Korzeniewski, Janusz Józef (Oral history)

Polish civilian in Poland and Lithuania, 1939-1941; member of Polish Resistance in Poland, 1941-1943; inmate of Pawiak Prison, Birkenau and Mauthausen, 1943-1945.

REEL 1 Background in Warsaw and Wilno, 1925-1939 family; education. Recollections of Russian Occupation of Poland-Lithuanian in Wilno-Ignalino areas, 1939-1941: memories of Soviet entry into Wilno, September 1939; opinion of Russian equipment; attitude of population in Wilno towards Russians; reasons for move to Ignalino; requisitioning of home; bartering with Russians winter 1939-1940; acquiring skis; return of area to Lithuanian occupation, 1940; Lithuanian removal of Polish population; re-occupation of area by Russians; historical relations between Lithuanians and Poles; German take-over of Lithuania, 6/1941; contrast between Russian and German troops; accident riding ex-German Army horse; killing of Soviet soldier by German soldier. REEL 2 Continues: reaction of Lithuanians to news of massacres of Jews c. 1941; threat to Polish civilians from Lithuanian militants; acquiring pair of socks; attitude to living in Lithuanian; decision to move to Grodzisk. Recollection of period as civilian living in Grodzisk, 1941: character of journey from Ignalino to Grodzisk; re-union with father; shortage of food; father's role with Resistance; work he found; relations of Polish farmer to Germans; job he had dealing with people searching farmer's field. Recollection of membership of Polish Resistance, 1941-1943: joining Resistance; supply of money to Resistance from GB; role with Resistance. REEL 3 Continues: story of arrest and beating by Germans, summer 1942; father's reaction to his incautious actions; brother's reasons for joining Todt Organisation to gather intelligence; story of his and his father's arrest by Germans, 8/1943; escapes from arrest by brother serving with Todt Organisation. Recollections of period as inmate in Pawiak Prison, Warsaw, 1943: transfer to prison; contact with father; conditions in prison. REEL 4 Continues: rations; casual attitude towards death; story of shooting of fellow inmate; sight of smouldering Warsaw Ghetto; character of interrogation at Aleja Szucha Interrogation Centre; interrogation techniques employed by Germans; story of how he persuaded Germans not to separate him from his father. Recollections of period as inmate in Auschwitz-Birkenau, late 1943: character of transport from Pawiak Prison to Birkenau including dropping message to his mother; living conditions in camp. REEL 5 Continues: boxing match; dispute over possession of shoes; work making flower beds at crematorium; attitude to possibility of being executed; joining queue for draft to another camp; last sight of his father. Aspects of train journey from Birkenau to Mauthausen: lack of water; attitude of Germans to one man escaping from train. Recollections of period as inmate of Mauthausen, 1944-1945: allocation to sub-camp Gusen; trek from main camp carrying collapsed man; use of term 'the naked transport'; method Kapo used to kill inmates; work in quarry; character of rations. REEL 6 Continues: obtaining work un- coupling boogies; character of camp hospital; experiences in hospital; description of term 'Bahnhof'; story of inmate taking bread from mouth of dying man; Kapo who killed inmates with steel rod; transfer to Steierwerke Gun Factory; beating he received for sharpening spoon into knife; story of kleptomaniac inmate who saved his life; memories of Kapo, Hans van Loosen; character of his factory supervisor. REEL 7 Continues: incident of supervisor for blaming Korzeniewski for mistake; accident he had on machine and how his friend Mieczyslaw Paszkiewicz saved his life; character of executions of inmates; psychological consolations of imprisonment; intensification of Allied bombing raids and attitude of inmates to them, 1945; rumours of intended mass execution of inmates; liberation of camp, 5/5/1945. Question of effects of his experiences. Question of accuracy of his memories. Aspects of liberation of Mauthausen, 5/ 1945: revenge taken on Kapos by inmates. REEL 8 Continues: treatment of captured SS troops; visit to sub-camp Gusen two and physical condition of inmates.