Eleventh day of trial, 5 December 1947.
President: Next witness, Halina Wencka.
Pursuant to Article 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, I advise the witness of the obligation to speak the truth. Making false declarations is punishable by imprisonment of up to five years. Do the parties wish to make any representations concerning the procedure of interviewing the witness?
Prosecutors: We want to release the witness from an oath.
Defense attorneys: We also wish to release the witness from an oath.
Witness Halina Wencka, 27 years old, housewife, Roman Catholic, no relationship to the accused parties.
President: I hereby ask the witness to describe the circumstances in which she met the defendants and cite particular facts pertaining to them.
Witness: In the case of Orlowski and Danz.
In 1943, my father and I were transferred from the Pawiak prison to Majdanek. I was sent to Gärtnerei [garden farm], supervised by Aufseherin Danz. Since I didn’t meet my work quota, she hit me on the head and took down my number, after which I received 15 lashes. After that, Danz watched me closely every single day.
When Danz left, we rejoiced that she would no longer torment us, and she was replaced with another, better Aufseherin. I fell ill with typhus fever and never returned to Gärtnerei. Later on, I was assigned to a laundry kommando which was supervised by Orlowski, who maltreated the prisoners. I was drubbed by her, but it was because she didn’t tell me how to operate the washing machines. She beat me in the face several times. I asked to be released from there and was transferred to the Revier [camp hospital], where my life was better.
In August 1944 I was released from work due to malaria.
I was in the block when a large transport of Russian mothers with children arrived at the camp. I saw the Aufseherins take the children away from their mothers. I also saw Danz trying to give bread to the children, but they didn’t want to take it. That is all.
President: How old were these children?
Witness: From three to six years old.
President: With regard to contact with other prisoners, has the witness heard anything about the defendants?
Witness: I know that Danz harassed the prisoners and beat them. I was twice in the kommando, I was down with malaria. Danz knew me from Gärtnerei. She knew that I didn’t work well and she played a part in not sending me with a transport to Auschwitz.
President: Did she treat prisoners in that way on a regular basis?
Witness: Yes, she did.
President: Are there any questions to the witness?
Prosecutors: No.
Defense attorneys: No.
President: Does the defendant Danz wish to make a declaration?
Defendant Danz: Your Honor, I ask permission to make a declaration. I came to Majdanek in 1943. I supervised various work brigades, including the garden group. I worked with it until 9 September 1943. After that date I was on leave. A thousand women worked in that group, so it was impossible to know them all and watch each of them. Apart from these women there were also 500 men employed there. Never during my stay in Lublin did I file a report against a prisoner for him or her to be later punished with whipping. I didn’t have anything to do with the transports, because each morning after roll call I assembled my team and led it to the site of work.
President: Does the witness stand by her testimony?
Witness: Yes, I do.
President: The witness may step down. I adjourn the session until 4.00 p.m.