Olszewo, Gmina Brańsk

For other places with the same name, see Olszewo.

Olszewo
—  Village  —
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Podlaskie
County	Bielsk
Gmina	Gmina Brańsk

Olszewo [ɔlˈʂɛvɔ] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Brańsk, within Bielsk County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland.

Massacre during World War II

In reprisal for the operations of the Suwalska Cavalry Brigade, during the evening of 13 September 1939 units of the German XIX Panzer Corps, under the command of General Heinz Guderian, murdered thirteen people (half of the villagers) from Olszewo and ten people from the nearby village of Pietkowo. The victims among the villagers include women and children. They were murdered in several ways, such as stabbing by bayonets, shooting, being torn apart by grenades, and being burned alive in a barn. ^[1]

Victims of the Massacre

The victims included Poles and Ukrainians, one woman and a priest.^[2]

Villagers from Olszewo: ^[3]

• Wiktoria Borowska, female, age 30
• Teofil Borowski, male, age 36
• Emil Olendzki, male, age 62
• Piotr Olendski, male, age 60
• Jozef Olendzki, male, age 24
• Wiktor Olszewski, male, age 45
• Piotr Olszewski, male, age 40
• Antoni Poniatowski, male, age 18
• Aleksander Spalinski, male
• Boleslaw Szerakowski, male, age 48
• Aleksander Szerakowski, male, age 48
• Karol Zakrzewski, male, age 60
• Wincenty Zdrojkowski, male, age 30

Villagers from Pietkowo: ^[4]

• Kazimerz Dabrowski, male, age 21
• Bronislaw Grabowski, female, age 45
• Kazimerz Kielkucki, male, age 25
• Bronislaw Kowalewski, female, age 38
• Andrezej Osmolski, male, age 36
• Jozef Osmolski, male, age 34
• Stanislaw Sienkiewicz, male, age 40
• Stanislaw Sienko, male, age 18
• Jozef Wojcik, male, age 40
• Jerzy Zakrzewski, male, age 45

References

1. ^ Represje hitlerowskie wobec wsi Bialostockiej, Marcin Markiewicz, Polish IPN bulletin nr.35-36
2. ^ 55 dni Wehrmachtu w Polsce, Szymon Datner, page 368
3. ^ Transcribed from monument tablets erected by Gmina Brańsk
4. ^ Transcribed from monument tablets erected by Gmina Brańsk

Coordinates: 52°41′28″N 23°01′34″E / 52.6911°N 23.0261°E / 52.6911; 23.0261