IZAAK HERSCHENBAUM


Witness: Izaak Herschenbaum, 29 years old, spinning machine operator, Jewish, no relationship to the defendants.


Presiding Judge: I advise the witness of the obligation to speak the truth. Making false declarations is punishable with a prison term of up to five years. Are there any requests regarding the mode of hearing of the witness?

Prosecution: We exempt the witness from taking the oath.

Defense: We exempt the witness from taking the oath.

Presiding Judge: Therefore, the witness will testify without taking the oath; however the witness is obliged to tell the whole truth. Can the witness tell us what he knows about the case, if he recognizes any of the defendants and what information he can provide regarding them?

Witness: I recognize my Lagerführer [camp leader] Otto Lätsch, who abused us, beat and tortured the prisoners.

I witnessed him murder a Jewish musician from Łódź. What is more, he would also visit kommandos to see how the prisoners worked. One day, he also came to my kommando. He told me to fill a big wheelbarrow with concrete, and when I couldn’t lift it, he started beating and tormenting me, saying that I didn’t want to work. I explained him that I wanted to work, but I couldn’t lift the wheelbarrow. Then, he wrote down my number and when I came to work to the Lager, he started tormenting me again, asking why I didn’t want to work. I repeated my explanation that I wasn’t avoiding work, but I was not able to lift the wheelbarrow. He started beating and kicking me so badly that I fell down. I was very weak. Lätsch made us exercise which always ended with a few casualties. They were taken to the Krankenbau [prisoners’ hospital] where they would usually die.

During the evacuation, one of our inmates couldn’t keep up, so Lätsch took out the gun and killed him. During that evacuation, which was assisted by Fritsch and Gustaw, two foremen, 70 people were to stay in the Krankenbau. Then, Lätsch told them that those people in the Krankenbau had to be exterminated. Later on I found out that they had set the building on fire and only two people had managed to save themselves by jumping out of the window.

Prosecutor Pęchalski: The witness claims that he was present when the defendant personally shot somebody.

Witness: Yes, I was there.

Prosecutor Pęchalski: Why did he shoot him?

Witness: Because he couldn’t keep up.

Prosecutor Pęchalski: Was he an elderly prisoner?

Witness: I don’t know, because we all looked old in the camp.

Prosecutor Pęchalski: Does the witness know if it was Lätsch who gave the order to set the infirmary in the Gliwice camp on fire?

Witness: I heard Lätsch tell the foremen that those people had to be exterminated.

Prosecutor Pęchalski: Was Lätsch present during the evacuation?

Witness: Yes, he was.

Prosecutor Pęchalski: What was that transport like? Were you rushed, beaten, shot at?

Witness: We were beaten and rushed. One of the prisoners was walking at the back, because he couldn’t keep up, so he was shot.

Prosecutor Pęchalski: Were prisoners of wars from Gliwice sent to gas chambers, when Lätsch acted as the Lagerführer?

Witness: Yes, they were. I saw Lätsch several times. He was present and selected them by himself.

Prosecutor Pęchalski: Was he Lagerführer at that time?

Witness: Yes, he was.

Presiding judge: Are there any questions?

Prosecution: No.

Defense: No.