JÓZEF WARCHAŁOWSKI

On 15 August 1947 in Staszów, the District Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes of the District Court with its seat in Radom, Branch Office in Staszów, Judge Albin Walkiewicz, an attorney in Staszów, interviewed the person mentioned hereunder as an unsworn witness. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations and of the wording of Article 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the witness testified as follows:


Name and surname Józef Warchałowski
Age 43 years old
Parents’ names Tomasz and Marianna
Place of residence the settlement and commune of Połaniec, Sandomierz District
Occupation farmer
Religious affiliation Roman Catholic
Criminal record none

During the German occupation, I lived in Połaniec. I am aware of the following German crimes: in 1942, the gendarmerie from Sandomierz came to Połaniec with a German in civilian landwirtschaft clothes; I think he was called Nieder or Nider. He was accompanied by uniformed police. They told Jews to empty their stores and apartments of any goods and clothes, and they loaded all those goods onto about 30 carts and took them to Staszów.

II. In October 1942, the gendarmerie from Staszów and Sandomierz displaced Jews from Połaniec and took them to Staszów. At that time, about 60 Jews who had not immediately left their apartments were shot dead in Połaniec. Apart from Germans, also a uniformed Polish police officer called [...], who served in Osiek at that time, shot at the Jews. As far as I know, [...] shot Warchałowski from Staszów. I personally saw him shoot Jews.

III. On 31 December 1942, the head of the gendarmerie from Rytwiany (if I remember correctly, he was called Eleman) came to my apartment with Rösler, a colonist from Sielec. They put guns to my head and the head of Marian Kosowicz, who was at my home at that time, and they told us to leave the apartment. I managed to escape in the entrance hall, but Kosowicz was shot dead on the street.

IV. On the night of 20 March 1943, the above-mentioned head of the gendarmerie from Rytwiany and Rösler from Sielec with four other gendarmes shot the following people in Połaniec: a) Władysław Barański, b) Jan Sutek, c) Jan Murczkiewicz. They were also looking for others, but the others managed to hide.

V. In July 1943, a truck with about 40 gendarmes from Staszów and their commander Rippert arrived in Połaniec. They surrounded our houses, captured and shot five people, that is: a major of the Polish Army, doctor Tadeusz Górka, commune secretary Jan Liwiński, Tadeusz Bryk, Henryk Kucia, and Władysława Wałcerz. They were also looking for others at that time, but those people hid.

VI. In the middle of September 1943, a truck with gendarmes from Staszów arrived led by [...]; there was also [...], a German gendarme who reportedly came from Radom. They took Eugeniusz Jarzyna, Edmund Jarzyna and Piotr Sojda, and they shot them dead. They shot automatic weapons at people escaping in terror.

VII. In April 1944, Hoff, the head of the gendarmerie from Staszów, and [...], a bandit known in nearby communes, who killed and tortured Poles, came to Połaniec. They took away many people from Połaniec, many of whom were released, apart from Stanisław and Władysław Pawlak and Stefan Sekuła, who were taken to Opatów and then to Iwaniska, where they were shot dead along with others. About 65 people were executed at that time.

VIII. In May 1944, a group of gendarmes from Staszów led by Hoff and [...], and other people with savage Russian Cossacks from Kuban and Ukrainians arrived. They surrounded the village and captured some people, constantly firing shots. They captured 111 people at that time, some of whom were released in Staszów, but a dozen or so people were sent to Germany for labor. Many people were released because bribes could settle many things.

IX. In 1943, the Germans murdered my brother-in-law Jan Szloser from Ossalia, Tursko Commune, without a reason.

I do not know anything else. The report was read out.