Testimony of Wiesław Kielar: The events of 24th June 1944

The siren is pathetically ending its howling. We’re standing; the whole camp is at a standstill. Lagerführer Schwarzhube has gone to the guardhouse with his entire entourage. The blockführers are also heading off, one by one, and leaving authority in the hands of Danisch and block elders. It is now more uncluttered and I can see towards the FKL. It is too far off to notice anything. There is also a roll call happening there and they cannot get a correct count. I shivered as again the sound of the siren called out. There is general agitation. Everyone is surprised, after all, only one has escaped, but the siren is signaling that someone else is missing, that someone else had also fled. “Lagerältester! Lagerältester! Nach vorne”- they called from the side of the guardhouse. Danisch was running ever faster towards the Blockführerstube. After a moment, he returned. The functionaries surrounded him. Lagercapo is screaming ales antratten. There is no roll-call, they did not even call the kapos to search the area within the great cordon. It all became clear. The news spread around the camp with lightning speed. The escapees were, from the FKL, a Jewish Läufer Mala Zimetbaum, number 19880, and favorite of Rapportführerin Dreschler; while from our camp, the maintenance worker, Edek Galiński, number 531. Schwartzhuber was saying that since such an old prisoner had escaped there was no need to even search for them. After supper, I ran to Jurek Baran. Every few meters inquisitive acquaintances stopped me, they took and squeezed my hand, winked knowingly, trying to show that they knew much more. We were always seen together, so they wondered how it could be that I remained behind. The Jews were the happiest. They invited me over, offering anything that they could (…).