| On April 26, 1942, a Polish forced laborer, who worked at Bauern Schmidt’s courtyard was beaten to the point of unconsciousness by a German policeman, Albin Gottwald (July 30, 1901 – April 26, 1942). 2 Poles took revenge on Gottwald and stabbed him to death on a forest path between Poppenhausen and Einoed. The 2 Poles then escaped. 1 of the 2 Poles, Jan Sowka (October 19, 1922 – May 11, 1942) born in Thayngen, Switzerland, was apprehended shortly after his escape. On May 11, 1942, 19 random Polish prisoners from Buchenwald were taken to the place in the woods where Gottwald’s body had been found. The Buchenwald Schutzstaffel (SS) built 3 gallows — 2 consisted of 10 hooks each, and 1 was a single gallows. The 19 Polish prisoners were positioned behind the gallows, and Jan Sowka stood on the opposite side. The executions began at 1050 Hours where the prisoners and Jan Sowka were hanged 1 after another on the single gallows. Souk was stripped of his hat, coat and scarf before his execution. After death, their bodies were all hanged from the 2 group gallows. Hundreds of Polish forced laborers from the surrounding area were rounded up and forced to watch the executions. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2286.jpg |
| Image Size | 969.75 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2535 x 4170 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Buchenwald Concentration Camp Records Office |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | May 11, 1942 |
| Location | |
| City | Poppenhausen |
| State or Province | Bavaria |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | United States Holocaust Memorial Museum |
| Record Number | 13141 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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