Kozienice, 5 September 1947. The District Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes in Radom, Branch Office in Kozienice, in the person of a member of the said Commission, lawyer Jerzy Kaliszczak from Kozienice, interviewed the person mentioned hereunder as a witness, having first informed him of the criminal liability for making false declarations.
Name and surname | Henryk Grzejszczak |
Place of residence | village of Tomczyn, commune of Grabów nad Pilicą, district of Kozienice |
Date and place of birth | 20 January 1907, village of Trzebień, commune of Trzebień, district of Kozienice |
Parents’ names | Józef and Michalina, née Wieczorek |
Citizenship | Polish |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Occupation | cobbler and shoemaker (temporarily employed as a forestry worker) |
On 16 December 1943 at around 11.00 p.m., my house – located near the forest in Tomczyn – was raided by German gendarmes from Kozienice. They broke down the door to my house, and then proceeded to check my name and surname against a list. I had 40 copies of the “Biuletyn Informacyjny” clandestine newspaper in my jacket pocket, intended for distribution. I managed to hide them under a small chest. When my two-year-old son woke up and started crying, one of the gendarmes, with a sneer on his face, stuck a carrot in his mouth and then pressed him down with a pillow.
Eight other men were arrested along with me. We were immediately taken to the prison in Radom. I was not beaten – neither during the arrest, nor in Kozienice. I don’t know the surnames of the Germans. I was interrogated in Radom at the so-called Dienststelle [office or police station]. There I was beaten with whips and kicked. The severe abuse caused my skin to turn black, and some sort of watery substance started spurting from my body. I was interrogated in this fashion three times. I know that one of the Germans – he didn’t whip me, limiting himself to a few kicks – went by the surname of Koch. Following this grilling, I would urinate with blood. Before commencing a beating, they would tie me to a special table. I have just remembered – they would also place a gas mask over my head, however instead of an absorber it was fitted with a plug. The plug would be removed whenever I came to. The wounds caused by the beatings were not dressed in any way.
From Radom, they sent me to Gross-Rosen, then to Dachau (KZ-L), and finally to München 68 (KZ-L).
While in the Arbeitslager [labor camp] in Munich, I was given a vaccination. On 16 February 1944, I received an injection in the left leg. They told me that this was a preventive shot. By the third day, my leg had swollen so much that I was unable to put on a shoe. On 20 February [19]44, I reported to the rewir [sick room – from the German Revier]. The doctor – a Pole – informed me that I was suffering from phlegmon, and that one of the German physicians was conducting experiments. I was operated on thrice under anesthesia. I don’t remember the surnames of the doctors. I had a part of my calf removed, and also underwent a bone scraping procedure. The entire treatment consisted in covering the wound with a rag soaked in water and held in place by a rubber band. I lay like this, sick, until 12 June 1944. I ran a temperature of 38–40 degrees. The only food that I received was rutabaga and kohlrabi soup. I lost weight massively, in the end weighing only 38 kg. The wound healed only towards the end of April 1945, but it continues to be very troublesome.
I am 180 cm tall and now weigh 87 kg. I think that I was selected for the experiments because of my excellent health. Now I am sick, completely devoid of strength.
The report has been read out to me and I confirm that it contains my testimony.
This is only a small fragment of the torments that I have suffered.