[From front page of the daily newspaper, the "New Warsaw Courier," No. 56 of 7 March 1941, published in Polish by the German authorities in Warsaw.] Chief of the District Warsaw DECREE On 7 March 1941 in the morning, a German, Igo Sym, director of the Theater of the City of Warsaw, was shot in his residence by a Pole. Due to this horrible crime, I issue the following orders: (1) Arrest of a considerable number of hostages. (2) Prohibition of all performances in Polish theaters, cabarets, restaurants, and other places of entertainment up to and including 7 April. (3) Curfew for Poles from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. If the name of the criminal has not been reported to the German authorities within three days the hostages will be shot. This decree comes into force with its publication. Warsaw, 7 March 1941 [signed] Dr. Fischer TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 4039-PS [Poster Displayed in Warsaw May 1941] PROCLAMATION Several cases of damages inflicted upon military installations and equipment, serving the defense of the country, induce me to state that even the removal of insignificant objects (as wooden poles and iron parts) constitutes an injury to military installations. The intentional damaging of military equipment and installations of the German army will be sentenced by death in pursuant to the decree concerning the combating of violence in the General Government dated 31 October 1939. I reserve the right to arrest hostages from communities located in the territory where the crimes take place in all those cases when the culprit is not found. Warsaw, 5 of May 1941 The District Chief in Warsaw [signed] Dr. Fischer Governor [Posters which were made public by the German authorities in Warsaw during the occupation of Poland.] [ITEM I] PROCLAMATION On 15 July 1943 at noon, a hand grenade was thrown by Polish criminals into a marching column of the Warsaw SA, by which a number of SA men were wounded, some seriously. After all warnings of the German authorities have so far been in vain, as reprisals a large number of Poles in the hands of the police together with the caught criminals were shot to-day. In future for every case of murder or injury to a German by political criminals or bandits a number of Poles will immediately be shot. Warsaw, 16 July 1943 The SS and Police Leader in the Warsaw District [ITEM II] PROCLAMATION The court martial of the Security Police, in accordance with Art. 1 or 2 of the decree of 2 Oct 1943, condemned the following persons to death for committed criminal acts: [Here follow the 37 names of the condemned] Out of those 1. Kowalski Czeslaw, born 7.4.1911 2. Rosner Benno, born 5.11.1919 were already executed. The others are suggested for mercy. If, however, within the next 3 months attacks are made on Germans, nationals of the states allied with Greater Germany, or nonGermans working in the interest of the reconstruction work in the Government General, at least 10 of the above named people will be executed for each attack on such a person. In case of crimes of communistic elements, of members of communistic organizations and of the other resistance groups such persons will be executed who belong to these groups. It is now up to each individual Pole, through immediate apprehension of the culprits or by influencing misguided persons known to him or by denouncing of suspicious persons to save the lives of the above named, which they have already forfeited through their misdeeds but which will be spared through the clemency of the Government. The SS and Police Leader Warsaw District [ITEM III] PROCLAMATION On November 22nd 1943, near the village of Szymanow within the prefectional district of Sochaczew, an attack with explosives has been carried out on the express-train coming from Warsaw. On this occasion the train was fired on and a member of the SS has been killed and other Germans were in part seriously injured. It could be ascertained with certainty that the deed was committed by Poles, belonging to the so-called National Resistance Movement, i.e., to the PZP. The perpetrators of the deed had come from Warsaw to the locality of the crime in order to carry out their malicious attack, and had returned there afterwards. Therefore, as a retaliation for this cowardly deed, I had the following 20 criminals named publicly shot on January 1st 1943, all of them belonging to the so-called National Resistance Movement, i.e., to the PZP and were among the persons sentenced by the court martial of the Security Police and originally considered for reprieve. [Here follow the 20 names of the persons shot] The Chief of the SS and the Police in the District of Warsaw Warsaw, 1st December 1943 [ITEM IV] PROCLAMATION On 2 December 1943 in the Feldherrn-Allee in Warsaw another treacherous attack was made on a personnel carrier of the municipal police. Hereby 5 policemen and 1 Waffen SS man were killed and some policemen injured. Through statements of an accomplice in the attack the Pole Wojciech Lesakowski born 1 February 1923 in Dublin resident of Warsaw Zurawia Street 26/9 it is established beyond a doubt that the attack was committed by a terror group of the England subservient resistance organization "PZP". In reprisal hereto I had the following 100 criminals, who in accordance with Art. 1 and 2 of the decree concerning the checking of attacks on the German reconstruction work in the Government General of 2 February 1943 had been condemned to death, publicly executed on 3 December 1943. [Here follow the 100 names of the executed] The executed belonged to England subservient resistance move ments, that is mainly to the "PZP" and were partly intended for a pardon. The SS and Police Leader in the Warsaw District Warsaw, 3 December 1943 [ITEM V] PROCLAMATION On 4 December 1943, between the railway stations of Skruda and Debe-Wiefkie, an attempt with explosives was perpetrated against an Express train coming from Warsaw. The train was also fired on by the bandits. Three Germans were killed there and several seriously injured. Police investigations have established beyond any doubt that the act was committed by Poles who belong to the resistance group "PZP" subservient to England. As reprisal for this cowardly act, I ordered on 7 December 1943 the 50 criminals mentioned below shot who, in accordance with Art. 1 and 2 of the decree concerning the checking of attacks on the German reconstruction work in the Government General of 2 February 1943 had been under death sentence by the court martial of the Security Police but had partly been designated for an act of mercy. The executed persons belonged entirely to resistance organizations hired by England that is to say mainly to the "PZP". [Here follow the 50 names of the executed] The SS and Police Leader in the Warsaw District Warsaw, 8 December 1943 PROCLAMATION On 12 January 1944 a "Sonderfuehrer" [special leader] was attacked and wounded by bandits in Warsaw, Jasnastrasse. On 13 January 1944 a Polish Police corporal was attacked and wounded by armed bandits in Srodkowestrasse. On 16 January 1944 armed bandits attacked and mortally wounded a Reich German post office official in Warsaw, Torplatz. Of the persons sentenced by the drum-head court-martial of the Security Police who were first designated for an act of mercy, I, thereupon, had executed by shooting the following listed persons: [Here follows list of names of the 30 executed] Furthermore, the following were sentenced to death for co operation with forbidden organizations by the drum-head courtmartial of the Security Police, according to article 1 and 2 of the decree to combat attacks against German reconstruction work in the GG [Government General] of 2 October 1943: [Here follows list of names of the 33 persons sentenced to death] Of the above, the ones listed under numbers 1-3 have been executed because arms were found in their possession. The persons listed under numbers 4-33 are designated for an act of mercy. Should, however, outrages, particularly attacks on Germans, members of allied nations, or non-Germans working in the interest of reconstruction work in the GG, take place within the city of Warsaw or the district [Kreishauptmannschaft] WarsawLand within the next three months, provided the culprit is not seized immediately, sentences of the above, designated for an act of mercy, will be executed in such a manner that for each attack on such a person the designated act of mercy becomes invalid for at least ten of the persons sentenced. If the crime is committed by Communist elements, Communists selected from the above listed persons will be excluded from the act of mercy; if the crime is committed by other misled elements, persons politically close to them will be selected from the above listed and excluded from the act of mercy. Therefore, it is in the power of the non-German population to take care that the sentences of those designated for an act of mercy will not be executed by immediate arrest of or instigation of arrest of the culprits or by exercising influence on misled elements known to them or by report of suspicious persons. Warsaw, 21 January 1944 The SS and Police Chief [SS und Polizeifuehrer] [ITEM VII] PROCLAMATION Despite repeated warnings criminal elements of the EnglishPaid secret organization P. Z. P. have committed a dastardly treacherous attack on 1 February 1944 through which two Germans lost their lives. Therefore, from the group of people who have been sentenced to death for political crimes by the summary court of the Security Police and the SD and who had initially been |