“..In November and December 1941 began .. Slaughter of Jews in ..Western Poland. ..Slaughter was done by means gas. ..a special gas-chamber car ..into which 90 People were loaded. ..victims were buried in ..graves in clearings of ..Forest. On ..average 1,000 were gassed daily. In Chelmno from November 1941 to March 1942 all ..Jews from Kolo ..Dab(ie) ..Bugaj ..Izbica ..some 5,000 in all .. together with 35,000 from ..Lodz Ghetto ..were gassed.” Shmuel Zygielbojm.
The catholic church in Chelmno served as the collection point for All the Wealth, possessions, and goods that profited Hitler’s regime, knowing all too well where such larceny was connected to. Also, and during the Month of March are the Shtetl’s and Towns of Blaszki,Iwanowice, Kozminek, Stawiszyn being emptied of the Jewish Community’s.
Also during the Month of April are the Shtetl’s and Towns of Lubraniec, Piotrkow-Kujawski being emptied of the Jewish Community’s.
Also during the Month of July are the Shtetl’s and Towns of Aleksandrow-Kujawski being emptied of the Jewish Community’s.
Also during the Month of August are the Shtetl’s and Towns of Boleslawiec, Kielczyglow, Pajeczno,Osjakow, Siemkowice, Sulmierzyce being emptied of the Jewish Community’s.
My thoroughness, and that need to know is a research which hasn’t proved extensive enough to know much more than these Jewish Community’s were laid to waste within Chelmno itself. I have Chelmno listed as a Book I would choose to Write, as it impacts more immediately upon the Jewish People within Poland, as the first centre for the Extermination programme for European Jewry being rolled out. Here, and despite more than 1,000,000 Jews having been previously Killed, there is an escalation which is precipitated by the shooting of the Jews which as proving problematic for German sensitivities. Or so it is suggested. But in the following places of Jewish Community, to delve further would take an inordinate length of time, which would take me away from my next 3 or 4 book endeavours. But know these: Belchatwek, Bielawki, Brdow, Brudzew, Bugemin, Burzenin, Bydgoszcz, Cekow, Chabielice, Chelmza, Chocz, Ciechocinek, Czernikowo, Dabrowa-Rusiecka, Dabrowice, Dombie, Dombrowa, Dombrowice, Gardeza, Gniew, Gniewkowo, Grebocin, Grocholice, Grudziadz, Kaliska, Kleszczw, Koscielec, Kruzwicka, Lasin, Laskowice, Liscovo, Liono, Lubichowo, Lysomice, Malanow, Mojaczewice, Orlun, Osie, Osielsko, Osmolin, Ostrow-Kaliski, Pelplin, Przyrownica, Rzgow, Skarszewy, Skorcz, Skzpa, Sliwice, Szczercow, Torun, Tuszyn, Unislaw, Warlubie, Wielgie, Wladyslawow, Wroclaw, Zawyadki, and Zblewo, all add to the decimation of the Jewish People and their desecration in the Gassing Vans which delivered them from Chelmno to eternity.
“..My friend Getzel Chrzastowski screamed terribly for a moment when he recognized his 14 year-old Son ..who had just been thrown into ..ditch. We had to stop him ..too ..from begging ..Germans to shoot him. We argued it was necessary to survive this suffering ..so we might revenge ourselves later and pay ..Germans back.” Yakov Grojanowski.
Chelmno was the first established Death Camp for the Jews of Europe, and it was purposely situated less than 50 miles from the major Jewish conurbation of Lodz, Poland. Many dozens of local community’s also were stripped bare of their Jews, loaded onto train transports, which usually disembarked at Kolo or Kutno, or were loaded onto trucks to be deposited at the Schloss. From both train hubs too, the Jewish People were trucked directly to Chelmno, only to then be boarded onto Gassing Vans. Then these Jewish Victims were Gassed enroute to their cremation site some 2 miles away in the Rzuchow Forest. Here we are to recognise that between the hours of 8:30 am and 5:00 pm the Jews in the mass graves dug, lined Jewish bodies up, covered them with a layer of soil, buried them, then proceeded as each truck load of Gassed Jews was deposited at the rim of the grave. At the end of the working day, those gravediggers within the grave, remained. Shot as they were lined up, face down upon those Jews they had buried. Be they Family, or Friend, Young or Old, Infant, Baby, Toddler. If they were Jews they were to remain confined to such ignominy as inhumanity reserved for them. The walk from the one site, the loading site, along the Gassing route, to the Waldlager, is a brutal reminder to me of what was presented to Polish witnesses who chose to pass along such information that was disseminated further afield. Varying estimates do of course exist which suggest that some 152,000 to 1,300,097 Jews were Gassed and Murdered at Chelmno.
“..Places such as Belzec .. Treblinka ..Sobibor .. Auschwitz ..Birkenau.. Babi-Yar ..Drobitski-Yar ..Ponar ..Trostinets are symbols of eternal grief. Among these names that have become synonymous with inhumanity ..village of Chelmno commands a central place.” Shmuel Krakowski.
While Chelmno was in operation from December 7th 1941, and even before, this would suggest, and at a kill rate of just 6,000 Jews per day, could see these Jews completely eviscerated within 26 to 217 days, or within some 8 months at most. The truth of course is wildly different as the days stretched the killing operation to an insurmountable level of destruction tallying up to 14,000 Jews Gassed in one day. So my search for their loss is extraordinarily sparse in the detail necessary to deliver a more vivid presentation of their losses here. But, and while all effort to deliver back to memory any of those Jews submerged within the horror of such a place as Chelmno, anything remotely enabling the records to be explored will all add to a necessary memory much of the World, and the history which confronts it, is being set to the background, and out of accusations way. The many transports of Jews from the Lodz Ghetto, passing through Kolo, which ended up in Chelmno, can be traced back to the Radogoszcz station in Lodz. From this Kolo Station, the disembarked Jews were force marched through the Town, and were rested at the local Synagogue. Here they would lay in preparation for their onward Journey to the Gassing Vans at Chelmno which awaited them.
December 7th 1941
Kolo and Kowale-Panskie, here, and where uncertainty exists as to the Gassing Operation which commenced at Chelmno, this Gassing was carried out on a limited basis. Though between 700 Jews and 800 Jews of Kolo had arrived, there are estimates which suggest that Jews from Kowale-Panskie had previously arrived on November 13th 1941. Today, and with a practice run of Gassing, the Murdering of a Van load of just some of these Jews, on this first day, cannot be conclusive.
December 8th 1941
Kolo, and Kowale-Panskie a loss of 800 Kolo Jews, and 1,100 Jews from Kowale signalled an escalation toward such numbers as these, every 2 Hours.
December 9th 1941 until December 11th 1941
Kolo displaced the last catchment of its Jews, which now numbered barely a few hundred, as 5,100 of Kolo’s Jews and Jews from the outlying Towns, would be laid to waste. Amongst those we Remember here from Kolo, and during the resettlement effort are:
Josef Brandt, Estera Brandt, Lajzer Feldman, Chaja Piotrowska, Dawid Zilber, Ela Zilber, and Reisze Zilberberg.
December 12th 1941
Czachulec.
December 13th 1941
Czachulec, Dobra, Kalisz, Kowale-Panskie, Pecznev, Tuliszkow, Turek, Turk, and Uniejow.
December 14th 1941
Czachulec, Dobra, Kalisz, Kowale-Panskie, Pecznev, Tuliszkow, Turek had a 3,700 strong Jewish Community, Turk, and Uniejow.
December 15th 1941
Kalisz, Kowale-Panskie, and Turek.
December 16th 1941
Lodz, 157,000 Jews, and Wloclawek 20,000 Jews. This is the prelude to Lodz’s mass deportations, as an initial group of Lodz Jews, purportedly headed for a Labour Battalion, were redirected toward oblivion. It is unclear as to why these Jews from Lodz were being removed to Kolo, a population of over 2,600 Jews, or those Lodz Jews removed to Kutno, but starvation and food bribery played a massive hand in this acceptance by too many Jews. The arrival also, of more Jews from Wloclawek forced the Judenrate’s hand. Tragically for these Jews, Kolo homes had already become fully occupied. Poles moving into Jewish accommodations as soon as Chelmno beckoned for what had been the former Jewish Community. More than 2,300 Jews had already been expelled from here over the course of time.
December 17th 1941
Dabie. An initial contingent of these Jews, formerly sent to assist with the construction of the Cremation area, were also gassed alongside those Jews completely exhausted by their work detail.
December 18th 1941
Dabie. Of the 1,100 Jews of the Town, few survived the ravages of Chelmno.
December 19th 1941
Dabie, Klodawa, and Kolo. Some of these Jews were the first to be brought along specifically for the purposes of digging the trenches for the Cremation area in the Rzuchow Forest. Those who proved ineffectual, and struggled with the task were delivered to the Gassing Vans with those Jews of Dabie and Kolo still holding out. Many of these broken and deflated Jews were also shot into the massive graves they had previously dug. The whim of the German overseers was randomly trigger happy and took aim at any of those Jews they took a particular dislike to. Here then, and between December 20th 1941 and January 3rd 1942, and I do not ever mean to suggest that Chelmno lay idle for this period, but the demonstration of Gassing which pre-empted the commensurate detail of this Death Camps capacity to Destroy the Jewish People, was preceded by the Murders of so many Jews here, it is an incalculable.
January 4th 1942
Nowiny-Brdowskie.
January 5th 1942
Czortkow, and Zdunska-Wola.
January 6th 1942
Dabie, 1,180 Jews and Kolo.
“..arrived ..12:30 pm. ..out of ..lorry. ..black-uniformed SS ..Reich Germans. ..ordered to hand over all our money and valuables. ..15 Men ..selected ..taken ..to ..cellar rooms of ..Schloss. ..spent ..whole night without shutting our eyes. ..talked about ..deportation of Jews ..from Kolo and Dabie. ..we had no prospect of ever getting out again.” Yakov Grojanowski.
Some of these known of Kolo are Michal Podchlebnik, and Rosenthal.
January 7th 1942
Izbica-Kujawska, was a community of 1,600 Jews, and Klodawa.
“..At seven in ..morning ..gendarme on duty knocked and ordered us to get up. It took half an hour till they brought us black coffee and bread from our provisions. We drew some meagre consolation from this and told each other there was a God in heaven ..we would ..be going to work. At about 8:30 we were led into ..courtyard. 6 of us had to go into ..second cellar room to bring out 2 corpses. ..dead were from Klodawa ..and had hanged themselves. They were conscript grave-diggers. Their corpses were thrown on a lorry. We met ..other 14 enforced grave-diggers from Izbica. As soon as we came out of ..cellar we were surrounded by 12 gendarmes and Gestapo men with machine guns. We got on ..lorry. Our escorts were 6 gendarmes with machine guns. Behind us came another vehicle with 10 gendarmes and two civilians. We drove in ..direction of Kolo for about 7 kms till turning left into ..forest ..after half a kilometre we halted at a clear path. We were ordered to get down and line up in double file. An SS man ordered us to fall in with our shovels ..dressed ..despite ..frost ..only in shoes ..underwear ..trousers and shirts. Our coats ..hats ..gloves ..had to remain in a pile on ..ground. ..2 civilians took all ..shovels and pick-axes down from ..lorry. 8 of us who weren’t handed any tools had to take down ..corpses. Already on our way into ..forest we saw about 14 men ..enforced grave-diggers from Klodawa ..who had arrived before us. ..8t men without tools carried ..2 corpses to ..ditch and threw them in. We didn’t have to wait long before ..next lorry arrived with fresh victims. It was specially constructed. It looked like a normal large lorry ..in grey paint ..with two hermetically closed rear doors. ..inner walls were of steel metal. There weren’t any seats. ..floor was covered by a wooden grating ..as in public baths ..with straw mats on top. Between ..driver’s cab and ..rear part were two peepholes. With a torch one could observe through these peepholes if ..victims were already dead. Under ..wooden grating were two tubes about 15 cms thick which came out of ..cab. ..tubes had small openings from which gas poured out. ..gas generator was in ..cab ..where ..driver sat all ..time. ..uniform of ..SS death’s head units and was about forty years old. There were two such vans. When ..lorries approached we had to stand at a distance of 5 metres from ..ditch. ..leader of ..guard detail was a high-ranking SS man ..an absolute sadist and murderer. He ordered that 8 men were to open ..doors of ..lorry. ..smell of gas that met us was overpowering. After ..doors had been open for five minutes orders were screamed at us ..Here ..You Jews. Get in there and turn everything out. ..work didn’t progress quickly enough. ..SS leader fetched his whip and screamed ..I’ll give you a hand straight away. He hit out in all directions on people’s heads ..ears and so on ..till they collapsed. 3 of 8 who couldn’t get up again were shot on ..spot. When ..others saw this they clambered back on their feet and continued ..work with their last reserves of energy. ..corpses were thrown one on top of another ..like rubbish on a heap. We got hold of them by ..feet and ..hair. At ..edge of ..ditch stood 2 men who threw in .. bodies. In ..ditch stood an additional 2 men who packed them in head to feet ..facing downwards. If any space was left ..a child was pushed in. Every batch comprised 180 ..200 corpses. For every 3 vanloads 20 men were used to cover up ..corpses. At first this had to be done twice ..later up to three times ..because 9 vans arrived with 550 corpses. At exactly 12 noon we had to put our shovels down and to climb out of ..ditch. We were surrounded by guards all ..time. We even had to excrete on ..spot. We went to ..spot where our belongings were. We had to sit on them close together. We were given cold bitter coffee and a frozen piece of bread. That was our lunch. That’s how we sat half an hour. Afterwards we had to line up ..were counted and led back to work. What did ..dead look like. They weren’t burnt or black ..their faces were unchanged. Nearly all ..dead were soiled with excrement. At about 5 o’clock we stopped work. ..8 men who had worked with ..corpses had to lie on top of them face downwards. An SS man with a machine gun shot at their heads. We dressed quickly and took ..shovels with us. We were counted and escorted to ..lorry by gendarmes and SS men. We had to put ..shovels away. Then we were counted again and pushed into ..lorry. ..journey to ..Schloss took about 15 minutes. We travelled together with ..men from Klodawa and talked very quietly together ..so ..gendarmes sitting at ..back shouldn’t hear us. It turned out that there were many more rooms in ..Schloss. We numbered 20 in our room ..with 15 more in ..adjacent one. There weren’t any other enforced grave diggers. As soon as we came into ..cold and black cellar we threw ourselves down on ..straw and cried about everything that had befallen us. It was a very depressing sight. ..sergeant-major knocked at ..door ..shouting Quiet ..you Jews or I shoot. We continued ..prayer softly with choking voices. At 7:30 in ..evening they brought us a pot of thin kohlrabi soup. We couldn’t swallow anything for crying and pain. It was very cold and we had no covers at all. One of us exclaimed Who knows who among us will be missing tomorrow. We pressed close together and lapsed into exhausted fitful sleep haunted by terrible dreams. We slept for about 4 hours. Then we ran about ..room freezing cold and debating ..fate that was in store for us.” Yakov Grojanowski.
Amongst Yakov’s fellow slave labourer’s were:
Ajzensztab, Chrzastkowski, both from Klodawa, Monik Halter, Meir Pitrowski and Gershon Praschker, all from Izbica-Kujawska.
January 8th 1942
Belchatow, 5,200 Jews. It is uncertain as to whether we are taking account of all those Jews brought in from the outlying areas of Belchatwek, Chabielice, Grocholice, Kleszczw, Przyrownica, and Szczercow. Izbica-Kujawska, Klodawa, Pabiance, 7,230 Jews and Wroclawek.
“..day starts in more or less similar fashion to yesterday ..although high ranking SS men came to visit. Their identity is not mentioned ..but they were driving in a limousine.. Together with his fellows he was shot in ..ditch at the end of ..working day. I state with 100 per cent certainty that ..executions had taken place in ..Forest. In ..normal course of events ..gas vans used to stop about 100 metres from ..mass graves. In two instances ..gas vans ..filled with Jews ..stopped 20 metres from ..ditch. This happened once on this Thursday ..other time on Wednesday ..14th. Our comrades from among ..8 told us there was an apparatus with buttons in ..driver’s cab. From this apparatus 2 tubes led into ..van. ..pressed a button and got out of ..van. At ..same moment frightful screaming ..shouting ..banging against ..sides of ..van could be heard. That lasted for about 15 minutes. Then ..driver re-boarded ..van and shone an electric torch into ..back to see if ..people were already dead. Then he drove ..van to a distance of 5 metres from ..ditch. They were still warm and looked asleep. Their cheeks weren’t pale ..they still had a natural skin colour. Friends ..honourable people ..get up and sing after me ..first we shall cover our heads. I began to sing Hear O Israel ..eternal one is our God ..eternal one is unique. Those assembled repeated each verse in depressed tones. Then I continued: Praised be his name and ..splendour of his realm for even and ever ..which ..others repeated after me 3 times. ..gendarme insisted that we go on. I said Friends and honourable people ..we shall now sing ..Hatikvah. And we sang ..anthem with our heads covered. It sounded like a prayer. After this ..gendarme left and bolted ..door with 3 locks.” Yakov Grojanowski.
Amongst those known are:
Mosche Asch from Izbica-Kujawska, Getzel Chrzastowski from Klodawa, Eisenstab from Klodawa, Jehuda Jakubowicz from Wloclawek, Meir Pitrowski from Wloclawek, and Mechel Wiltschinski from Izbica-Kujawska.
January 9th 1942
Bugaj, 60 Jews and Izbica-Kujawska.
“..bottom of ..ditch was about 1.5 metres wide ..top 5 metres and its depth 5 metres. ..mass graves extended a long way. On arrival back at ..at ..courtyard of Schloss-Kulmhof we were disagreeably surprised to see a new transport. They were probably a new batch of grave-diggers: 16 men from Izbica and 16 from Bugaj. 20 of ..old grave-diggers ..together with 5 new ones ..were driven into another room in ..cellar. This room was somewhat smaller than ..previous one. There we found bedding ..underwear ..trousers ..suits as well as food-stuffs. These items belonged to ..new grave-diggers. We heard voices from ..adjacent room. I banged at ..wall and shouted at a spot where a missing brick let ..air through. I asked if H.R. Izbizki was in ..room. He came to ..wall. I asked if at least his Mother and Sister had escaped. ..guard interrupted our conversation. Afterwards ..new arrivals gave us some political news. ..Russians had ..retaken Smolensk and Kiev ..making their way towards us. We wished they would with God’s assistance come and destroy this terrible place. 7 to 8 transports were buried this day ..younger and older people with suitcases and rucksacks. On their clothes a Jewish star was affixed front and back. We assumed they were diseased camp inmates whom the Nazis wanted to get rid of in this manner. They were buried with their belongings. These events shook us to ..core because up until then we had hoped that Jews in ..camps would survive these terrible times.” Yakov Grojanowski.
Amongst those known are:
Menachem Archijowski, Zalman Jakubowski, Knoll, Moshe Lesek, Jehuda Lutzinski, Avigdor Palanski, Gershon Praschker, Izchak Preiss, Kalman Radzewski, Haim Reuben, Steier, and Abraham Zalinski.
January 10th 1942
Klodawa.
“..At about 11 o’clock ..first van loaded with victims arrived. Jewish victims were treated in this way ..Jewish Men ..Women ..Children were in their underwear. After they had been tossed out of ..van 2 Germans in plain clothes stepped up to them to make a thorough check if anything had been hidden. If they saw a necklace round a throat they tore it off. They wrenched rings from fingers ..pulled gold teeth out of mouths. They even examined anuses. ..entire examination was done most brutally. All ..victims were from Klodawa. Eisenstab told us he had no further reason for living ..his Wife ..15 year-old only Daughter ..just been buried. ..his fellows restrained him from asking ..Germans to shoot him. Today 7 transports arrived.” Yakov Grojanowski.
January 11th 1942
Izbica-Kujawska, and Klodawa.
“..told we wouldn’t have to work because it was Sunday. After ..morning prayer and ..prayer for ..dead we remained in our paradisiacal cellar. We didn’t recite ..prayer of penitence. We again talked about ourselves ..politics ..God. Everybody wanted to hold out until liberation.” Yakov Grojanowski.
January 12th 1942
Izbica-Kujawska, Klodawa, and Kutno.
“..At 7:00 a.m. they brought us coffee and bread. Some of ..men from Izbica and Kutno drank up all ..coffee. ..others got very annoyed and said we were already facing death and had to behave with dignity. At 8:30 we were already at work. At 9:30 ..first gas van appeared. Among ..them aged between 50 and 60. Only ..5 oldest ..would be shot ..end of ..day. ..absolutely slave-driven. They wouldn’t even wait till ..gas smell had evaporated. Nine vans ..each of 60 Jews from Klodawa ..500 ..in all. My friend Getzel Chrzastowski screamed terribly for a moment when he recognized his 14 year-old Son ..who had just been thrown into ..ditch. We had to stop him ..begging ..Germans to shoot him. We argued it was necessary to survive this suffering ..so we might revenge ourselves later and pay ..Germans back. Back in ..cellar from ..adjacent room came ..message ..Germans had captured an escaped Jew from Klodawa. Next morning they told us ..following details ..captured escaper ..Mahmens Goldmann ..had told them in detail how ..Jews were driven into ..Gas-Vans. When they arrived at ..Schloss they were at first treated most politely. An elderly German ..around 60 ..with a long pipe in his mouth ..helped ..Mothers to lift ..Children from ..lorry. He carried babies so that Mothers could alight more easily and helped dotards to reach ..Schloss. ..unfortunate ones were deeply moved by his gentle and mild manner. They were led into a warm room which was heated by two stoves. ..floor was covered with wooden gratings as in a bath-house. ..elderly German and ..SS officer spoke to them in this room. They assured them they would be taken to ..Lodz Ghetto. There they were expected to work and be productive. ..Women would look after ..household ..Children would go to school. In order to get there ..they had to undergo delousing. For that purpose ..needed to undress down to their underwear. Their clothes would be passed through hot steam. Valuables and documents should be tied up in a bundle ..and handed over for safe keeping. Whoever had kept banknotes ..or had sewn them into their clothes ..should take them out without fail ..otherwise they would get damaged in ..steam oven. Moreover they would all have to take a bath. ..elderly German politely requested those present to take a bath and opened a door from which 15 to 20 steps led down. It was terribly cold. ..German ..it would get warmer. They walked along a lengthy corridor to some steps leading to a ramp. ..gas van had driven up to ..ramp. ..polite behaviour ended abruptly and they were all driven into ..van with malicious screams. ..Jews realised immediately they were facing death. They screamed ..crying ..prayer Hear O Israel.” Yakov Grojanowski.
Those We recall from here are:
Schlomo Babiacki, Schmuel Bibedgal, Goldmann, and Aharon Rosenthal.
January 13th 1942
Babiak, 240 Jews Bugaj, Bugemin, Kolo, 5,160 Jews and Nowiny-Brdowskie 1,000 Jews.
“..next morning ..Waldlager ..Goldmann was ordered to lie in ..ditch and was shot. On this day ..transports were brimful ..roughly 90 corpses in each van. ..Jewish community at Bugemin was liquidated. Also ..800 Jews from Bugaj. ..buried 9 transports ..after work ..5 ..men who had unloaded ..corpses were shot. ..in ..cellar Michael Worbleznik burst into tears ..he had lost his Wife ..2 Children ..his Parents. ..question how one could escape in order to warn the whole Jewish population ..intensively discussed ..not solved that night.” Yakov Grojanowski.
Prior to the arrival of some 600 Jews from Nowiny-Brdowskie, 400 of the Towns Jews were shot in situ. Michal Podchlebnik, had just unloaded the bodies of his Wife and 2 Children from the 3rd Gassing Van to arrive at the burial site that day.
January 14th 1942
Izbica-Kujawska.
“..Immediately after breakfast Krzewacki from Klodawa hanged himself ..with ..help of Getzel Chrzatowski. Gershon Swietoplawski ..Krzewacki’s colleague in digging ..followed him into death. ..corpses remained in ..cellar for a few days. ..victims ..Jews from Izbica. On this day one of ..vans drove in error right up to ..ditch. We heard ..muted cries for help and knocking at ..door of ..tortured victims. ..end of ..day 6 men ..were shot.” Yakov Grojanowski.
January 15th 1942
Izbica-Kujawska, and Lodz 3,000 Jews arrived today from Lodz alone.
“..On this occasion we rode in a bus. Monik Halter called across to me ..windows of ..vehicle could be easily opened with a hook. ..thought of escape had lodged in my brain all ..time. At 8 a.m. ..already at ..work. At ten o’clock ..first victims arrived ..again from Izbica. Till noon we dispatched 4 overloaded transports. One van waited in line after ..next. At midday I received ..sad news that my Brother and Parents had just been buried. I tried to get closer to ..corpses to take a last look at my nearest and dearest. Once I had a clod of frozen earth tossed at me ..thrown by ..German with ..pipe. ..second time Big Whip shot at me. I don’t know if ..shot missed me deliberately ..or by accident. ..I remained alive. ..suppressed my anguish ..concentrated on working fast so as to forget my dreadful situation for five minutes. I remained lonely as a piece of stone. Out of my entire Family ..which comprised 60 people ..I am ..only one who survived. Towards evening ..as we helped to cover ..corpses. ..Michael Podklebnik ..we said ..prayer of ..mourners together. Before leaving ..ditch 5 were shot. At seven in ..evening ..taken back. ..All those who hailed from Izbica were in absolute despair. We had realised that we should never see our relatives again. ..beside myself ..indifferent to everything. ..next room ..18 grave-diggers from Lodz. ..through ..wall heard ..Rumkowski ..ordered ..deportation of 750 families from Lodz.” Yakov Grojanowski.
January 16th 1942
Izbica-Kujawska, and Lodz.
“..750 families ..Lodz ..arrived ..at Kolo ..lodged ..synagogue. ..Some ..looked starved ..signs of having been beaten and injured ..one could gauge ..degree of famine in Lodz. We felt great pity when we saw how they had hungered for a long time merely to perish in such a cruel manner. ..corpses hardly weighed anything. Where previously 3 transports were put in layers ..now there was room for 4. ..Big Whip ..drank ..schnapps ..began to deal murderous blows with his whip. ..they started to pour chloride on ..graves because of ..stench caused by ..corpses. 8 transports were buried. ..7 ..were shot.” Yakov Grojanowski.
Today began the first major deportation of Lodz Jews and their arrival within Chelmno saw the eventual delivery of the vast majority of the Jews of Lodz for Gassing resettlement. Abram Rois, arrived from his hometown of Izbica-Kujawska on a resettlement transport, on January 14th 1942 and was one of the first Jew’s to escape from the Death Camp at Chelmno.
January 17th 1942
Berlin, Brzesc-Kujawski, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Emden, Frankfurt-am-Main, Hamburg, Kowal, Lodz, Lubien, Lubraniec, Luxembourg, Prague, Vienna, Wloclawek, and Zgierz 4,600 Jews.
“..buried 7 overloaded transports. ..finished ..at 5 o’clock ..car appeared ..order to shoot 16. ..punishment for ..escape of Abram Rois. 16 were selected. ..had to lie down in groups of 8 ..face downwards ..on top of ..corpses.” Yakov Grojanowski.
January 18th 1942
Lodz.
“..At 8 o’clock ..at ..work. 20 new pick-axes ..shovels. ..production ..was on ..increase. ..Sunday not all ..gendarmes ..were on duty. ..lunch in ..grave. ..to make sure ..we didn’t attack ..them. ..guns levelled at us filled us with ..fear. ..this day no one was shot at ..end of work. After ..evening prayer we decided to run away ..no matter ..cost. asked Kalman Radzewski to give me a few marks because I didn’t have a ..Pfennig. He gave me 50 marks ..he had sewn into his clothing. ..escape of Rois ..made a deep impression on me because he got out.” Yakov Grojanowski.
January 19th 1942
Lodz.
“..We again boarded ..bus in ..morning. I ..was ..last one aboard. ..gendarme sat in front. On this day no SS men rode behind us. To my right was a window which could be opened easily. During ..ride I opened ..window. When fresh cold air streamed in I caught fright and quickly shut ..window again. My comrades ..among them Monik Halter in particular ..encouraged me ..however. After I made a decision I softly asked my comrades to stand up so ..draught of cold air shouldn’t reach ..gendarmes. I quickly pulled ..window pane out of its frame ..pushed my legs out and turned around. I held on to ..door with my hands and pressed my feet against ..hinges. I told my colleagues they should put ..window pane back immediately after I had jumped. I then jumped at once. When I hit ..ground I rolled for a bit and scraped ..skin off my hands. ..only thing that mattered to me was not to break a leg. I turned round to see if they had noticed anything on ..bus but it continued its journey. I lost no time but ran as fast as I could across fields and woods. After an hour I stood before ..farm of a Polish peasant. ..went inside ..greeted him.. While I warmed myself I asked cautiously about ..distance to Chelmno. It was only 3 kms. I also received a piece of bread which I put in my pocket. As I was about to go ..peasant asked me if I was a Jew which I absolutely denied. I asked him why he suspected me ..and he told me they were gassing Jews ..at Chelmno. I ..went away. Rabbi ..I am a Jew from ..nether world. He looked at me as if I was mad. I told him ..don’t think I am crazed and have lost my reason. I am a Jew from ..nether World. They are killing ..whole nation Israel. I myself have buried a whole town of Jews ..my Parents ..Brothers and ..entire Family. I have remained lonely as a piece of stone. I cried during ..conversation. ..rabbi asked Where are they being killed. I said ..in Chelmno. They are gassed ..and buried in mass graves. His domestic brought me a bowl of water for my swollen eyes. I washed my hands. ..injury on my right hand began to hurt. When my story made ..rounds many Jews came ..to whom I told all ..details. They all wept. We ate bread and butter ..I was given tea to drink and said ..blessing.” Yakov Grojanowski.
Yakov ‘Szlama Ber Winer’ Grojanowski, escaped this day from Chelmno and delivered what is recognised as the detail of the Gassing of the Jewish People in Chelmno. In The Grojanowski Report, managed to reach the Warsaw Ghetto, and this detailed synopsis of the workings of the Death Camp and formed a part of what is recognised as the Onyeg Shabbes. This documenting of the German mistreatment of the Jews in Poland, is an exhaustive detail in the exploitation, abuse and mistreatment of the Jews from around Poland. As Jews from Lodz were being further processed, what was widely known along the route from Gassing to Funeral Pyre, became even more widely informing to a World ambivalence to the Jewish plight.
“..My Dearest ones ..I had not yet replied to your letters since I had not known exactly what was being discussed. Now ..to our great misfortune ..we know everything. An eyewitness who by chance was able to escape from hell has been to see me. I learned everything from him. ..place where everyone is being put to death is called Chelmno ..not far from Dabie ..People are kept in nearby forest. People are killed in one of two ways ..by shooting ..by poison gas. ..towns of Dabie ..Izbica Kujawska ..and others. ..Do not think that a madman is writing ..unfortunately ..it is ..cruel ..tragic truth. ..throw off your rags ..sprinkle your head with ashes ..run through ..Streets and dance in madness. I am so wearied by ..sufferings of Israel ..my pen can write no more. My heart is breaking. ..perhaps ..Almighty will take pity ..save ..last remnants of our People’. Jakub Szulman.
January 20th 1942 until January 28th 1942
Lodz.
January 29th 1942
Berlin.
January 30th 1942
Brzesc-Kujawski, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Emden, Frankfurt-am-Main, Hamburg, Kowal, Lodz, Lubien, Lubraniec, Luxembourg, Prague, Vienna, Wloclawek, and Zgierz.
February 2nd 1942
Sompolno, 1,160 Jews.
February 10th 1942
Bugaj.
February 16th 1942
Poznan.
February 23rd 1942
Berlin, Brzesc-Kujawski, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Emden, Frankfurt-am-Main, Hamburg, Kowal, Lodz, Lubien, Lubraniec, Luxembourg, Prague, Vienna, Wloclawek, and Zgierz.
February 24th 1942 until February 28th 1942
Lodz.
March 2nd 1942
Krosniewice.
March 3rd 1942 until March 4th 1942
Zychlin.
March 12th 1942
Kozminek.
March 19th 1942
Ozorkow.
March 20th 1942 until March 26th 1942
Kutno. With over 7,700 Jews who were available to the resettlement programme, the vast majority of these are confined to what Chelmno had prepared for them.
April 1st 1942 until April 2nd 1942
Lodz.
“..Today is April 2nd. 1942. This note is being written by people who only have a few hours left to live. Those who read ..note will find it difficult to believe and will not know whether its contents are true. ..name of this place is Kolo. ..tragic truth is that Brothers ..Sisters of theirs met ..same death in this place. ..12 kilometres from this town is a slaughter house for butchering people. We were 17. ..a few of ..100’s of 1,000’s who perished here.”
April 3rd 1942
Berlin, Brzesc-Kujawski, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Emden, Frankfurt-am-Main, Hamburg, Kowal, Lodz, Lubien, Lubraniec, Luxembourg, Prague, Vienna, Wloclawek, and Zgierz.
April 9th 1942
Konin-Czarkowa.
April 10th 1942
Grabow.
April 11th 1942 until April 12th 1942
Leczyca.
April 13th 1942
Lubraniec.
April 14th 1942
Brzesc.
April 15th 1942
Piotrkow-Kujawski.
April 16th 1942
Gabin, and Gostynin.
April 17th 1942
Gabin, Gostynin, and Sanniki.
April 18th 1942
Brzeziny.
April 19th 1942
Brzeziny, and Wielun.
April 20th 1942 until April 21st 1942
Breziny, Gabin, and Gombin.
April 22nd 1942
Osieciny, and Radziejow-Kujawski.
April 23rd 1942
Leczyca, and Poddebice.
April 24th 1942 until April 25th 1942
Przedecz, Piatek and Piontek.
April 27th 1942
Chodecz.
April 28th 1942
Ozorkow.
April 30th 1942 until May 2nd 1942
Wloclawek.
May 4th 1942
Lodz.
May 5th 1942
Berlin, Brzesc-Kujawski, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Emden, Frankfurt-am-Main, Hamburg, Kowal, Lodz, Lubien, Lubraniec, Luxembourg, Prague, Vienna, Wloclawek, and Zgierz.
May 6th 1942 and May 15th 1942
Lodz. over 10,100 Jews had been transported from Lodz to Chelmno on 12 transports.
May 16th 1942
Berlin, Brzesc-Kujawski, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Emden, Frankfurt-am-Main, Hamburg, Kowal, Lodz, Lubien, Lubraniec, Luxembourg, Prague, Sluzewo, Vienna, Wloclawek, and Zgierz.
May 17th 1942 until May 18th 1942
Pabiance.
May 19th 1942
Breziny, Koluszki, Konin-Czarkowa, and Strykow.
May 20th 1942
Breziny, and Strykow.
May 21st 1942
Breziny, Koluszki, Strykow.
May 22nd 1942
Ozorkow.
May 27th 1942
Zloczew.
June 10th 1942 until June 11th 1942
Radziejow.
July 4th1942 until July 6th 1942
Kalisz.
July 8th 1942
Konin-Czarkow.
July 20th 1942
Czachulec, Kalisz, Kowale-Panskie 1,600 Jews, Pecznev, Tuliszkow, Turk, and Uniejow.
July 21st 1942
Czachulec, Kowale-Panskie, Kalisz, Pecznev, Tuliszkow, Turk, and Uniejow.
July 22nd 1942
Pecznev, and Warta.
July 29th 1942
Lutomiersk.
July 31st 1942
Aleksandrow-Kujawski.
August 6th 1942
Boleslawiec, and Kielczyglow.
August 7th 1942
Osjakow, and Sulmierzyce.
August 11th 1942
Belchatow, Grocholice, and Lututow.
August 12th 1942
Belchatow, Dzialoszyn, Praszka, Szczercow, Wielun, and Zelow.
August 13th 1942
Belchatow, Pajeczno, Szczercow, Wielun, and Zelow.
August 14th 1942
Belchatow, Działoszyn, Galewice, Sokolniki, Szadek, Szczercow, Wielun, and Zelow.
August 15th 1942
Belchatow, and Grocholice.
August 16th 1942 until August 17th 1942
Wielun.
August 18th 1942
Kraszewice, and Soltysy.
August 20th 1942
Czernice.
August 21st 1942
Wieruszow.
August 22nd 1942
Przedmoscie, Wielun, and Wieruszow.
August 23rd 1942
Sieradz, and Wieruszow.
August 24th 1942
Sieradz.
August 25th 1942 until August 27th 1942
Zdunska-Wola.
August 28th 1942
Lask, Sieradz, Szczercow, and Widawa.
August 29th 1942
Lask, Sieradz, Szczercow, and Widawa.
September 1st 1942
Berlin, Brzesc-Kujawski, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Emden, Frankfurt-am-Main, Hamburg, Kowal, Lodz, Lubien, Lubraniec, Luxembourg, Prague, Vienna, Wloclawek, and Zgierz.
September 2nd 1942
Lodz.
September 7th 1942 until September 11th 1942
Lodz.
September 12th 1942
Berlin, Brzesc-Kujawski, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Emden, Frankfurt-am-Main, Hamburg, Kowal, Lodz, Lubien, Lubraniec, Luxembourg, Prague, Vienna, Wloclawek, and Zgierz.
September 14th 1942
Zelow.
September 26th 1942
Konin-Czarkow.
In March 1943 the Nazis ceased its deportation aktions and began the immediate liquidation of the Death Camp Chelmno. The death dealing infrastructure was dismantled and the SS Murderer’s were dispatched to anti-partisan duties in Yugoslavia
In April 1943, the Schloss was blown up, with many of the grave diggers still inside. In the Rzuchow Forest the Krematoria too had its gratings dismantled and everything that lent itself to the funeral pyres was also blown up.
During April 1944 the Nazis reopened the Death Camp at Chelmno with the view of completing the eradication of all Jews from within the Lodz Ghetto area. Some members of the former Camp personnel were brought back from their anti-Partisan duties for this specific detail.
June 23rd 1944
Lodz. The Resettlement Transports to Chelmno have resumed and within a 3 week period, this Death Camp had once again consumed its Jewish consignment with vigour. Here, more than a further 7,000 Jewish People from all over Nazi Occupied Europe were systematically Slaughtered. However, for the sake of overall efficiency, the Jewish Transports were eventually directed toward Birkenau, where Zyklon ‘B’ proved most proficient and even more efficient in the struggle to secure ever increasing numbers of Jews for Exterminating. The last vestiges of Hungarian Jewry was to be sacrificed within Birkenau, ahead of any other consideration, including the saving of the German military, now being grounded into pulp by the advancing Allied Forces.
June 24th 1944
Berlin, Brzesc-Kujawski, Cologne, Dusseldorf , Emden, Frankfurt-am-Main, Hamburg, Kowal, Lodz, Lubien, Lubraniec, Luxembourg, Prague, Vienna, Wloclawek, and Zgierz.
June 26th 1944 until July 14th 1944.
Lodz.
July 15th 1944
Berlin, Brzesc-Kujawski, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Emden, Frankfurt-am-Main, Hamburg, Kowal, Lodz, Lubien, Lubraniec, Luxembourg, Prague, Vienna, Wloclawek, and Zgierz.
During the early part of September 1944, Paul Blobel’s Sonderkommando Sk 1005 arrived at the Rzuchow Forest to exhume and completely eviscerate the Bodies of these Chelmno Jewish Gassed, who were then then interred there. All over the North and Eastern Killing Areas, the Nazis began destroying all evidence of mass murder, a signal that such ideological Slaughter of the Jewish People was merely a pretence as both Destroying the Jewish Presence, and gaining substantially from what monetary worth over 6,000,000 Jews could have accumulated.
On January 17th 1945, as Soviet troops drew near, the Nazis began evacuating Chelmno but not without a final Jewish push to resist. Of the remaining 48 Jewish Camp inmates, 3 Jews managed to escape the final attempt to destroy them as the remaining witnesses here. Throughout its operational periods, and amongst the many who managed to escape Chelmno’s clutches, we seal these into the Memory that History seeks to restore to the many 100’s of 1,000’s Jew’s we are unable to recall. But we recognise:
Szama Aka, Beniek Gastrzgbyski, Mahmens Goldmann, Yakov Grojanowski, Pinkus Grun, Josef Herszkoboiez, Icchak Justman, Jonas Lev, Ganyjs Majer, Aron Nusbaunus, Kelek Plonsken, Mosiek Plonsken, Michal Podchlebnik, Abram Rois, Chaskiel Roreeli, Aschtel Smilek, Szymon Srebrnik, Yser Strasburg, Aschtel Symcha, Getel Szlamowicz, Szyja Szlamowicz, Zemad Szumiraz, Jerachmiel Widawski, Wilf Yndkiewicz, and Mordechaj Zurawski.
Leave a Reply