Majdan Wielki massacre

Majdan Wielki massacre
Part of the Invasion of Poland (1939)
Majdan Wielki massacre (Poland)
Location	Majdan Wielki, Poland
Coordinates	50°32′37″N 23°16′24″E / 50.54361°N 23.27333°E / 50.54361; 23.27333
Date	September 20, 1939 (1939-09-20)
Attack type	Mass murder
Deaths	42 Polish POWs
Perpetrators	Wehrmacht

The Majdan Wielki massacre, which occurred on September 20, 1939, near the village of

The next day, a group of 45 Polish POWs was brought to the battlefield. Approximately twenty German guards began beating them with belts and rifle butts. According to reports, one of the Germans addressed the prisoners, stating, "We are taking you prisoners and sending you home while you are murdering German soldiers."[1]

Then, the beating halted with an order from a Wehrmacht officer, informing the POWs that they would be executed in retaliation for the murder and mutilation of a German soldier. The guards stepped back and opened fire. As the POWs lay on the ground, the Germans methodically targeted the wounded. After the perpetrators departed, three surviving soldiers – Tadeusz Nowak^[a], Józef Koszyk, and Józef Nycz – emerged from beneath the pile of corpses and sought refuge in a nearby barn. Several hours later, the Germans brought a second group of Polish POWs to the scene and ordered them to bury the bodies of their comrades.^[1]

This massacre of the POWs occurred without trial or any prior investigation. In addition to executing the prisoners, the Germans took thirteen civilian

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