HENRYK DZIEWIĘCKI

Warsaw, 11 October 1949. Irena Skonieczna (MA), acting as a member of the Main Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes in Poland, interviewed the person named below, who testified as follows:


Name and surname Henryk Witold Dziewięcki
Date and place of birth 19 February 1908, Warsaw
Parents’ names Franciszek and Michalina, née Myślińska
Father’s profession varnisher
Citizenship and nationality Polish
Religion Roman Catholic
Education Municipal Technical Skill Improvement School
Profession locksmith
Place of residence Warsaw, aleja 3 Maja 14, flat 66
Criminal record none

On 6 September 1944 the German units – Wehrmacht, as I heard – started to occupy the area of Powiśle. Before noon that day they took Smulikowskiego Street. The Germans ordered the civilians to leave their homes, and directed them towards Tamka Street. I saw how one of the German soldiers robbed the evictees of their valuables, while another – standing near the steps of the Alfa Laval factory at Smulikowskiego Street 3, completely drunk – started shooting at some of the people. I witnessed him killing a man who had been wounded in the chest, then a woman and yet another man, who had been wounded in the hand and whom the German accused of being an insurgent. An insurgent hospital had been set up at the Alfa Laval factory.

When the Germans entered Smulikowskiego Street, nine or so severely wounded insurgents were lying there. The remaining wounded had managed to escape. The Germans took some 18 men from the group of evictees, myself among them, to carry out these wounded people. We waited for approximately three hours before being ordered to enter the room in which the wounded were lying. For a moment or so the Germans bustled about the room, inspecting the wounded. Then they ordered us to leave. As we were walking down the corridor towards the stairs, I heard a rozpylacz [submachine gun] being fired in the room where the wounded were lying. Next they ordered us to exit in the direction of Tamka Street, along the way detaining a few more men, including a priest.

I do not know what happened to those people. Together with the civilians who walked out of the nearby streets, I walked along Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie Street to Belwederska Street, and from there through Senatorska Street, Teatralny Square and Elektoralna Street to St. Adalbert’s Church.

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