Archive/File: places/ukraine/trembowla/trembowla-act.440702
Last-Modified: 1998/07/24

                       ACT (Abridged)
                              
                   THE PLEBANOWKA MASSACRE
                              
1944, July 2nd
Town of Trembowla, Tarnopol Region.

We, the undersigned below, The Commission of the Trembowla
region: Lubarskoho Afanasievicha, Grebenszczykova Petra
Grygorievicha, Dr. Deynickoho Olega Wladmyrowicha, Doc.
Poleschuk Zygmunt Antornowych, Med. Koshushko Wladymyra,
Comm. Shebelewa Ivana Nasyliewicha, Cap. Sec. Tarubara
Mychailuc Ivanowicha, in the presence of Trembowla
residents: Gonclovicha Franca Ivanovicha, Wylki Petra
Antonovicha, Naryneckoho Yosyfa Ivanovicha, Korezynskoho Y.
Y., Kuncewa G. P., Gashchak C. Y., Kostelnika Yl., Wonsowych
A. P., Strelecky Ivan, Trylycha M., Syclorov, L, Godlewski,
T., Wylczynski M., Grycshyna, L, Zubyk Z., and other
Trembowla residents took part in the investigation of the
heinous crimes committed by the Nazis in Trembowla and
surrounding areas.

The Commission, including the court-Med. experts,
established the facts of brutal systematic extermination
perpetrated by the Hitlerites, against the local residents:
Jews, Poles, Ukrainians and war prisoners.

The above-mentioned Commission investigated the OPENED PITS,
located 400 meters from the village Plebanowka, Trembowla
region. Three large excavated pits revealed the dead bodies.
On the order given by the Regional Commander of Tarnopol,
Gestapo Major Miller, an "Action" took place in the town of
Trembowla, April 7, 1943, in which over one thousand people
were exterminated.

An eyewitness, Malinovski 1. U., describes the "Action" in
detail. The Court-Med. Commission established the following:

First Pit: 15 meters long, 3 meters wide, 4 meters deep.
There were over 10 layers of bodies. The top layers were in
the process of decomposition, The bottom layers were still
intact. Some were with their clothes on. Women and children
were found together.

Thirty-five percent of the victims were shot dead on the
spot. Fifty percent of the people were injured, and fifteen
percent were buried alive. A total of 1,100 bodies were in
the first pit.

Second Pit: 10 meters long, 3 meters Wide, and 3 meters
deep. Among the dead bodies in this pit were women with no
visible m1uries. They were buried alive. Some bodies were
still intact, some others in a stage of decomposition.

The Second Pit contained 845 bodies.

Third Pit: 10 meters long, 2.5 meters wide, 3 meters deep.
The condition of the bodies was similar to those described
above.

The Third Pit contained 350 human bodies.
During the excavation of other pits, located in the
"Koshary, Trembowla outskirt region of former war-prisoner
camp, near "Red Army" street, mass shootings took place in
1941. Seven Pits (five in parallel order) were excavated.
All were filled with human bodies. Some of the bodies were
still intact. The bodies of the elderly persons, women, and
children showed bullet wounds in the heads and other parts
of the body.

The First Pit was 10 x 2.5 x 3 meters.

Four other Pits were of similar size as above, but only 1.5
x 2 meters deep.

In the Sixth Pit, 2 x 2 x 2, were found: Broken shovels,
iron bars, and pieces of rope, with which the victims were
probably tied.

The Seventh Pit was located near the street, It was 3 x 1.5
x 2 meters.

Nine additional graves were found nearby in the forest.
There Red-Army prisoners were tortured to death and buried.

Among the dead bodies murdered in 1941 were recognized
Christians: Seretny M. K., Chop S., and Cymbaluk Yosef G.
Some were recognized by relatives, clothing and documents.
The latter one (Cymbaluk) had his head split with a hard
tool. In one pit a dead horse was found together with human
bodies.

In the above mentioned Pits, over 800 bodies were found.

The investigation Commission established the following
findings:

In the area of Plebanovka Village - 2,245
In "Koshary," town Trembowla - 800
Near Red Army Street  - 8
Forest (war prison) Camp - 9
Region of German Police -35

The mass extermination ("Actions") in the Plebanowka
Village took place in April-July, 1943. In the "Koshary"
region, the massacres took place in 1941.

The Commission made the following conclusions:

Responsibility for the criminal atrocities in Trembowla
region Government of Nazi Germany, and those directly
involved:

German Lands-Commissar of the town of Trembowla-
Weber. Regional Gestapo Commander of the city of
Tarnopol -Major Miller. His Deputy - Captain
Polkert. Commander of the German Police, town of
Trembowla Skylark. Commander of Ukrainian Police
in the town of Trembowla -  Goncharyk. Head of
the Ukrainian Committee in Trembowla  -Dr.
Bazar, and the criminal Lewkova.

Investigation Commission:
     Chairman: Lubarsky
     1. Commission Member- PyIkik
     2. Commission Member- Greberishchykov
     3. Commission Member- Dejnicki
     4. Commission Member- Poleshchuk
     5. Commission Member- Koshushko
     6. Commission Member- Schembelev
     7. Commission Member- Gorubara
     8. Commission Member- Gondowich
     9. Commission Member- Wylki
     10. Commission Member- Narynetski
     11. Commission Member- Korchynski
     12. Commission Member- Kuncev
     13. Commission Member- Gashchak
     14. Commission Member- Wonsowich
     Osnovanye: Gato, Fond Nr. P-274,
     On. 2, A. 123 AA. 126-128
     Archive Dir. - L.I. Lelekova
     Elder Archivist - G.W. Trotskaya
                                (Translated by S. Brinstein)
(Sabrin, 278-80)
                         Work Cited

Sabrin, B.F., Ed. Alliance for Murder: The Nazi-Ukrainian
Partnership in Genocide. New York: Sarpedon, 1991. 

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