THOUSANDS OF POLES EXECUTED

Evening Star, Issue 24005, 2 October 1941, Page 8

THOUSANDS OF POLES EXECUTED

ACCOMPANIMENT TO RUSSIAN INVASION The Nazi invasion of Russia was accompanied by extensive arrests and executions of thousands of Poles in German and Russian-occupied ‘ Poland,according to stories reaching. Sweden by way of the Baltic countries. - On both sides of the dividing line the Poles had taken advantage of the opportunity to increase their- sabotage and secret work against the German war effort. Some 14(3 different newa sheets suddenly flooded the country, instructing the people how to assist in the campaign of sabotage. The German authorities imposed the death penalty without trial on anyone found printing or distributing these news sheets, as well as on anyone discovered in the act of sabotage _or any other, offence, however trivial it might be. Prisons behind the lines, as well as in captured towns like, Lwow, were crowded with Poles, who were executed without delay or formality, regardless of their innocence or guilt. The executions were carried out either hyi shooting a bullet into the back of the head of an individual or by firing shots from machine -guns into a group of prisoners. Another method was to throw a hand grenade at two men who were tied together. Aside from the executions, hundreds of Poles were gathered and herded into concentration camps. More than 3,000 were reported to have been sent by the Nazis to the ill-famed camp at Oswiecim, near Cracow, where during the past year 6,000 prsioners have died from disease, beatings, and neglect.