“I wish to point out that the incident I have described took place during the second execution. It had been preceded by the shooting of approximately twenty prisoners of war which had passed without any incident at all. As soon as I returned, I informed the command headquarters at Zhitomir accordingly.
“I cannot give any further evidence. I declare that my evidence is absolutely true and I am aware that any false evidence on my part would result in punishment and in exclusion from the SS.
“Signed: Fritz Knop, SS Sturmscharführer; certified: Kuntze, SS Obersturmführer.”
Next to be interrogated was the executioner. We have at our disposal a document on this subject. You will find the extract in question on Page 166 of your document book. I quote the minutes of the inquiry:
“SS Rottenführer of the Waffen-SS, Hesselbach, Friederich, born 24 January 1909 in Freudingen, district of Wittgenstein (Westphalia), was then summoned and testified as follows:
“ ‘I have been informed concerning the subject of the forthcoming interrogation. It has been pointed out to me that any false statements on my part will result in punishment and expulsion from the SS.’ ”
After this routine part of the investigation—where he was warned of the penalties awaiting him—Hesselbach gave the following testimony on the matter:
“Yesterday evening I was told by SS Unterscharführer Paal that I would have to take part in the execution of prisoners of war. Later on I received a corresponding order from Hauptscharführer Wenzel, in the presence of SS Sturmscharführer Knop. This morning, at 0800 hours, SS Hauptscharführer Berger, SS Unterscharführer Paal, SS Sturmmann Vollprecht, and myself, drove in a truck lent us by the tannery and driven by a Ukrainian driver, to a place situated approximately one and a half kilometers behind the camp, in order to dig a pit, with eight inmates of our prison.”
Later he describes the digging of the pit. I think that we can skip that part. Then they returned.
“At the entrance to the camp, Vollprecht, acting on Paal’s instructions, left the car. By these instructions Paal intended not to betray our intentions to the prisoners by the presence of a large number of SS men. Therefore, only I, Paal, and a few militia men loaded the prisoners onto the truck. On Paal’s order, the whole first group consisted almost exclusively of the prisoners who had lost their legs.”