poniedziałek, 21 marca 2016

22 March 1940 – the execution of the activists of Polonia Gdańska


In January 1940 in KL Stutthof a police drumhead court-martial (Standgericht) took place, chaired by the chief of Staatspolizeistelle in Gdańsk, Dr Helmut Tanzmann. Max Pauly, the commandant of KL Stutthof, was one of the members of the Standgericht. The court sentenced to death several dozens of activists of Polonia Gdańska and Polish employees of offices in Gdańsk. The first group of 22 persons was executed by firing squad on 11 January 1940. Two months later, on Good Friday on 22 March, the second group of 67 persons was executed. Tadeusz Masio, a prisoner of Stutthof who participated in the masking of the execution place, recalls these events:

“… in March 1940 I went through the greatest experience of my whole imprisonment in Stutthof. A Strafkolonie, a penal colony, was present in the camp. It was formed by Poles from the Free City of Gdańsk… …there were a few dozens of them. They were never allowed to exit the camp. During the lunch break, when other prisoners were resting, they were continuously trained, chased around the yard, they had to crawl… It was already dark when we heard gunshots from the woods, a whole series from machine guns… we were sent in that direction. We were running through the woods, when we reached a place illuminated with spotlights we saw a big ditch. 3-4 meters wide, 20 meters long. Corpses of prisoners covered with sand were lying in it. We were told to fill in the ditch… we could still hear the moans, the whole stack was moving even after we covered it completely. We planted a few trees where the ditch was previously”.
 The execution was managed by SS-Obersturmfuehrer Richard Reddig, who later on worked as the commander of one of the guard companies in KL Stutthof and who worked before the war as a tram inspector in Gdańsk.



 The names of the people shot on 22 March 1940

1.                  Binnebesel Alfons
2.                  Block Alojzy
3.                  Block Leon
4.                  Borzyszkowski Edmund
5.                  Ciepłuch Feliks
6.                  Cymorek Rudolf
7.                  Czyżewski Mieczysław
8.                  Dettlaff Edmund
9.                  Filarski Bernard
10.              Gauza Józef
11.              Garyantysiewicz Alfons
12.              Gierszewski Feliks
13.              Goldmann Stefan
14.              Górecki Marian
15.              Grabowski Leon Zygmunt
16.              Gregorkiewicz Józef
17.              Grimsmann Wilhelm
18.              Grimsmann Zygmunt
19.              Jesikiewicz Jan
20.              Jurkiewicz Antoni
21.              Klimkiewicz Teodor
22.              Knitter Wincenty
23.              Komorowski Bronisław
24.              Kosznik Paweł
25.              Kramer Gustaw
26.              Kryń Jan
27.              Lange Bogdan
28.              Lendzion Antoni
29.              Łysakowski Konrad
30.              Majkowski Jan
31.              Mionskowski Augustyn
32.              Młodzieniewski Franciszek
33.              Muzyk Feliks
34.              Nitka Edward
35.              Nitka Brunon
36.              Ossowski Józef
37.              Papka Alfons
38.              Paszota Bolesław
39.              Piasecki Wincenty Juliusz
40.              Planeta Juliusz
41.              Pniewski Władysław
42.              Reetz Stanisław
43.              Sojecki Konrad
44.              Suchecki Brunon
45.              Szarski Gustaw
46.              Szuca Michał
47.              Thomas Henryk
48.              Trzebiatowski Leon
49.              Wesołowski Augustyn
50.              Wieczorkiewicz Henryk
51.              Wika – Czarnowski Anastazy
52.              Witkowski Szymon
53.              Woyda Piotr
54.              Ziółkowski Tadeusz
55.              until 67 – the names of the victims are unknown

Sources:
Agnieszka Kłys, „Niemcy, obywatele byłego Wolnego Miasta Gdańska w załodze obozu Stutthof (1939-1945)”
Janina Grabowska-Chałka, „Informator Historyczny Muzeum Stutthof”
ws
Tłumaczenie: Katarzyna Flis 

Pictures from the exhumation of the executed activists of Polonia Gdańska – Stutthof Museum exposition.


The register of group executions in KL Stutthof in years 1939-1945 – Stutthof Museum exposition.



The exposition with the names of the people shot on 11 January and 22 March 1940 – Stutthof Museum exposition.


The execution place of the activists of Polonia Gdańska – the woods near Sztutowo.

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