Sylwetki oprawców więzienia na Radogoszczu w świetle relacji naocznych świadków

Abstract

The place, that played a significant role in German extermination plans of inhabitans of Lodz and lodzko-kaliski region was a prison on Radogoszcz, localized at the suburbs of the city, in the former textile factory, placed at the junction of Sowinskiego and Zgierska street. The crew of the prison in Radogoszcz consisted of several dozen of wachmans, who with a few exception behave in extremely sadistic way, beating and victimizing prisoner. In addition to commander of the prison Walter Pelzhausen, two commanders of the wachts: Jozef Heinrich „Jozio”, „Bloody Jozio” and Jozef Flescher „Rolled” as well as pseudo-doctor Bruno Mathaus vel Matuszewski called by prisoner „paramedic Mateusz” were leaders in ruthless practise. These three members of the crew in Radogoszcz prison used to treat prisoners in an extremally merciless way. The article consists of three parts. In the first part, the author presented a history of the Radogoszcz prison, in the second part he introduced the prison crew, and in the last part, he portrayed the three greatest torturer in Radogoszcz prison, basing on relations of former prizioners. The key source material was handwritten and published memories and relations of prisoners made during the investigation carried on by Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation, placed in Archive of Institute of National Remembrance Division in Łodź.