One step to freedom? The plight of Jewish forced laborers in the Hasag ammunition factory in Skarżysko-Kamienna after the plant evacuation

ABSTRACT

In the summer of 1944, the Jewish forced laborers from Hasag in Skarżysko-Kamienna were evacuated and used for work in other camps in the General Government or further inland of the Reich. The purpose of this article is to present the events that occurred at that time. The moment of evacuation from the camp in Skarżysko will be described first, then the fate of prisoners who were transferred from there to other labor camps. The article was written and based on broad research of sources and it presents the events from the perspective of survivors of Hasag in Skarżysko.

KEYWORDS:

• Hasag
• Skarżysko-Kamienna
• Jewish forced laborers
• World War II
• Leipzig
• Buchenwald

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Kotarba, 1924–2004 Monografia Zakładów Metalowych MESKO S.A., 14.

2 Juchniewicz, Kronika Zakładów Metalowych „Predom-Mesko”, vol. 1, Szkice o Państwowej Fabryce Amunicji w Skarżysku-Kamiennej w latach 1922–1939, 56.

3 Pająk, Skarżysko walczące, 38.

4 Kaczanowski, Hitlerowskie fabryki śmierci na Kielecczyźnie, 11.

5 Wijaczka, Działalność koncernu HASAG w Skarżysku-Kamiennej w latach II wojny światowej, 84.

6 Karay, Hasag, in: Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, vol. 2, 647.

7 Piatkowski, Skarżysko-Kamienna. Losy miasta i jego mieszkańców w latach wojny i okupacji (1939–1945), 54–5.

8 Ibid., 56.

9 Karay, Death Comes in Yellow. Skarżysko-Kamienna Slave labor Camp, 82; Brustin-Berenstein, On the economic background of disputes, 73.

10 See Karay, Death Comes in Yellow and Gibaszewski, Hasag. Historia obozu pracy przymusowej w Skarżysku-Kamiennej. These works do not cover the fates of Hasag prisoners post camp evacuation.

11 Browning, Pamięć przetrwania, 383.

12 Yad Vashem Archives in Jerusalem [hereafter AYV], 0.33/3561038, testimony of Izhak Dobia Franbox.

13 AYV, 0.33/636, memoirs of Edyta Zierer, box 15.

14 AYV, 0.33/1828, testimony of Towa Cossack (Ogniewicz), box 7.

15 Archive of the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw [hereafter AŻIH], 301/4544, Felicia Bannet’s testimony, box 1.

16 Ibidem.

17 AŻIH, 301/4715, N.N. report, box 2.

18 AŻIH, 301/4544, Felicia Bannet’s testimony, box 2.

19 AŻIH, 301/4715, N.N. report, box 2.

20 Ibidem.

21 Ibid., p. 3.

22 AYV, 0.33/1828, testimony of Towa Kozak (Ogniewicz), box 7.

23 Ukrainians in Hasag Skarżysko served as camp guards, the so-called Werkschutze.

24 AYV, 0.33/1828, testimony of Towa Kozak (Ogniewicz), box 7.

25 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives in Washington, DC [hereafter USHMMA], RG-50.002.0033, oral history interview with Max Findling.

26 AYV, 0.33/10083, memoirs of Frieda (Lipshitz) Weinstocbox.

27 USHMMA, RG-50.232.0093, oral history interview with Aaron Salzburg.

28 AYV, 0.33/1800, testimony of Eliezer Jurist, box 2–3.

29 AŻIH, 301/48, Erita Troppe’s testimony, box 2. See. also: AYV, 0.33/1759, testimony of Felicia Karay, p. 17.

30 AŻIH, 301/4536, Aron Reiss’s testimony, pp. 2–3.

31 AYV, 0.33/1800, testimony of Eliezer Jurist, box 2–3.

32 AŻIH, 301/1178, Helena Dicker’s testimony, box 1.

33 AŻIH, 301/3257, Anna Keil’s testimony, box 2.

34 AŻIH, 301/4908, testimonies of Fela Dynbort, Guta Najman, Samuel Najman, Abram Vaistrot, Renia Vaisbrot, box 1.

35 Along with the transport of prisoners from Hasag in Skarżysko-Kamienna, from Częstochowa workers were also sent to Hasag in Kielce. See AYV, 0.36/47, prof. David Boder Testimonies Collection, testimony of Polya Bisenhaus, box 4.

36 AŻIH, 301/1112, Sulamite Korn’s testimony, box 4–5.

37 AŻIH, 301/4536, Aron Reiss’s testimony.

38 AYV, 0.33/1984, memoirs 1939–1945, p. 32.

39 AŻIH, 301/6021, Sonia Lec’s testimony.

40 USHMMA, RG-50.030.0034, oral history interview with Regina Hamburger Bomb.

41 AYV, 0.33/1984, memoirs of Aron Szwarcbard 1939–1945, 32.

42 Matusiak, Przemysł na ziemiach polskich w latach II wojny światowej. Vol. II: Przemysł hutniczy, metalowy, maszynowy, lotniczy i stoczniowy, 198–204.

43 AYV, 0.33/5876, testimony of Chana Anna (Bloomenfeld) Rosenkranz, box 7.

44 AŻIH, 301/1118, Zygmunt Rubinstein’s testimony, box 2–3.

45 AŻIH, 301/1808, Israel Anker testimony, box 5–6.

46 AŻIH, 301/4597, Hanna Ritterman’s testimony.

47 AŻIH, 301/5067, report by P. Tomaszewska, box 5–6.

48 USHMMA, 1998.A.0204, Alec Ward memoir, box 6.

49 AŻIH, 301/1808, Israel Anker’s testimony, box 5–6.

50 AYV, 0.33/10083, memoirs of Frieda (Lipshitz) Weinstocbox.

51 USHMMA, RG-50.002.0033, oral history interview with Max Findling.

52 AŻIH, 301/1112, report Sulamite Korn, box 4–5.

53 AYV, 0.33/5710, testimony of Josef Reiner, p. 12.

54 AŻIH, Jewish memoirs, 302/216, Herta Lustiger’ s memoirs, 258.

55 AŻIH, 301/1236, Adolf Lewin’s testimony, 3–4.

56 AYV, 0.33/5710, testimony of Josef Reiner, 12.

57 AYV, 0.33/2533, testimony of Geulah Bienko, box 4.

58 AŻIH, 301/3581, Gotliba Sholem’s testimony.

59 AŻIH, 301/4597, Hanna Ritterman’s testimony, box 2.

60 AŻIH, 301/1808, Israel Anker’s testimony, pp. 5–6.

61 AŻIH, 301/4597, Hanna Ritterman’s testimony, box 2.

62 AŻIH, 301/1808, Israel Anker’s testimony, pp. 5–6.

63 AŻIH, 301/956, Józef Weisman’s testimony.

64 USHMMA, RG-50.232.0093, Oral History interview with Aaron Salzburg; AŻIH, 301/1118, Zygmunt Rubinstein’s testimony, pp. 2–3.

65 AŻIH, 301/1236, Adolf Lewin’s testimony, pp. 3–4.

66 AŻIH, 301/7129, Geulah Bieńko’s testimony, box 3.

67 USHMMA, 1995.A.182, Anna Choit’s memoir, p. 4.

68 USHMMA, RG-50.462.0140, oral history interview with Lili Altschuler.

69 AYV, 0.33/5710, testimony of Josef Reiner, p. 12.

70 AYV, 0.33/5687, testimony of Lucy Gershwin, box 3.

71 AYV, 0.33/2533, testimony of Geulah Bieńko, box 4.

72 Gibaszewski, Hasag. Historia obozu pracy przymusowej w Skarżysku-Kamiennej, 32.

73 Meducki, Przemysł i klasa robotnicza w dystrykcie radomskim w okresie okupacji hitlerowskiej, 71–3.

74 Piatkowski, op. cit., 59–60.

75 Bauminger, Przy pikrynie i trotylu, 24.

76 AŻIH, 301/1719, Celina Bajrach’s testimony.

77 Ibidem.

78 AYV, 0.62/223, testimony of Celina Bajrach, box 2.

79 AŻIH, 301/1120, Tauba Zyslowitz’s testimony, box 4.

80 AŻIH, 301/ 1911, Barbara Reibscheid’s testimony, box 1.

81 AYV, 0.62/223, testimony of Celina Bajrach, box 1.

82 AŻIH, 301/4214, Felicja Schächter’s testimony, box 1.

83 AŻIH, 301/ 1911, Barbara Reibscheid’s testimony, box 2.

84 AŻIH, 301/4214, Felicja Schächter’s testimony, box 3.

85 AŻIH, 301/4019, report by Salomea Beer, box 3; AŻIH, 301/1885, Pola Ajzensztajn’s, pp. 5–6.

86 AŻIH, 301/4214, Felicja Schächter’s testimony, box 1.

87 USHMMA, RG-50.002.0038, oral history interview with Eva Lax.

88 AŻIH, 301/1054, Esther Lewin’s testimony.

89 USHMMA, RG-50.002.0038, oral history interview with Eva Lax.

90 AŻIH, 301/4019, Salomea Beer’s testimony, p. 3.

91 AŻIH, 301/1911, Barbay Reischeid’s testimony, box 2–3.

92 AŻIH, 301/4214, Felicia Schächter’s testimony, box 3.

93 Ibidem.

94 AŻIH, 301/329, Halina Schütz’s testimony, box 2–3.

95 Ibidem.

96 AŻIH, 301/4546, Gela Majersdorf’s testimony, box 1.

97 ITS Bad Arolsen, 1.1.5.0/0005/00016,82065940#1, the American army on HASAG camp liberation in Leipzig, April 21, 1945.

98 AYV, 0.33/3561038, testimony of Izhak Dobia Frank.

99 AZHI, 301/4028, Samuel Teichler’s testimony, box 1–2.

100 ITS Bad Arolsen, 1.1.5.1/5293076, transport list of prisoners from Skarżysko-Kamienna to Buchenwald from August 5, 1944.

101 AYV, 0.62/72, testimony of Daniel Fischgarten, box 4.

102 AŻIH, 301/2611, Lejwa Fuchs’s testimony, box 1.

103 AŻIH, 301/1671, Shaya Zalcberg’s testimony, box 1.

104 AŻIH, 301/2611, Lejwa Fuchs’s testimony, box 1.

105 AŻIH, 301/4605, Lejzor Rochman’s testimony, box 8.

106 AŻIH, 301/1308, Richard Mitelberg’s testimony.

107 Ibidem.

108 AŻIH, 301/1671, Shaya Zalcberg’s testimony, box 2.

109 AŻIH, 301/4028, Samuel Teichler’s testimony, box 2.

110 Sächsisches Staatsarchiv Leipzig, 20869 Thügina Gmbh Leipzig, 27, plans for HASAG sub-camp in Mauselwitz.

111 AŻIH, 301/4605, Lejzor Rochman’s testimony, box 9.

112 AŻIH, 301/2611, Lejwa Fuchs’s testimony, p. 3.

113 AŻIH, 301/4028, Samuel Teichler’s testimony, box 2.

114 USHMMA, Membership card issued to Tobias Silberman by the Union of Ex-Concentration Camp Inmates D.P. Camp Lager Lechfeld, photograph number: 96365.

115 Interview with Estelle Laughlin (born Esther Wakschlak), Washington, D.C., April 4, 2022, author’s private archive.

116 USHMMA, RG-50.002.0033, oral history interview with Max Findling.

117 For more see Wokół pogromu kieleckiego, Ł. Kamiński i J. Żaryn (eds.), Warszawa 2006; J. Tokarska-Bakir, Okrzyki pogromowe. Szkice z antropologii historycznej Polski lat 1939–1946.

118 AYV, 0.33/1826, testimony of Ester Handelsman, p. 17.

119 Interview with Shulamit Schultz (nee Korn), Scrubsh near Jerusalem, September 21, 2022, author’s private archive.

120 https://www.mesko.com.pl/o-firmie/o-firmie-1, retrieved on 22 October 2022.

121 Ibidem.

122 https://echodnia.eu/swietokrzyskie/ten-pomnik-w-skarzysku-nie-ma-szczescia-tablice-z-napisem-zmieniano-juz-kilka-razy-zdjecia/ar/c1-14745934 retrieved 1 October 2021.

Additional information

Funding

The project was financed by the National Science Centre, project registration number: 2018/29/N/HS3/02261.

Notes on contributors

Alicja Bartnicka

Alicja Bartnicka, Ph.D. in Humanities in the field of history, currently works as an adjunct at the Faculty of History at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (Poland). She holds a double Master degree: in Polish philology and history (specialization: Polish-German studies). Her academic interests include German history, especially the history of the Third Reich, the history of World War II and the German occupation in Poland, totalitarian systems (the national socialism and Italian fascism in particular), and Polish-German and Polish-Jewish relations in the 20th century.