It all happened in March 1944. Franciszka (née Kamińska) and her husband Roman Bochenek lived in today's Ukraine, in the small town of Podbór near a large village – Połtew, district of Thoughtful. Roman's brother Stanisław Bochenek lived in Połtwia with his wife Michalina (nee Burban). Both brothers visited each other often – as they did not live far away. At that time, Stanisław was working on the railway, and his house stood near the railway station. On that fateful day, Stanisław was to come to their house at the invitation of his brother's wife (i.e. Franciszka) and stay overnight. However, fate wanted that that evening, merchants from Lviv came to Połtwia by train. Such visits were unexpected but were welcomed warmly. They spent the night nearby, staying with the inhabitants in huts near the train station – such were the customs and no one was surprised. That evening, several of them were also received by Stanisław. These people, in addition to the desired goods, also brought information without measure from Lviv and „of the free Europe”. And Stanisław was so sedated by this talk that it was too late and dangerous to go to his brother  […] After these evening talks, Stanisław welcomed the travelers and everyone went to sleep. At night, and it was somewhere between 2 and 3 there was a thud on the door. Stanisław opened it. The Bandera followers stood on the threshold. There were three people. They demanded a weapon from Stanisław, but he did not have one and started to say so. In response, he was hit with a rifle butt. It knocked him off his feet, he staggered, but did not fall over. (Stanisław was very strong – he lifted 100 kg without any problems). This made the persecutors even more furious, and immediately one by one they began to jab at him with bayonets. In total, he received more than 20 stab wounds, from which the conclusion was that it was extreme cruelty and hatred. Each of the attackers had to deal at least 7 blows and only a few stab wounds were enough to kill. The bayonet is, as you know, a nearly 30 cm long knife mounted at the top of the rifle. The wounds were deep. Staszek was losing huge amounts of blood, but he was alive. The Banderites simply left after this execution. All this happened in the presence of his wife and daughter. However, no one dared to interfere, because it resulted in certain death, but at that time Stanisław's daughter – Kazimiera Bochenek (on the recommendation of her mother) ran to the family for help. It was like „at dawn” (about 4 am) when Roman and Francisco appeared at their brother's house. Here they decided to take Stanisław to Baluczyn, to their parents, where a military doctor of German origin was based. The problem was they didn't have a wagon. So Roman went to the father of his wife Stanisław (Bourban), so that he would lend them his. His father–in–law told him – for the sake of his family (as the Banderites saw that someone helps Poles, they were furious): Take „for yourself, I don't know about anything”. So Roman harnessed the horses and went to get Stanisław. To Baluczyn it was about 5 kilometers in mud and cold. Stanisław, despite the loss of blood, did not lose consciousness and clung to life. By the evening of the next day, the rest of the family appeared in Baluczyn, including Stanisław's wife – Michalina, mother – Maria Bochenek, and others who could. Stanisław told his mother who attacked and injured him. He knew the attackers by sight, they were from one of the neighboring villages (presumably from Przegnojów). However, the doctor did not arrive until the evening – around 10 PM, because he was receiving wounded soldiers all day long. He was of German origin and communicated only in German. It was extraordinary that despite the loss of blood, 18 hours after the incident, Staszek was still alive, conscious and even communicated. Not only that – in his youth he learned German, so he was the only participant to explain to the doctor (with effort !!) what was happening to him, where his wounds were, etc. They simply spoke German together. The doctor began to inspect him and when he turned him to see his back, Stanisław began to choke on blood and so unexpectedly died. The doctor reportedly went berserk when he realized that he had lost patient „to” hands. He started screaming in German (shouting something: „kaput.!?”) and left the house with tears in his eyes. It was visible his most tragic experience of the day as the patient was exceptionally strong and there was no sign of what would happen. Stanisław was deported and buried in Połtwia, where he remains to this day. But this is not the end of the story of the late Stanislaus. And although he did not return to the world of the living, fate wanted the punch line only a few years later. In the village of Lutynka in the Regained Territories, where the family of the murdered Stanisław had settled, they met one of his torturers. He also repatriated to the new Poland. But that's another family story. And although he did not return to the world of the living, fate wanted the punch line only a few years later. In the village of Lutynka in the Regained Territories, where the family of the murdered Stanisław had settled, they met one of his torturers. He also repatriated to the new Poland. But that's another family story. And although he did not return to the world of the living, fate wanted that the punch line did not come until several years later. In the village of Lutynka in the Regained Territories, where the family of the murdered Stanisław had settled, they met one of his torturers. He also repatriated to the new Poland. But that's another family story.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „Calendar of the genocide – March 1944”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: „The story of Stanisław Bochenek's death on the basis of Roman's notes and Franciszka Bochenek's stories”, published with the consent of M. and S. Brzeziński

The Banderites murdered about 100 Poles.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „Calendar of the genocide – May 1944”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

In Pełtew village on Pełtew river in Lviv county: „On May 6, 44, there was a mass murder, but no further data are available”.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „Calendar of the genocide – May 1944”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: prof. dr hab. Jankiewicz Leszek S., „Supplement to the list of losses of the Polish population provided by Stanisław Jastrzębski for the Lubelskie Voivodeship (2004)”; in: Listowski Witold (ed.), „OUN-UPA genocide in the South-Eastern Borderlands”, in: Kędzierzyn-Koźle 2016, vol. 8

Józef Wyspiański reports that in 1944 50 Poles were murdered here.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „Calendar of the genocide – May 1944”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: Wyspiański Józef, „The effects of attacks by Ukrainian nationalists in the Przemyślany district”; in: Listowski Witold (ed.), „OUN-UPA genocide in the South-Eastern Borderlands”, in: Kędzierzyn-Koźle 2018, vol. 10