Olszewo, Gmina Brańsk

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]

Villagers from Pietkowo: [4]

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