ANNIVERSARY OF THE SHOOTING OF POLES FROM THE FREE CITY
OF GDAŃSK (DANZIG)
Stutthof Memorial
The ceremony was attended by the descendants of Dr Stefan Goldman, one of the victims of the execution on Good Friday, 22 March 1940. The audience was addressed by Mr Bartosz Goldman, who presented the extremely moving story of his great-grandfather.
Historical background
In January 1940, a meeting of the German police summary court took place at the Stutthof camp in the presence of the first commandant, Max Paule. Following his verdict, 89 people, Polish clergy, activists of social organisations, offices and administration, were sentenced to death. They were sent to the camp as part of the "Inteligenzaktion” (a.k.a; the Intelligentsia mass shootings) implemented in Gdansk Pomerania. Their sole wrongdoing was acting in manifestation of the Polishness of the Free City of Gdańsk.
The first execution took place on 11 January 1940, when the Germans murdered 22 people. Among them were Priests Franciszek Rogaczewski - the rector of the Church of Christ the King in Gdańsk, and Bernard Wiecki - the parish priest of Wocławacha in Żuławy in Gdańsk. On that particular day, individuals affiliated with Polish organisations in the Free City of Gdansk were also murdered, namely Franciszek Kręcki, a lawyer and banker, and Witold Nełkowski, a railwayman and secretary of the Polish Labour Association. Franciszka Kręcki - lawyer and tanker or Witold Nełkowski – railwayman, secretary of the Polish Labour Association.
Another execution was carried out on 22 March 1940, when 67 people were shot. A few days before the execution, the Germans were tasked with choosing a group of prisoners to subject to harassment. This is how Brunon Zwarra recalled their fate:
Right after lunch, a command was given for all of us to form a line in front of the chambers for roll call. […] A table was arranged on a slightly elevated incline in front of the active disinfection unit in the central barrack, with SS officers, led by Pauly, positioned around it. One of them brought some paper and placed it on the table. Without delay, the commandant commenced examining them and, within a moment, proclaimed that the prisoners whose numbers he would announce should proceed from their formations and align themselves in two rows in front of him. Slowly, he called out over fifty numbers, and then our renowned activists stood before him [...], with MP Antoni Lendzion at the forefront. Among them, the tall figure of Bronisław Komorowski stood out prominently, followed by the slightly stooped Professor Pniewski, Director Stefan Goldman, […] and the robust Zygmunt Grimsmann […]. After a short break, further numbers of prisoners were read out and ordered to stand near the first group. […] They were forced into arduous labour and frequently subjected to physical abuse. All their outer garments, scarves and even handkerchiefs were taken from them. […] They were all despised by the Polish population, who consistently and vocally affirmed their presence in Gdańsk.
Fr Alfons Muzalewski recalled the execution itself, which occurred on Good Friday:
"A second group of Danzig citizens was executed on Good Friday 1940, including Fr Komorowski and Fr Górecki. [...] Those killed then included Lendzion – an MP; Dr Goldman – a grain merchant; Knitter – a railwayman; Łysakowski Konrad; Dr Szuca – a member of the Port Council; Wesołowski Augustyn – a member of the Port Council; Block Leon – father – a railwayman; Block Leon – son; Witkowski Tomasz – a railwayman; Sojecki Konrad – railwayman; Trzebiatowski Leon – railwayman; Gregorkiewicz Józef – railwayman; Jurkiewicz Antoni – railwayman; Kosznik – official of the Port Council; Grimsman Zygmunt, Gański; Dichman – engineer of the Port Council, Nitka; Muzyk Feliks – choir conductor in Gdańsk. [...]
On Thursday, a group of prisoners was mobilised to the execution site and assigned the duty of excavating graves for the condemned prisoners. On Friday morning, they were led out quietly. We heard shots. We heard shots. They were led out quietly.”
The memoirs of fellow inmates contain information regarding the execution of the crime and the subsequent eradication of evidence by the perpetrators, a task that was imposed upon other prisoners. One of them was Tadeusz Masio, who, in his account, recalls:
Equipped with shovels, we stood near the main gate, ready to march to work. As night fell, the sound of rapid gunfire erupted from the same area of the forest where we had witnessed an eerie glow the night before. It was in the northwest direction from the main gate, about one or one and a half kilometres away. When our SS men heard the shots, they opened the gate, and with a shout, we were rushed in that direction. As we ran through the forest, we suddenly came across an illuminated area where a massive trench had been dug. It was 3-4 metres wide and 20 metres long. The ditch contained the bodies of prisoners, partially covered by a thin layer of sand. We were ordered to fill up the ditch [...]. We planted some trees at the location of the ditch.
On 22 March, we observed the 84th anniversary of the tragic event in which German forces shot 67 Poles from the Free City of Gdansk. Once again, a gathering was organised at the memorial monument where representatives of the victims' families, local government authorities, uniformed services, students from schools in the Nowy Dwór County, scouts, museum workers, and Pomerania residents came together to commemorate the individuals who were shot in two executions near the Stutthof camp in 1940.