LUCYNA LANGE

Warsaw, 11 January 1946. Acting Examining Judge Halina Wereńko interviewed the person named below as a witness. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations, the witness testified as follows:


Name and surname Lucyna Lange
Age 48 years
Parents’ names Władysław and Maria
Place of residence Warsaw, Wolski Hospital, Płocka Street 26
Occupation nurse
Profession Sister of Mercy of St Vincent de Paul
Religion Roman Catholic
Criminal record none

During the uprising of 1944 I was at Wolski Hospital, where I worked as a ward sister at the pulmonary ward (IX). On 5 August, when the SS men were throwing patients, staff members and civilians out of our hospital, I managed to stay behind together with 30 patients and two female orderlies: Jadwiga Zubkowicz, now Bogdańska, residing at Płocka Street near the hospital (she works at Wolski Hospital), and Maria Śliwińska, who currently also works at Wolski Hospital (residing at Ludwiki Street 5). Thanks to the inattention of the SS men, we were able to remain on the first floor. There were also other patients apart from those from my ward, but I don’t know their number, as well as Dr Woźniewski. During the night from 5 to 6 August a fire broke out in Wolski Hospital, but luckily it was put out. The flames had spread from a neighbouring house, which was on fire. On the next day, 6 August, a German sanitary patrol arrived at Wolski Hospital. Together with Dr Woźniewski, I buried the bodies of those who had been murdered by the Germans on the previous day – Director Piasecki, Prof. Zeyland, and Chaplain Ciecierski, and I also took two patients (one woman suffering from tuberculosis and another with arthritis) who had been shot and wounded in the bunker by the SS to my ward. At noon on that day, 6 August, I found out that practically all of the wards, save the children’s ward, were littered with the bodies of patients, with the largest numbers being in the surgical and tuberculosis wards. I don’t know whether they had died naturally, or if they had been shot by the SS men. I think there were sixteen bodies in total. On that day I also saw a great number of bodies around the hospital – on the threshold, on the pavements and in the street. Some of the bodies had hospital gowns on, while others were dressed in civilian clothing. The bodies of insurrectionists were also visible. For a period of two weeks from 6 August, I would go to fetch food and I would see lots of murdered women, children, and men, usually in groups of 10 or 20. Single bodies were a rare sight. The courtyards of the houses along Górczewska Street – nearly all of them – had piles of bodies.

I cannot specify the number of victims. In any case, when I went out of the hospital into Płocka Street, and the proceeded along Górczewska Street to the Koło housing estate, I would always see hundreds of bodies. I saw Polish labourers commanded by SS men who were burning bodies in Górczewska Street, on the premises of Majewski’s bakery. The Polish labourers would collect the bodies and put them on a pile, which they then doused in petrol and set alight. The bodies from these piles were put into two graves opposite Wolski Hospital – this was carried out by Dr Rott in March 1945.

On 5 August 1944, following the evacuation of Wolski Hospital by the Germans, and also on 6 and 7 August, the military units stationed at Wolski Hospital would ransack our warehouses, taking food, patients’ clothing, suitcases, and fur coats. Some four weeks later, such pillaging became official – Dr Janik, who headed the group of Polish doctors on behalf of the Germans, had a list of the more valuable equipment that was to be taken from the hospital; accordingly, this included the laboratory of Prof. Zeyland, one X-ray apparatus, and some other items, but I don’t know exactly what.

At this point the report was brought to a close and signed.