Massacre of Lwów Academics

The city of Lwów (today's Lviv, Ukraine) was a scenery to hundreds if not thousands acts of ‘modern’ barbarity by the hands of Germans as well as Soviets during WWII. In July 1941, 25 Polish professors along with their family members were executed by Nazi German authorities. This was another example of elimination of Polish elite members in un unfinished row of Intelligenzaktion in the course of WWII.

Why Germans wanted to eliminate such people first wherever their troops appeared since 1 September 1939 on the territory of Poland? 

Nazi Germans had thought that the elimination of the higher strata of Polish society i.e. people who were well educated, who knew how to differentiate between the Good and the Evil and were simply of high moral standards, would have guaranteed them ‘the rule of law’ uninterrupted by acts of sabotage, diversion or existence of any resistance. They were wrong as the Polish people, whatever their education, knew that there was no way for collaboration, no way for servile behaviour towards the occupant.

Images source: Internet

SS-Brigadeführer Karl Eberhard Schöngarth, responsible for the detention and deportation of Cracow univercity’s professors (Sonderaktion Krakau), showed up in Lwów to carry on the project of elimination of Polish elite members. His ‘excellent’ experience in this field proved very helpful in Lwów. Th executions were carried out under his command by an Einsatzgruppe unit (Einsatzkommando zur besonderen Verwendung). 

It is also confirmed that the executions were assisted by Ukrainians wearing German uniforms. (Further reading on Ukrainians during WWII and their aspirations to have an independent state under Soviet and German rule: K. Lanckorońska „Those who trespass against us. One woman’s war against the Nazis”, published in London).

The list below comprises the names of the captured academics and their relatives executed in July 1941:

„Prof. Dr Antoni Cieszynski, age 59 Chairman of Stomatology, UJK

Prof. Dr Wladyslaw Dobrzaniecki, age 44, head of Surgery, PSP

Prof. Dr Jan Grek, age 66, , Chairman of. Internal Diseases, UJK

Maria Grekowa, age 57, wife of prof. Grek

Doc. Dr Jerzy Grzedzielski, age 40, Chairman of Ophtalmology UJK

Prof. Dr Edward Hamerski, age 43, Chairman of Internal Diseases, AWL

Prof. Dr Henryk Hilarowicz, age 51, Chairman of Surgery, UJK

Priest Dr teol. Wladyslaw Komornicki, age 29, relative of Mrs Ostrowska

Eugeniusz Kostecki, age 36, husband of prof. Dobrzaniecki's housekeeper

Prof. Dr Wlodzimierz Krukowski, age 53, Chairman of Electrical Measurements, PL

Prof. Dr Roman Longchamps de Berier., age 59 Chairman of Civil Law, UJK

Bronislaw Longchamps de Berier, age 25, PL-graduate, son of professor

Zygmunt Longchamps de Berier, age 23, PL-graduate, son of professor

Kazimierz Longchamps de Berier, age 18, Secondary school-graduate, son of professor

Prof. Dr Antoni Lomnicki, age 60, Chairman of Mathematics, PL

Adam Miesowicz, age 19, Highschool graduate, grandson of professor Solowij

Prof. Dr Witold Nowicki, age 63, Chairman of Pathological Anatomy, UJK

Dr med. Jerzy Nowicki, age 27 , senior assistant of the Chair Hygiene, UJK, son of professor

Prof. Dr Tadeusz Ostrowski, age 60, Chairman of Surgery , UJK

Jadwiga Ostrowska, age 59, wife of prof. Ostrowski

Prof. Dr Stanislaw Pilat, age 60, Chairman of Petrol and Earth-Gas Technology ,PL

Prof. Dr Stanislaw Progulski, age 67, Chairman of Pediatrics UJK

Ing. Andrzej Progulski, age 29, son of professor

Prof. Dr Roman Rencki, age 67, Chairman of Internal Diseases, UJK

Dr med. Stanislaw Ruff, age 69, , Chairman of Surgery, Jewish Hospital taken from prof. Ostrowski's flat with his family

Anna Ruffowa, age 55, wife of dr Ruff

Ing. Adam Ruff, age 30, son of dr Ruff

Prof. Dr Wlodzimierz Sieradzki, age 70, Chairman of Forensic Medicine,              UJK

Prof. Dr Adam Solowij, age 82, ret, Chairman of Obsterics and Gynaecology, PSP

Prof. Dr Wlodzimierz Stozek, age 57, , Chairman of Mathematics PL

Ing. Eustachy Stozek, age 29, ass. PL, son of professor

Emanuel Stozek, age 24, PL-graduate, son of professor

Dr iur. Tadeusz Tapkowski, age 44, taken from professor Dobrzaniecki's flat

Prof. Dr Kazimierz Vetulani, age 52, Chairman of Theoretical Mechanics PL

Prof. Dr Kasper Weigel, age 61, , Chairman of Measurements PL

Mgr iur. Jozef Weigel, age 33, son of professor

Prof. Dr Roman Witkiewicz, age 61, Chairman of Mechanical Measurements PL

Prof. Dr Tadeusz Boy-Zelenski, age 66, writer, Chairman of French Literature at the University, arrested in prof. Grek's flat

Katarzyna Demko, age 34, teacher of English, taken from apartment of Prof. Ostrowski

Doc. Dr Stanislaw Maczewski, age 49, Chairman of Obsterics and Gynaecology, PSP

Maria Reymanowa, age 40, nurse taken from apartment of Prof. Ostrowski

Wolisch, age 40-45, businessman taken from prof. Sieradzki's flat

Prof. Dr Henryk Korowicz, age 53, Chairman of Economics, AHZ

Prof. Dr Stanislaw Ruziewicz, age 53, Chairman of Mathematics, AHZ

Prof. Dr Kazimierz Bartel, age 59, Chairman of Design Geometry, PL, former prime minister of Polish Republic (three terms of office), who has been arrested already on 2nd July 1941.

The acronyms for Univercities are:

AHZ, Akademia Handlu Zagranicznego (Academy of Foreign Trade);

AWL, Akademia Weterynaryjna we Lwowie (Academy of Veterinary Sciences in Lwow);

PL, Politechnika Lwowska (Lwow Institute of Technology) ; PSP, ;

UJK, Uniwersytet Jana Kazimierza (The University of the King Jan Kazimierz)”. (1).

Read more:

• K. Lanckorońska „Those who trespass against us. One woman’s war against the Nazis”, published in London.