In the 1930s, after the parcelation of the goods of Vladimir Łęcki at a railway station called Ponary, a settlement was created that was described thankfully as the Jagillons-City-Garden. The advertised in Vilnius rapidly populated railway, postal, military and another workers. A resin-scented cottage was established, provided that only 30% of the trees increasing around were allowed to be cut out by the owners of parcels. A wonderful microclimate, rich flora with infinite numbers of heaths, sasaneks, valleys and orchids, including among the blessed silence, interrupted at most by the voice of a cuckoo or a passing jayfish lived well in the locals.
A unusual coincidence in this beautiful town was the case at various times of dramatic and tragic events. It's like good and bad spirits are fighting each another for primacy in power. A kind of genius loci.
W Ponarach was killed as a consequence of the cathartic work of hundreds of mercenary peasants during the construction of the tunnel from 1857 to 1862 (on the commission of Tsar Alexander II). During planet War II, the tunnel served to transport German soldiers to the east front or to transport residents of occupied areas to the Reich for forced labor.
When Germany occupied Vilnius on 24 June 1941, the pits made by the Russians for the construction of a liquid fuel base 300 m from the Ponary railway station, they assigned Germany to a large-scale extermination operation.
Five circular pits with a diameter of 8-9 m, deep 5 m, connected by deep ditches designed for pipes connecting the tanks became “death pits”.
Convicts could have been led from close Vilnius and delivered from different sides by trucks or railway cars. The forest protected from sight undesirables and effectively suppressed gunshot sounds. The area of the causal area of 48.608 m2 was fenced with wire mesh 4 m high, and barbed wire was placed on its top. At any intervals, there were plates declaring a strict ban on entry under the death penalty, both for civilian and military individuals. The full thing was guarded by peculiar police-military units.
In 3 years - from July 1941 to July 1944, more than 100,000 people were murdered here (Helena Pasierbska, Vilnius Ponary).
It was planned to destruct all Jews gathered in the Vilnius ghetto as well as from close towns and opponents of the German regime, i.e. Poles. The death of Poles in Ponarach was usually preceded by a torment in the Łukiszek casemates and in the Gestapo cellars on the street.
Lithuanians were instrumental in arresting Poles, due to the fact that immediately since the Germans entered into cooperation with them.
From the Act of the Polish Government Delegation in London:
1941, August 30th“ The destiny of Poles in Vilnius is hard - where the Polish component is severely affected by the inactive aggressive, though somewhat inhibited by the German authorities, hatred of Poles, clearly manifested by Lithuanians...’
1941, December 15th: “...(Lithuanian) is showing expanding enormity. Their initiative causes the majority of many arrests and death sentences on Poles and the displacement of the Polish population from many areas. Recently, mass arrests of Poles; especially young people were carried out in Troki. They are constantly threatening that after the execution of the Jews it will be the turn for Poles. Even Lithuanian priests from ambon call for pogrom of Poles, as an component worse than JewsIt’s okay. ”
For execution activities, the Germans organized a Lithuanian peculiar division - Ypatingas Burys. Martin Weiss, a German Petty Officer (of the profession of car tinsmith) announced the recruitment. So many Lithuanians came forward that they could choose the best among them. At first, in July 1941, the ward counted only 150 volunteers, but later grew to respective hundred. The commander was Lieutenant of the Lithuanian Army Balys Norvoish, his deputy officer Balys Lukoshius.
They mostly recruited from the paramilitary organization LietuYos Szauliu Sajunga (Lithuanian firearm Union), founded on Lithuania in 1919. of a highly nationalistic Tension towards Poles and Jews. This organization grew steadily, achieving in 1940, sixty-two 1000 members, which in comparison with the full population of Lithuania (two million 2 100 and twenty-eight 1000 six 100 and sixty-seven - in 1938) was a serious percentage, given the fact that people only belonged to it Young be in the strength of age. W Vilnius was popularly referred to as the “Horn shooters”. They were celebrated for their remarkable cruelty, as the inhabitants of another occupied areas, for example, in Belarus, where the Germans utilized them to destruct the judaic population, were besides able to see. He writes about it. Józef Mackiewicz in “Don’t talk Loudly” (Paris 1969).
The ‘shullis’ were originally Lithuanian military uniforms with the national coat of arms of ‘The Pursuit’ on caps. They later received SD clothing of rotten green color, caps with German emblem and skull troupe, and red colour shirts and black ties. The Shaulis utilized a number of privileges: free meals in the canteen at their office in Vilnius, 21 Wileńska Street, authoritative access to regulated articles, regular remuneration, but the main origin of income of the torturers were "trophy" or gold and another qualities taken from the victims.
"Work" in Ponarach It usually lasted from morning until 16-16:30, longer erstwhile thousands of people had to be shot. To aid this “chosen” branch, protective battalions (Apsaugos Batalionai) were assigned to assist this “chosen” branch, which rapidly multiplied to a vast number of nearly 8 and a half 1000 people (including six 1000 3 100 privates - the remainder of the officers and sub-commissioners). The chief of staff was Colonel Dobulavichius. The activity of these battalions in both Ostland and another occupied areas, e.g. in General Gubernia in the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto, was marked by large cruelty.
Germany, many of which had sadistic tendencies, participated in executions for individual satisfaction, e.g. together with the Lithuanians “weary” of scenes like this, erstwhile the group Polish Scouts In the ponary cough, they were ordered to undress first, then let go.sy that threw themselves bloodthirsty, tearing, Before the shooters shot the girls with guns, mocking the devil.
The area of mass pontar crime since 1941 has become a sanitary threat. The executions led to a terrible image of single human bones passing along the way, covered with rotten soft fabrics, protruding from the pits of limbs, scattered clothing and remains of belongings, broken feathers, from which feathers were removed... although sometimes "ypatings" lit fires, throwing in various unnecessary things, not suitable for them or for sale. There was an unbearable fetor all around. The ravens took the feeding ground, carrying pieces of human body in their beaks. That's what the resident said. Ponar p. Sophia Nightingale.
In October 1943, residents of Ponar were ordered to be displaced from their homes, located close the place of the execution. It was not only a threat to human health, but besides to cover up the traces of crime, and to empty the pits for further exploitation.
Excavated new down 8 meters deep, equipped with skis, food room, kitchen. It was covered with a roof, and inside it was a ladder that the sentry pulled up. This kind of bunker, surrounded by 2 rows of barbed wire fences, between which mines were founded to thwart any escape, was designed for eighty people a squad of prisoners to smoke murdered after excavating them. Just in case, they were shackled erstwhile they did not do their work. They were russian prisoners and Jews. At first, the unfortunates performed their “work” with their bare hands. They were later given shovels, stretchers, hooks. After digging up the bodies to access them, they were pulled with hooks 1.5 m long, 22 mm thick. The bodies frequently fell apart due to the fact that they were already in decay. They were placed on a stretcher and moved to a prepared stack. Gold extras were removed from the skulls.
The corpse was poured with tar, then respective incendiary bombs were placed between them. The first lower layer counted 300 dead, each next twenty-thirty little than the erstwhile layer. Thus a pyramid was created with a beheaded highest of 4 and a half meters high. There were 3 and a half 1000 dead in 1 pile. The pile burned for 8 to 9 days. He left 3 to 4 cubic meters of ash, besides a certain amount of unburnt bones.
All the ashes were exported outside the fenced area or spread on site, mixing with the unknown chemical, causing ground hardening, or mixing with the ground and pouring back into the empty pits.
This action did not halt executions, only prisoners employed in smoking were driven into the bunker for that time.
From December 1943 to April 15, 1944, about sixty-eight 1000 corpses were recovered and burned.
When the Russians entered Ponar on the slopes of the pits lay human skulls, next to individual bones, where any of them protruding from sand feet of limbs, covered with scraps of footwear. On the grass you could find remains of clothing, pieces of ribbons, crests, photographs and various another everyday items. The appointed commission exhumed the corpse, after extracting the corpse from 1 of the segments, it turned out that there were only men, only Christians. Many of them had their hands back tied with wire. Most likely they were convicts brought from prison. They died from gunshots to the back of the skull. They were buried just 1 or 2 months ago, as a paper of 15 June 1944 was found in 1 of their clothes.
The Lithuanian torturers, the terrible feats of Lithuanian "shulls" have done so, attest to the barbarism encoded in their nature, from which the beast emerges, which is within the human body.
In order to make amends to those who remained in Vilnius Land forever, there should be publicity for this subject. The filling of the white stain of history, specified as Ponary, should be accompanied not only by the fact about the victims but besides about the perpetrators of the tragedy. They were volunteer Lithuanian peculiar troops in the Gestapo service. This is evidenced by archival and judicial evidence. If there is simply a responsibility - there must be punishment for the culprits - Helena Pasierbska wrote in 2004 in a monograph about the largest place of punishment on the east Lands of the Second Republic.
Oh, my God.
On the Military Powązki in Warsaw there is simply a monument commemorating the crime in Ponarach, close the columbarium [entry from Ostrowicka Street to the left] - photo.
Kazimierz Sakowicz, diary 1941–1943
Kazimierz Sakowicz, diary 1941–1943
Kazimierz Sakowicz, Journal 1941-1943, preface and improvement Maria Wardzyńska, Warsaw 2014, 125 pp.
Kazimierz Sakowicz's "Diary" is simply a shocking account of the mass German crime, in which they besides participated – as performers – collaborating with the Germans Litwini, in the Podwileńska village of Ponary. These notes cover the period from 11 July 1941 to 6 November 1943.
The author, a pre-war journalist, lived in Ponara from 1941 and witnessed mass executions there. In his "Diary" he wrote both what he saw and what he heard from others. He hid notes in bottles and buried them in the garden. They were found after the war.
Jews (about 70,000) died in Ponarach, especially from Vilnius and Vilnius district. But not just that. Poles were besides shot here – soldiers of ZWZ-AK, hostages from the Polish Vilnius intelligence, as well as russian POWs.
It is estimated that 80 to 100,000 people were murdered in Ponara.
CONTENTS
Maria Wardzyńska, Preface for the release of "Diary" by Kazimierz Sakowicz by the Institute of National Memory
From the publisher
Journal
Year 1941
Year 1942
Year 1943
