FRANCISZEK KUTYŁA


Name and surname Franciszek Kutyła
Age 48 years old
Father’s name Szczepan
Occupation farmer

On 21 July 1943, there was a skirmish between the Germans and partisans at the train station in Garbatka. As a result, on 22 July 1943 the Germans surrounded the village of Molendy. The partisans, however, who had indeed been in the village, managed to withdraw, and the Germans shot dead 10 of the village’s residents, killing every man they stumbled upon – in the street or in a house.

The following were killed that day: Józef Przerwa, Józef Molenda, Stefan Barszcz, Julian Kwaśnik, Jerzy Jukulewski, Stanisław Łapa, Henryk Bachan, Jan Bembror, Kazimierz Bembror, and another man, from elsewhere. The gendarmes also shot and wounded Stanisław Rutkowski from Molendy; they left him for dead, however he survived and is with us to this day.

On 7 April 1944, the village of Molendy was surrounded by German troops and gendarmes, some 3,000 in total. At the time, a partisan unit was present in the hamlet. A right battle then developed, and even German aircraft took part in the action. Sixteen partisans died in the fighting.