Record of Questioning of Witness City of Vinnitsa, October 2, 1979

In response to the questions asked, witness N.P. Malagon stated:

[snip]

During the Great Patriotic War, I participated with my military unit in the defense of the city of Kiev. In August of 1941 I was wounded in the head and taken prisoner by the Germans together with other soldiers from my unit.

While a prisoner, I was first held in a POW camp in the city of Zhitomir. We were later transferred to a camp in the city of Rovno, and a day later we were transferred in railroad cars to a POW camp in the city of Chemnitz (Poland).

We were held in this camp for approximately two months. In roughly October or November of 1941 we, the POWs, were assembled near the barracks and some man unknown to me wearing civilian clothing began to select prisoners for work. He selected a total of roughly 60-70 POWs, including myself. This man did not tell us what kind of work we would be doing or where we would do it. The selected POWs and myself were hauled in three trucks to the village of Travniki (Poland) and we were told that in this training camp we would be trained as SS guards.

When we arrived at the Travniki training camp, there were already other POWs there, as well as the camp administration. There was a total of approximately 300 trainees in the camp; these were organzized into four companies. Three companies consisted of Ukrainian POWs and one company consisted of Russian POWs. I was in the 3rd Company. The commander of my company was Mayevskiy (I do not remember his first name and patronymic). He was Polish or German by nationality, since he spoke these languages well. His fate is unknown to me. Our platoon leader was Komarkin or Komarik (I do not remember his precise name), a German by nationality, who died in roughly the spring of 1942 from heart disease.

The squad leader was Broft, whose first name and patronymic I do not remember. He was a teacher by profession and was a Volga German. His later fate is unknown to me. Two or three weeks after our arrival at the Travniki camp, we took an oath of loyalty to Germany and were issued Belgian military uniforms. In January of 1942 the Germans selected 10 men from among the trainees, myself included, and sent us to the city of Zamoste (Poland), where we guarded an estate. Mayevskiy was the senior officer among us.

We guarded this estate until the spring of 1942 and then we returned to the Travniki training camp, where we finished our training course within 2-3 weeks. After this we were awarded the title of SS guards and issued identification. Our identification was printed on heavy paper (I do not remember the color) and folded double. My photograph was attached to my identification and it had a text in German.

A short time later, as part of a group of guards consisting of 20-25 men whose names I do not remember, I was sent to the Lublin camp. We worked cleaning up the area at this camp and stayed there 5-6 days. From the Lublin camp we were sent to the city of Warsaw, where we stayed approximately three days. During these three days I once guarded the Jewish ghetto. From Warsaw we, the guards, escorted a train filled with Jewish civilians to the Treblinka death camp. We were all armed with rifles and live ammunition. When we arrived at the Treblinka camp together with the prisoners, we handed them over to the camp guard. When we arrived at the camp, there were other guards there from the Travniki school.

While at the Treblinka death camp, I met the guard Nikolai Marchenko, who operated a gas chamber. I do not know where he is at present. In the same camp I met the guard Ivan Demedyuk or Ivan Dem'yanyuk (I do not remember his name precisely). This guard was of average height and heavy build, spoke Ukrainian and had light brown hair. His speech was pure; he pronounced everything well. I do not know where he was from, since I did not talk to him about this. While I was at the Treblinka death camp, he worked there as a cook, preparing food for the guards.

I could identify the guard whom I have named as Demedyuk or Dem'yanyuk from photographs.

In February of 1943 approximately 15 of us, the guards, were transferred to the Belsen camp (Poland). Ivan Demedyuk or Ivan Dem'yanyuk remained at Treblinka. We were at Belsen for approximately five days and, since some of the guards escaped, we were once again returned to Travniki, where we were given special insignia, and then we were sent to the Auschwitz death camp. I served in this camp from March to April of 1943. Then, we were transferred to the Buchenwald death camp, where I served as a guard from April of 1943 through February of 1945. Here, from what other guards (whose names I do not remember) said, I learned that Ivan Demedyuk or Ivan Dem'yanyuk, who had worked as a cook at Treblinka, had been transferred to work as a gas chamber operator. His later fate is unknown to me. I escaped from the Buchenwald death camp in March of 1945.

During my service in the camps as a guard, I did not participate in the shooting of Soviet citizens or citizens of other nations and criminal proceedings have not been undertaken against me.

I have read the record of the questioning. My statements were recorded faithfully. I have no additions or corrections to make. The questioning was completed at 1:00 P.M.

(Signature) Malagon

Questioned by:
Senior Assistant Procurator,
Vinnitsa Oblast' (Signature) V.L. Podrutskiy

Copy Authentic:

Procurator, Vinnitsa Oblast' (Signature) G.S. Tarnavskiy

(OFFICIAL SEAL)

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