On 6 March 1948, Władysława Ziara, residing in Warsaw at Wawelska Street 52, flat 54, appeared upon summons before the Warsaw District Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes in Poland, and made the following deposition in the presence of Jerzy Żłobicki, the clerk of the Commission:
At the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising I was with my husband Stanisław in our flat in the building of the Ministry of Forestry.
On 1 August 1944 at about 8.00 p.m., having repelled the insurgents’ attack, the Germans, who had entered the premises of the Ministry in the first hours of the uprising, led us from the flat to the basement. We stayed in that basement, which was made into a shelter, until 7 August.
On that day at about 1.00 p.m.–2.00 p.m. a unit of “Ukrainians” entered the premises and came to the yard. An SS officer from the unit stationed on the premises of the Academy of Political Science, whom I knew by sight, came to the basement in which we had been gathered (all the people who lived in the building, civilians). That officer took watches from several people and left. A few minutes later, the “Ukrainians” stormed in, took all the men out and placed them by one of the walls in the yard. Next all the women and children were also led out and placed by another wall. Then the robbery began. The “Ukrainians” took our watches and all valuable possessions. At one point a “Ukrainian” officer came and, after a conversation with the SS officer, gave an order to take all men to Wawelska Street. Soon afterwards we heard volleys of shots.
The women and children were searched one more time, and a few hours later we were led to the hall of the Ministry.
My husband, Rymkowski, Włodecki and Wiśniewski were among those men who had been led out. Nobody from that group came back.
On 28 April 1945, when I was back in Warsaw, I found the body of my husband. Only Michał Rymkowski (residing at Filtrowa Street 75) survived that execution.
We stayed in the hall of the Ministry of Forestry until 10.00–11.00 a.m. on 8 August 1944. At night drunken soldiers, “Ukrainians,” were harassing women, six of whom were even raped.
On 8 August we managed to leave with a transport of German things that were being evacuated from Warsaw.