ZDZISŁAW WIECHOWICZ

Skierniewice, 25 March 1946. The Magistrate Court in the person of Judge Zofia Grzeczyńska interviewed the person specified below as a witness. Having advised the witness of the criminal liability for making false declarations and of the wording of Art. 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as of the gravity of the oath, the judge swore the witness.

The witness testified as follows:


Name and surname Zdzisław Wiechowicz
Age 30
Names of parents Bolesław and Maria
Place of residence Skierniewice, Długa Street 12
Occupation carpenter
Religious affiliation Roman Catholic
Criminal record none

On the morning of 5 August 1944 the Germans were displacing the residents from Towarowa Street. They took me as well. They brought us to Wolska Street, where there were already a great number of people. From among those gathered in Wolska Street, the Germans were pulling some individuals out of the crowd and were executing them right away or grouping them in other locations. I was assigned to a group of priests on the corner of Karolkowa Street. There were around one hundred of us, mostly men. There were twenty-five priests.

Our entire group was herded to the vicinity of St Adalbert church; they lined us up and then they took a few people at a time to the machine warehouse, where these people were executed. After the German soldiers had executed these few, they would come back for the next ones, and in this way the greater part of our group was killed. When my turn was approaching, a car with Germans arrived. An officer got out and forbade further executions.

The machine warehouse where the execution took place was around fifteen metres away from us, so that the executions were carried out in front of our eyes. Machine guns were used for the execution. It was carried out by SS men. It took place around noon.

The Germans were mistreating us, as those selected to die were beaten with rifle butts and kicked.

I am unable to provide their names, because I didn’t know them.

Those who survived were herded to St Adalbert church, from where I ran away.

Apart from myself, a few other people survived, but I hadn’t known them before, so I’m not able to state their names. One elderly priest survived out of all the priests, but I don’t know what happened to him.

I heard that there had been executions in Wolska Street before 5 August 1944, but I’m unable to provide any more specific details.

I don’t know the machine warehouse caretaker and I don’t know his name.

I don’t know the people who had been shot. I don’t know what was done with the bodies of those executed.

I don’t know Olszewski.