MARIAN RUBACH

On 13 September 1947 in Chorzów, the Municipal Court in Chorzów, Fifth Branch, with Judge J. Goettlich presiding and with the participation of reporter Kazimiera Grygier, interviewed the person specified below as an unsworn witness. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations and of the wording of Art. 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the witness testified as follows:


Name and surname Marian Rubach
Age 55
Parents’ names Telesfor and Ludwika, née Szmidt
Place of residence Chorzów, Dąbrowskiego Street 15
Occupation builder
Religious affiliation Roman Catholic
Criminal record none
Relationship to the parties none

In the photographs presented to me I recognize Maximilian Grabner, Hans Aumeier and Johannes Lissner.

1) In 1942 I was detained in Auschwitz, having been transferred from another camp and interrogated by Grabner, who held the post and the rank specified in the public notice. He beat me with his hand and kicked me until I lost consciousness. Water was then poured over me and he continued to torment me in this manner as he conducted the interrogation. He did not write a report. He was the one who invented the infamous wheel of death – a prisoner had his arms and legs tied to a wheel immersed in water. As the wheel turned, the prisoner turned along with it. I suffered through such torture along with many other people. He was also an executioner in the sense that he participated in executions and passed death sentences. In order to mention all people who were sentenced and executed on his orders, one would have to provide thousands of names.

2) I met Hans Aumeier the same way I met Grabner – when I arrived at the camp in Auschwitz once I was sent there. He had the nickname "Łokietek" [elbow-high]. Just like Grabner, Aumeier was a sadist, who mistreated and tortured prisoners. I got beaten up by Aumeier once. He was present during executions, especially those by hanging. He even inspected the ropes. I know about one instance when he attended the execution of a Jew, a colonel of the Czech general staff. Despite Aumeier’s inspection, the rope broke. Aumeier had inspected and personally handed the rope to Jakub, kapo at block 11, to have the colonel hanged. Since the man miraculously survived, the execution should not have been carried out. Aumeier, however, ordered to take this Jew from the public area and hang him again in block 11. This in fact happened, because I saw the man’s corpse being driven out of the block.

3) Lastly, I know Johannes Lissner, whom I first met in the cellar of block 16 in 1943 and knew him for about a year. I cannot say anything bad about him. On the contrary – he can be praised for turning a blind eye to the prisoners’ behavior and being indifferent to their offences. He warned them about potential trouble coming their way and never hit anyone. He could not speak Polish at all. A prisoner and kapo Józef Janus can say more about him. I do not recall or only vaguely remember others presented in the photograph, and cannot say anything about them.

The report was read out and signed.