, and continually had to evade danger. "Is it not better to die?" asked Horst. Our tongues were swollen and quite white, the lips thick and encrusted. Rescue arrived: heavy dew lay on the low fir trees, we greedily licked it off, and ate a frog. "More delicious than wine," said Heinz, and we had Horst who had said farewell to life, back to life again. Wednesday night was quite dry and now came deadly hunger. Heinz said suddenly: "I have saved a small piece of bread, but this we shall not eat until five minutes before our death – then we shall still live for a few hours." And this indeed is what happened.

On the forenoon of Thursday we continually met military, but were too weak to recognize what it was. At 2 o'clock we were certain we could see our German soldiers ahead of us and ran up to a Captain. Coffee and some brandy put new life into us, and a delicious pea soup and bacon gave us back our old vitality. Two hours later we entered relieved Bromberg with a glorious feeling and were soon in the arms of my wife and mother who still could not grasp that such a miracle of reunion could have happened.

According to the facts ascertained in the case, witness Herbert Matthes of Bromberg deposed on oath as follows:

In the hours of the forenoon of September 3, 1939 the accused Kazimir Dybowski, Paul Kinczewski and Peter Pijarowski, accompanied by a large number of unknown Polish civilians, and several Polish soldiers with fixed bayonets, paraded through the [40] Albert Strasse in Bromberg. Whilst Dybowski carried a knife in his hand, Kinczewski and Pijarowski were armed with an axe and chopper respectively. When the gang got to 24 Albert Strasse, in which house the witness Herbert Matthes, a minority German, has a large joinery [carpentry workshop], they stormed the house led by Kinczewski, whereby Kinczewski asserted to witness Biermann, who, being an air raid warden, was passing through the entrance hall, that Matthes had fired on Polish military. All protestations of Biermann that this was incorrect could not prevent the mob from forcing their way into the yard, where Matthes had hidden himself in a drying room with his wife, his two sons, aged 13 and 15, and his 72 year old mother. The door leading to this room was locked. When, at Kinczewski's call to "Come out," the door remained locked, he simply took an axe and smashed the door in. Thereupon the wife, Ella Matthes, with her two sons and her mother-in-law, appeared in the door-way, whilst Herbert Matthes remained in hiding for the moment. Frau Matthes informed the members of the gang and the soldiers that her husband was no longer present and that she did not know his whereabouts. On Kinczewski declaring that in that case he would take away the two sons as hostages, Matthes showed himself in order to save his children. It is only due to the fact that Biermann stepped in between at the last moment that the stroke of the axe which Kinczewski directed at Matthes missed him. Previous to this Pijarowski had already threatened the 72 year old Selma Matthes with his chopper, and Dybowski had threatened her with his knife, without however hurting her. Matthes and his two sons were finally led away by the Polish soldiers. Matthes and his sons were able to save themselves by escaping on the way, when the Polish soldiers quarrelled over the distribution of the valuables taken from Matthes, and neglected to guard them.²

Murder of Giese – Parts of brain and blood adhered to the kitchen wall.

Witness Giese of Bromberg deposed on oath as follows:

Re. person: My name is Johanna Giese, nee Keusch. I am 51 years old, Protestant, a minority German, and domiciled in Bromberg, 9 Konopnickiej.

Re. matter: On Sunday, Sept. 3, 1939, between 11 and 12 o'clock we were in the cellar of our house. Polish soldiers and civilians entered our property. They insisted that we come out of the cellar. When we had emerged, one of the soldiers asserted that shots had been fired from our house. We in fact had no weapons in the house at all.

My son-in-law left the cellar first. At that moment a civilian shouted "The 'szwaby' (Huns) must all be shot!" My son-in-law was at once fired at by a soldier, and was shot through the artery; he also received three further shots in the chest and throat. In spite of this he did not die immediately, but was still alive on Sunday evening, when we had to flee. We could not take him with us and laid him on a sofa in the house.

After the German military marched into Bromberg on Tuesday, I took an N.C.O. with me to my farm, because I wished to see how things looked there. It was a frightful sight. My son-in-law had been taken off the sofa. They had dragged him into the kitchen up to and under the kitchen table. The head was split, the cranium was missing altogether and the brain was no longer in the head. Parts of the brain and blood adhered to the kitchen wall...

My son Reinhard Giese had also been with us in the cellar; he was 19 years old. When he saw that my son-in-law had been shot dead he tried to escape, and he succeeded in getting over the fence into the neighbour's property. They ran after him, caught him and shot him dead. I brought the body of my son into the wash house [laundry room] in the evening. He had been shot in the chest.

Another son of mine, Friedrich Giese, 25 years old, is said to have been shot in Hopfengarten together with his whole family, to whom he had fled.

Eyes gouged with bayonets

Witness Paul Sikorski deposed on oath as follows:

Re. person: My name is Paul Sikorski, 35 years of age, Catholic, merchant. I claim to be [consider myself] a minority German, domiciled in Bromberg, at 4 Mühlenstrasse.

Re. matter: On Sunday, Sept. 3, 1939, at about 6 a.m. I went to the mill to switch off the light and to stop the turbine. On the way there I suddenly heard loud cries from the railway embankment. At a distance of about 100 yards I saw below the embankment a group of railwaymen, civilians and military beating seven persons aged from 20 to 60 years with bayonets, rifle butts and cudgels. They had surrounded their victims. I ran nearer and heard them shout in Polish "Kill the Germans!" I saw the blood spurting, even at that distance. I turned, however, when I noticed that the horde wished [to come after me too]. I returned at 9 o'clock and inspected the corpses. On two of them the eyes had been gouged with bayonets. The orbits were empty and there was only a bloody mass. In the case of three bodies the skull had been opened and the brain lay a yard distant from the corpses. The other corpses were entirely bashed. One of the bodies was entirely slit open. Two of the murdered were known to me, they were Leichnitz, a butcher [from] Jägershof, and Herr Schlicht.

In the afternoon, between 3 and 4 o'clock, a group of soldiers with railwaymen came to my mill, Peterson's mill, and brought 18 Germans with them. They were bound together in pairs. I had an exact view of them from my garden. The whole 18 of them were then shot down, two at a time. They then struck them while they were lying on the ground. Amongst the victims were a 14 year old boy, and a woman. Evidently everything had to be done quickly on this occasion, because they all moved off immediately. I carefully inspected the corpses afterwards; they were there for three days.

On Monday afternoon, when it was said that the Polish soldiers had already evacuated the town, two soldiers brought in an elderly man and an elderly woman. In front of my eyes they put them to the wall in the mill. I ran over to the soldiers, knelt down before them and begged them in Polish to release these two old persons, both of whom were about 65 years of age. However I was pushed away with the rifle butt by one of the soldiers, who said: "Let these damned Germans perish!" Before I could rise again they had shot the old people down, and their bodies fell into a ditch. Thereupon the soldiers marched off at the double.

Murder of Wildemann

According to the facts ascertained in the case, witness Frau Wildemann deposed on oath as follows:

Several hordes had repeatedly searched the house of the witness Wildemann in Bromberg, Schwedenbergstrasse (56 Ugory) in the forenoon of Sept. 3, for weapons without finding any.

At about three o'clock in the afternoon a new horde of about 30 men appeared, all of them armed with cudgels and similar weapons. Pretending that shots had been fired from the house, that therefore the house must be searched for weapons, a new search was made. During the search a number of articles, the property of the Wildemann family, was stolen. There were no weapons in the house, nor were any shots fired from there. Wildemann had hidden in the cellar when he saw the horde arrive. In response to the question as to his whereabouts put to her under threats, Frau Wildemann declared that he had gone to see some acquaintances in the Kujawier Strasse. She was thereupon taken to that place. As her husband was not found there she admitted where he was, after she had been threatened with shooting, and on the promise that nothing would happen to her husband. The horde then returned to Frau Wildemann's property, seized her husband and, handling them roughly on the way, carried both of them off into the adjoining garden. They were then stood in a position as if they were to be shot. When they embraced each other and commenced to pray, they were laughed at and mocked. There were continued shouts of "They should be beaten to death, not shot!" Among the shouting crowd was the barber Alfons Lewandowski. On Frau Wildemann's turning to him and asking, "What have you got against me, what have I done to you?", he hit her in the face, saying "You German swine, you damned Hitlerite!" Frau Wildemann was then led away by the soldiers, who on the whole had been rather moderate. Some days afterwards they found Wildemann's dead body terribly mutilated, not far from the premises. He had been hurriedly buried in sand and was only recognizable by his clothing and the contents of his pockets.

Murder of Gollnick and Köpernick

According to the facts ascertained in the case, witnesses Olga and Franz Tafelski, Bromberg, deposed on oath as follows:

The crowd which was on the move in the Breite Strasse incited the soldiers against the German Gollnick. The soldiers knocked Gollnick down with their butts and left him lying in the street, badly injured. He lived until the evening. Witness Tafelski saw that Gollnick, towards evening, was still convulsively moving his left leg and left hand. Gollnick who had fallen on to his face had been turned over by the mob and his trousers opened so that the entire lower part of his body was exposed. Towards evening a civilian appeared with two soldiers, who thrust their bayonets into Gollnick's stomach. Thereupon he was finally killed by a finishing shot.

During the afternoon bands of civilians and soldiers raged up and down the Breite Strasse, quite near the spot where Gollnick lay badly injured, shouting that the Germans had fired from their houses. Amongst this horde was Sofie Bednarczyk, an unemployed woman. She flirted with the soldiers and behaved, according to the statement of Olga Tafelski, "like a mad woman." Franz Tafelski saw Bednarczyk marching in front of [ahead of] the horde with crossed arms. Her whole attitude expressed that she considered herself extremely important. She shouted, as heard by Olga Tafelski: "Give me a rifle, all Germans must be butchered, the damned Hitlerites!" Franz Tafelski heard her shout: "All Germans must be shot dead!" In doing so she even smiled at the soldiers. At the corner of 5, Breite Strasse she stopped. When she saw the minority German Gollnick lying there with trousers torn open in front she shouted, as heard by the witness Bartkowiak: "This Hitlerite must have his b––– cut off!" About half an hour later the German Köpernick was dragged past the same place and, shortly afterwards, murdered.

(These facts were ascertained at the trial on October 10, 1939 at the special court in Bromberg, on the strength of statements on oath made by Bartkowiak and Christa Gollnick, in addition to those of the witnesses Olga and Franz Tafelski.)

Murder of Gollnick

Witness Christa Gollnick of Bromberg, 101 Kujawier Strasse, deposed on oath as follows:

We kept a greengrocer shop, and also sold flour and fodder. When the first Polish troops marched off I saw our Polish neighbour approaching a Polish major, telling him something and pointing to our house. Thereupon Polish soldiers stormed our shop after they had smashed in the door. We thought that a battle was going to take place and that the soldiers intended to barricade themselves in our house. We thereupon ran to our dug-out, which we had built by order of the authorities. We did not, however, get that far because the Polish soldiers opened fire on us. My husband was struck in the shoulder, and received a rifle butt blow in the face. He reeled but still endeavoured to escape. He tried to climb over the fence, but was held back by a civilian. He received a further butt blow from a Polish soldier so that he fell. My children and myself were brought back into the house by a Polish lieutenant. I could see my husband lying on the ground, from the attic. He still lived for a long time. I saw him draw up his legs to the body and straighten them again, and now and then he raised his hand. It was impossible for us, however, to go out to him as Polish soldiers and civilians were standing about. A Polish policeman was continually stationed at the fence where my husband lay. Polish women screamed: "That swine is still alive!" Towards evening three shots were fired at my husband by Polish soldiers, after he had received a bayonet stab in the body earlier in the afternoon. I observed my husband continually feeling for this place and trying to open his trousers, which were subsequently found to be open. My neighbour told me that my husband had still gasped the next day. My husband was tall and strong and only 38 years old, therefore he must have had a fearfully prolonged death. He had lain for about 18 hours before death delivered him from his agony.

Murder of Bettin

According to the facts ascertained in the case, witness Bettin of Bromberg deposed the following on oath:

On September 3, 1939, the so-called "Bromberg Bloody Sunday", a horde of Polish bandits forced their way into the premises owned by the Bettin family at 76 Frankenstrasse in Bromberg. The Bettins heard the panes being smashed in from the outside and thereupon opened the door. They were led outside with raised arms and had to kneel down. Witness Bettin was wearing a Swastika, which fell out of her blouse. This was cause for the crowd, which consisted of some Poles armed with revolvers and hay forks, and one man with an axe, wildly to abuse the witness. Expressions such as "Hitler brat", "Hitler swine", "We will butcher you" fell from the crowd. She was then led away by two Poles, one of whom was the railway official Bruski. Thereby [In the process] she was roughly handled and actually thrown from the yard. On the way her arm was pulled and she was threatened with a cudgel. At the corner of Bölitzer Strasse she was handed over to two other Poles, a Post Office official dressed as a policeman, and a railway man. Bruski said, "Here is one of your Hitler brats." In the afternoon between 4 and 5 o'clock she was freed by a Polish officer. When she reached home she [45] found that only her mother and sister-in-law were still present; her father and her brother had also been dragged away by the Polish gang. The brother was found murdered some time later, her father has since been missing, and has apparently also been murdered.

Murder of Thiede and Mittelstädt

According to the facts ascertained in the case, witnesses Gerda Thiede and Otto Papke, a wheelwright of Schulitz, deposed on oath as follows:

Waclaw Pasterski, a chauffeur, owns some property in Schulitz opposite to the Thiede family's place. The Thiede family consists of the mother and two children, the daughter named Gerda, and son Werner, the family is German and has been domiciled there for years. Waclaw Pasterski is a Pole and came to Schulitz about seven years ago.

On Sunday September 3, 1939 ownerless cattle, formerly the property of fugitive Poles, were driven into Thiede's turnip fields by Polish soldiers. In order to inspect the harm done, the Thiedes, accompanied by Emil Mittelstädt, who happened to be calling on them and who owned a farm some plots away, went into the field. When they got there, a squad of Polish soldiers came from the wood and called to them: "Are you Germans or Poles?" Werner Thiede replied: "Germans." Mittelstädt replied "Pole." Thereupon the soldiers searched Werner Thiede for weapons, but he carried none. Then the Thiedes had to walk with raised hands in the direction of the wood, followed by the soldiers. Mittelstädt was allowed to stay on the meadow. Meanwhile the chauffeur Waclaw Pasterski came from the direction of the wood, armed with axe and knife and shouted to the soldiers on seeing Werner Thiede: "Seize him, that small fellow there in a shirt, so that I can kill him." On hearing the shout, Werner Thiede altered his direction and ran off to one side. The soldiers immediately took up the chase and fired shots after him. Witness Gerda Thiede looked back in spite of the order to the contrary, and saw Mittelstädt lying in his blood on the meadow. He had a wound in his side, which she thought was due to a stroke made with the axe by Pasterski, because the soldiers had left the meadow in following Thiede; therefore only Mittelstädt and Pasterski remained behind, and none other than Pasterski could come into question as the perpetrator of the deed. Gerda Thiede had also heard Pasterski say of Mittelstädt that he was a German after all. Otto Papke, who had likewise seen Mittelstädt lying on the meadow, has definitely recognised the wound as being due to a stroke by an axe. Mittelstädt suffered agonies until he died in the night. Werner Thiede was found dead by his neighbour Kriewald and buried. According to his statement, as also deposed by Gerda Thiede, Thiede was shot in the back and had a large slash on the head.

Werner Thiede was 20 years old. Mittelstädt was about 30. Mittelstädt had lately become a widower and leaves a small child.

Murder of Finger

Bromberg, 15. Nov. 1939.

Present:
Public Prosecuter Bengsch,
acting as examining official.
Clerk of the Court Kraus,
acting as secretary.

In the criminal proceedings against Owczaczac on the charge of murder, witness Finger appeared on a summons and deposed as follows.

My name is Käthe Finger, nee Boehlke, 48 years old, widow of a bank official, of Bromberg, not related by blood or marriage to the accused.

On the "Blood Sunday," several minority Germans and a Polish woman, whom we had asked to come in for our protection, were in our house. My husband would be 62 years old today. In the forenoon, at about 11 o'clock, the mob came through our street. Amongst the crowd were the Weyna brothers, who live opposite to us in the Raddatz' house, and the accused Owczaczak. One of the Weyna brothers was armed.

After a while I heard my husband in the adjacent room telling our household help Goede that Owczaczak was pointing to our house. Immediately afterwards he came over to me and said: "Oh God! that mob is coming into our house. Now we must die." He declared that we would die together. Immediately afterwards the mob including a soldier forced its way into our house. The soldier ordered my husband and me to lie down on the carpet. We did so. Then he fired. My husband was killed instantly. As a second shot was not fired as I had expected, I raised myself somewhat and noticed that my hands were reddened by the blood of my husband. Then, as I said "my God," I was pushed up and led away with other persons who had sought protection in our house. On the way we were abused, beaten and kicked. As we passed the sluices a Polish civilian tried to drag me up the canal with the words: "You damned Hitler b–––!" I succeeded however in tearing myself free. I was then taken to the Police station, where I was received with such a violent kick that I was thrown against a wooden fence. We were then forced to lie down at full length in the police station yard. They called to us: "Lie down here like cattle, you b––– German dogs!" There were continuously new victims arriving, who had been beaten until blood was drawn, and who groaned with pain. I would add that my boy of 12 years of age was lying alongside of me. There was continual shooting into the police station yard from adjacent houses and from the direction of the sluices, several Germans were hit. These men were then taken away. Whether they were dead I do not know. After about 7 hours I was released with my 12 year old son on the entry [arrival] of a Polish police official.

In the police station yard a machine gun was trained on us, and we were forced to kneel down and give a cheer for Rydz-Smigly. Then we were asked mockingly whether we had not really been treated well in Poland, and, when one of the women dared to deny this, the machine gun was trained on her and they shouted that she would be shot at once. There was a frightful confusion in the yard. I really cannot tell you any more details of the maltreatment.

I confirm the correctness of these statements and refer to the oath I already took in this matter on Sept. 11, 1939, before the special court in Bromberg.

Pregnant woman bayonetted

Witness Roesner [of Bromberg] deposed on oath as follows:

At the police station I was ill-treated by blows in the face and kicks. At night we were transferred to the Government House. There I heard the screams of the ill-treated and noticed that about 200 dead and wounded were lying there. Part of the procedure was to tell those Germans who had just been interrogated that they could go. When, however, they walked down the staircase, they were shot from behind or knocked with rifle butts and thrown down the stairs. In particular, I saw a pregnant woman being bayonetted from behind; the bayonet was then withdrawn by placing the foot on the woman's body, and she was then pushed down the stairs, where she was shot dead. A certain Roberschewski, a higher police official who was known here as the "Bloodhound of Bromberg" and who has since fled, repeatedly said, when the screams of those interrogated under torture became too loud and a hand siren was sounded [to drown them out], pointing at a small dog running aimlessly about: "What's that dog still barking about, hit him on the head." He meant, of course, that those screaming should be finished off. This was then done. Roberschewski, at the Police station, had already ordered three Germans, who were still alive, to be killed. I saw there ten persons lying completely naked in one room. Seven of these were already dead. The bodies of all of them were frightfully beaten. The three still alive lay further back and groaned. Roberschewski came in with several Poles and asked: "Are they still alive?" Thereby [Then] he beckoned to the other Poles, whom I do not know, whereupon they took an axe already covered with blood and killed the three.

The four-fold murder of the gardener Beyer's family in Bromberg

Extracts from the files of the State Criminal police office – Special Commission Bromberg – file No. Tgb. V (RKPA) 1486/7.39.

Re. Murder case Beyer. – Tgb. V (RKPA) 1486/7.39. Photo shows a pit in which the dead bodies of Friedrich Beyer and his two sons of 11 and 18, and that of gardener's assistant Thiede, were found hurriedly buried. – The figures indicate: 1 and 2 the dead body of Kurt Beyer, 3 and 4 that of Friedrich Beyer, 5 and 6 that of Erich Thiede, 7 and 8 position of the dead body of Heinz Beyer. At spot marked 9 a pool of blood was found.

²Details of this incident in previous document. ...back...

³Bullets lodged in bodies were recovered! ...back...

The Polish Atrocities
Against the German Minority in Poland.
Edited and published by order of the Foreign Office
and based upon documentary evidence.
Compiled by Hans Schadewaldt.