The Accusation against Werner

To II.  The accused Werner  was, as Regierungsobersekretaer [Gov’t over secretary.  We use ‘undersecretary, but don’t use the corresponding ‘oversecretary’.  German does] head of the Economics Division of the Regional Commissariat [RC] Lida.  His responsibilities included, among others, the securing and administration of Jewish property of various kinds.  He was present in May 1942 at the Aktionen carried out in Lida, Zoludek, Vasiliski and Ivje.  At least in Lida, Zoludek and Ivje he participated very actively in the selections.  At the execution site in Lida he shot at fleeing Jews himself.  In addition he killed, on his own decision, several Jews and participated in the Aktion against the “Vilner Jews”.  (No. I, 8). Vol 1 p 80 f, 126 f, vol 2 351, 331, vol 5 789, 806f, 859, vol 10 p 1373, 1395, vol 11 p 1471 f, 1483, vol 13, p 1831, vol 14 p 2040, vol 15 p 2171,f vol 17, p 2347 f

In detail the following cases are considered:

1) As, in the course of the mass executions conducted in Lida on 8 May 1942, the Jews were being collected from the separate sections, the accused Werner ordered the Jews, marching in families and columns, to march in rows of 4.  He threatened to shoot anyone who didn’t obey.  When a son of one of the members of the Judenrat, about 20 years old, wanted to march 5 abreast so as to not to be separated from his family, the accused Werner shot him on the spot.  (vol 5 p 791 a) vol 11 p 1491

2) At the ensuing selections, which were carried out in different places, Werner participated actively, in that with other members of the RC he directed particularly the skilled workers & other “useful” Jews to the left, the others to the right, and thus marked them for execution.  Vol 1 p 168, 182, vol 2 p 244, 247, 294, 299, vol 3 452, 458, 469, 615,  vol 5 p 792, vol 7 p 1089 ff, vol 10 p 1395, vol 11 p 1471 f, 1482, 1491, (vol 14 p 1949), vol 15 p 2171 f, (vol 16 p 2278) vol 17 p 2347 f, (vol 18 p 2541, 2543) vol 20 p 2825f, 2833f,  vol 21 p 2845, 2853ff, (2889 f), 2901 f, 2903, 2913, 2947, vol 22 p 3062

Thus he sent, among others, the witness Rubinowicz to the left, and his parents and three younger siblings aged 10 to 16 to the right and thus to their deaths.  When the witness, showing his work permit, pleaded with him to send his family left, too, the accused screamed at him these words:  “Thunderation!  The family to the right!” And thus it remained.  Vol 17 p 2347 f, vol 20 p 2826

3) On the following day (9 May 1942) the accused Werner also participated  in the mass executions (No. I, 2) in Zoludek.  At the selection point near the Market Place, he and the accused Windisch, who stood on the left side of the street, conducted the selection in that he, standing on the right side of the street, led the Jews destined for execution to the right, in part pulling them, in part kicking them across. After selection of 82 skilled laborers, who’d been sent to the left, the accused remarked that he now had enough skilled workers, whereupon the co-accused Windisch left the selection place, and all the remaining Jews were led off to the right and execution. Vol 13 p 1912 ff, vol 20 p 2802 ff

4) The accused Werner checked the 82 skilled workers against a list of skilled workers the Polish mayor, also present, provided.  Thereupon he came to the shaftmaker Derewianski, who was secretary of the Judenrat and who wanted to assist the accused in perusing the list.  When the accused learned the occupation of this Jew, he became enraged.  He struck Derewianski with his riding whip until he bled, and ordered a native policeman to drive the Jew Derewianski to the group destined to be shot, which was then done.  (vol 1 p 24, vol 19 p 2577) vol 13 p 1912 f, vol 20 p 2805

5) The accused Werner also participated in the executions of 12 May 1942 in Ivje,  (cf No. I, 5) in that he participated in the selection of skilled workers and otherwise “useful” Jews in the way described under No. I, 5, and thereafter collected the objects of value from the Jews allowed to survive on spread out blankets.  Vol 1 p 197, vol 2 p 238, vol 7 p 1095 f, vol 10 p 1386, vol 11 p 1565, 1586, vol 12 p 1656 f, 1790, vol 20 p 2789 ff, vol 21 p 2894, 2896

Thus he sent, among others, the parents, a sister and a brother of the witness (and then member of the Judenrat) Dworecki and their children straight ahead.  When the 77-year-old mother of this witness, sent to the right, tried to join him, the accused created a gaping and strongly bleeding wound on her head with his whip and sent her straight ahead.  Vol20 p 2791

5) On a Sunday morning, presumeably in December 1941, 20 – 30 Jews, among them a certain Jossek, were employed shovelling snow from the courtyard of house in which Werner lived.  The accused wanted to drive his sleigh through the gate, which could not yet be opened.  Thereupon he angrily struck the above mentioned Jossek with his whip, who fell down.  When Jossek didn’t rise on the accused’s words of  “You cursed Jew, stand up!”, he shot this Jew and ordered the others to dispose of the body. Vol 3 p 458, vol 6 p 965, vol 7 p 1100, vol 11 p 1478 f, (vol 12 p 1641, 1666)

6) On a day not more closely ascertainable in December 1941, the accused Werner found himself on the way to the Judenrat building in Lida.  Shortly before, 9 Jewish persons, including an unnamed woman, had been arrested for being out without identity papers, and had been incarcerated near the Judenrat office.  This unknown woman tried to flee and was shot in the attempt.  She then ran screaming toward the Judenrat office.  At the entry, the accused shot her from about 1 meter distance with his pistol.  The woman fell dead near the witness Reznik.  Vol 21 p 2933 (Reznik)

7) In the spring of 1942 about 50 Jews were clearing trees in the vicinity of the residence of the accused Werner in Lida.  Suddenly the accused appeared vol 11 p 1495  and set

-- as in numerous other cases – (vol 1 p 66, 175), vol 3 p 241, 244, 344, 352, 452, 458, 468, 475, 512, 581, 612, 633, 650, vol 4 p 682, vol 5 p 789, 807, 847, 873, vol 6 p 949, vol 7 p 1026 f, 1098f, 1125, vol 8 p 1137, vol 10 p 1394, 1398, vol 99 p 1477, 1509, 1530 f,  1564, 1571 f, 1608, vol 12 1659, vol 13 1816 f, vol 14 1976, vol 16 p 2213, vol 17 p 2347, vol 19 p 2625, 2632, 2686 ff, vol 20 p 2825, vol 21 p 2844, 2849, 2851, 2860, 2886, 2911, 2930, 2948

his shepherd dog “Donner” [Thunder} on them with the words “Donner, Jew, Jew” on a young Jew.  When this Jew defended himself against the dog and tried to get free, the accuse drew his pistol and shot this young Jew, whose name is unknown.

8) In March 1942 Werner participated with other members of the RC Lida in the Aktion described under No. I, 8 against the Jews who moved to Lida from Vilnius.  When 4 Jews arrested for an armed robbery of a priest pointed out the Jews who had allegedly moved to Lida from Vilnius, Werner gave, among others, the command to arrest these Jews, who were later shot in his presence in the Lida jail.  Vol 1 p 178, vol 2 p 245, 298, vol 2 p 452, 614 f, 651 f, vol 7 p 1101, vol 11 p 1469, 1481, 1574, vol 13 p 1662, 1667, vol 15 p 2172, vol 20 p 1779, vol 21 p 2853 (2888), 2903, 2912, 2930, (2948)

9) In the summer of 1942, in Lida, the 16-year-old stable boy Jacob Narkunski was caught by the witness Cordes in a sex act with a mare.  Cordes reported this to the accused Werner, who thereupon either killed or had the stable boy killed.  He had the stable boy hung on a sort of a carpet beater, according to the description of witnesses, with his hands up.  Then he whipped the stable boy.  According to the testimony of the witness Zeitlow, divorcedd Hanweg, the stable boy died this way.  According to the testimony of a brother of the stable boy, he was next hung on a tree with a rope and later taken to jail.  There he was shot a week later.  Vol 10 p 1436, vol 32 p 2869

According to the testimony o f the witness Cordes, on the other hand, the stable boy next fled, was later turned over by the Judenrat, and then, surely on the orders of the accused Werner, shot.

These actions of [both] the accused are punishable as crimes under section 211 of the old and new constitution, 47, 73, 74 StGB.
 


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