Article
Franciszek Ząbecki, born in 1907 in Łyszkowice
“I want to give some details of the horrific crimes, so as not to belong to those who silence the truth. I want to leave at least fragmented memories of the terror and barbarism suffered by Poles and Jews at the hands of the Germans during the occupation. “
Franciszek Ząbecki was captured by the Germans in September 1939 and was exploited as a forced laborer. After his release from captivity in March 1941, he returned to occupied Poland, where ehe joined the National Army. In May he began working as a traffic officer at Treblinka railway station. He regularly reported on the underground movement of military transports and transports to the Treblinka labor camp.
Involuntarily, he became an eyewitness to the preparation, commissioning and operation of the German death camp Treblinka. From July 23, 1942, he recorded every single mass transport of Jews coming to the camp. In August 1944, risking his life, he managed to save most of the documentation from the station and thus document the crimes against the German crime denial machine. In the 1960s he testified as a witness at the trials of former SS-men from Treblinka.