War Crimes Trials - Vol. II The Belsen Trial. 'The Trial of Josef Kramer and Forty Four Others'

(104) STATEMENT OF ROZALJA SZPARAGA (Pole, aged 27) (Not Sworn)

I came to Auschwitz, January, 1943, and was sent into Block 26 on February 8th, 1945, where Stanislawa Starostka was Block Leader. She was the only polish woman who had the position of a Block leader, because that position required the confidence of the camp authorities, and was the result of her special merits. She was the ruler of life and death of all the women prisoners of her block. She had chosen the candidates for the crematory, she issued hunger rations, nobody was allowed to claim better food without risking to be beaten; she created the atmosphere of fear in the whole block. She denounced to the German authorities on the smallest offence, e.g. at the checking the kits without the presence of Rapportführerin (German roll-call leader), she found a verse; a little poem about the situation at Auschwitz, and in spite of our demands she gave that verse to the German authorities and by consequence the possessor of that verse, Mrs. Dada (the Polish officer’s wife from Warsaw), was sentenced for one year of punishment company and 6 weeks in bunker. In our camp there was a secret relief organisation: Starostka discovered that organisation and, during the inquisitory police enquiries in order to discover great groups of people, she was the executor; she beat and ill-treated the people. It happened many times and all the women prisoners can prove it and give more than 10 examples. Starostka was held in worse opinion than S.S. women. In autumn, 1943, in view of her special merits in exterminating, she had got a rank of Lagerälteste, It was the highest position in the women’s section of the camp which a prisoner could obtain. She was perfectly free to move within the camp confines without any guard; that constituted the privilege only for people entrusted with confidence by the Germans. One day as the prisoners were indignant at the behaviour of Starostka, during the roll-call we were informed that Starostka was the truster of camp authorities, that she was the "right hand" and was above any criticism. All opposers risked the death. She acted in this position until January, 1945. That was the time of the evacuation of Auschwitz. I recognised Starostka in our camp at Glinde on 28th June, 1945, at a dancing party and spoke to her. I was quite sure that she was the same person. Now I have heard that Starostka had a responsible position in the Camp Wentorf. I know her past and as a Pole I find it to be my duty to make this report, because this person ought to be prosecuted for killing and torturing 1000 Polish women at Auschwitz. I do it also to prevent any harmful acting of hers in this Polish camp. Therefore I request to prosecute Starostka and punish her for having killed thousands of Polish women in the Camp Auschwitz, for beating and torturing the women prisoners, and for the denouncing.