BRONISŁAWA WILIMOWSKA

Warsaw, 20 March 1947. Judge Halina Wereńko, a member of the District Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes, interviewed the person named below as a witness, without taking an oath. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations, the witness testified as follows:


Name and surname Bronisława Celina Wilimowska, née Paradowska, widow
Date of birth 30 December 1906
Parents’ names Antoni and Stanisława
Education Higher School of Fine Arts
Religion Roman Catholic
Place of residence Warsaw, Piusa Street 22, flat 21
Citizenship and nationality Polish
Profession clerk at the Ministry of Culture and Art

During the Warsaw Uprising I was a member of the group commanded by captain "Kryska", working as a liaison officer at the command headquarters. Around 17 September 1944 I found myself at Wilanowska Street 14 in a detachment comprising some 20 people from the unit of captain "Kryska", approximately 20 soldiers from Berling’s army, and a few men from the group of colonel "Radosław". At this time we were trying to get through to the banks of the Wisła. There was no command any more (the officers had perished or were seriously wounded), communication with other groups had been interrupted, the Germans were attacking all around, bombing individual groups of insurrectionaries – assembled by chance – or shelling them from tanks. During the night from 19 to 20 September (I’m not sure of the date) we heard the Germans summoning insurrectionists to lay down their arms; they were either calling to us, or maybe to a group gathered at Wilanowska Street 18. No one from our detachment came forward.

I don’t know what happened at Wilanowska Street 18.

On 20 September (I’m not sure of the date) a German unit showered us with grenades. We withdrew to the next cellar, joining with the civilian population, some of whom had already exited and were taking down the barricades. Because we were being called upon by the civilians, and recognizing the fact that the situation was hopeless (we were without water for the third day running), we came out, joining with groups of the civilian populace in Wilanowska Street. The Germans (I didn’t recognise their branches of service; they were dressed in green uniforms with black lapel badges, and thus were either SS or Gestapo) drove us on foot to the "Społem" depot at the corner of Wilanowska and Czerniakowska streets. We were gathered in a glazed hall on the ground floor, in a group numbering up to one thousand people. The Germans started to search us, grabbing documents and valuables, shoving and hitting us at random. There was a terrible commotion, and the German soldiers were infuriated. They took "Szympans", a female liaison officer, and another female liaison officer from command headquarters (I don’t remember her surname), and shot both of them in the side hall, behind the machines. At the same time – in the course of the interrogations, searches, pillaging and inspection of documents – they murdered a few men from the Home Army, whose surnames I don’t remember, whom they also took to the side, behind the machines. I am certain that the two female liaison officers, "Szympans" and the other girl, had no Home Army markings when they were executed. One of the female nurses who had an eagle on her lapel was hit on the face. All this occurred in an atmosphere of frenzy amongst the German soldiers, totally at random, with no plan.

Once they had carried out the shootings, the German soldiers surrounding us withdrew and a new group appeared. Some of the women were set to work taking down the barricades at Wilanowska Street, after which the population was led away in groups. In the evening I went out with a group of people into Górnośląska Street to the Students’ House, where we spent the night. I saw that the soldiers took two young women; they did not return to our group. The next day we were taken to aleja Szucha 25, and from there – as civilians – to the transit camp in Pruszków.

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