The
Testimony of Harry Konopko from the War Crimes trials of
Nazi Officers Windisch and Werner
"En
route to the execution site, I said to my family, that I intended
to flee. My mother pleaded with me to change my mind,
as I would be shot forthwith. Thereupon I marched a way further
with my family and that of my uncle, toward the execution place,
and then fled alone. A member of the guard ran after me and
kicked me to the ground. He then shot at me a number of times
with a machine pistol, of which the majority tangled in my
clothes. I should state at this point, that, just in case,
we had put on several sets of clothes over each other, just
in case, before we were taken away. Two shots hit the back
of my head. I lay, covered in blood, and pretended to be dead.
In reality, I was so shocked and weak I couldn’t have
stood up. I lay in this site, about 100 m from the execution
place. I the course of the day, I briefly looked up and toward
the executions now and then. Thus I saw that the Jews were
forced to disrobe a short distance from the execution site
and then to walk over boards that had been laid over the graves.
Then they were shot with fixed machine guns. The children were
thrown in the air, in part their heads were smashed together.
I saw Windisch and Hanweg at the execution site. I do not know
if Werner was there or if he shot at fleeing Jews. I did see
how Windisch shot at a child that had been thrown in the air
by a Lithuanian or Latvian with a double action gun. Then I
must have lost consciousness again, at any rate, I threw up
violently in the rain and night and crawled back to the ghetto,
where I collapsed. On the next morning, Jews being forced to
move within the ghetto found me there. These Jews brought me
to Dr. Mesnik (now Dr. Mason) who gave me a shot and bandaged
me."
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