On 16 April 1946 in Szczecin Judge [surname illegible] interviewed the person named below as a witness. Having advised the witness of the criminal liability for making false declarations and of the wording of Article 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and of the significance of the oath, the judge took an oath therefrom under Article 109.
The witness testified as follows:
| Name and surname | Wacław Lorenc |
| Age | 37 years |
| Parents’ names | Jan and Weronika |
| Place of residence | Szczecin, No. […] |
| Occupation | Manager of a film rental office |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Criminal record | none |
To […]
On 2 and 3 September 1944, my wife and I were in Warsaw at Podhalańska Street 7. The final attack on the Sadyba officers took place on 1 September. It commenced at around 12.00 and finished at around 16.00.
Since we were afraid to stay in the house due to the bombing, we conferred amongst ourselves and went across the street, to the yard owned by citizen Mirosława Jagodzińska. There we took shelter in a wooden shed. The fighting going on all around us caused the shed to collapse, so that only one wall was left standing. Nevertheless there was still enough space for all of us to take refuge in a small brick cellar.
On 2 September between 15.00 and 16.00, SS men appeared on this street, and soon we heard shooting from automatic weapons, shouts, pleas, etc. We were afraid to leave our shelter and we were not discovered, since nobody thought that anyone could be sitting in the half demolished shed.
We heard the SS men shouting in German, raus, and calls in Russian of the Vlasovtsy soldiers – wychaditsie. We sat in the shed all night, hearing some terrible screams, an orgy of drunkenness, shots, and music from a gramophone.
The next day, 3 September 1944, we heard a German near the shed; we presumed he was an ordinary Wehrmacht soldier. We then decided to leave the shed for fear that he would throw a grenade. When we did so, two young SS men ran up to us and started shouting ’bandits’; they directed us towards a pile of […] and readied their automatic weapons. At this time some higher-ranking German, probably a non-commissioned officer, approached and sharply ordered ’ halt’. Next, following a short exchange of words, he instructed the two SS men in German to lead us to the citadel, that is to Czerniakowski Fort. There were eleven bodies in the Fort, […] without any documents, which were buried there thanks to a collective effort. Next, all of the men, approximately 20 in number, were led to Pohalańska Street 1, where we collected the bodies lying in the backyard and garden. The Germans ordered us to remove valuables and monies, and took them. I myself collected war-time identification cards, which subsequently – having been advised by some soldier in a German [air force?] uniform – I gave to some elderly man (aged approximately 60 – 70) for safekeeping with the instruction to hand them over to the Red Cross. I also gathered bodies at No. 7 on the same street, in the same [conditions?].
Apart from myself and my wife, the following also survived:
| 1. | Stanisława Jagodzińska– presumably Milanówek |
| 2. | Jerzy Zubrzycki– address unknown |
| 3. | Krzysztoforski |
| 4. | The fourth person was an orphan whose surname I cannot recall, but I know her |
place of residence and, if so requested, I may provide it. She lives in Włochy with her sister, who owns a buffet at the railway station.
The report was read out.
Witness Wacław Lorenc hereby declares that his wife, Antonina, did not appear today due to her trip to Wilanów, from whence she will probably return on or around 1 August 1946. Address: Wilanów, pharmacy.