Volksdeutscher Selbstschutz
On 24 October 1939 the first group of 45 hostages – among them Nogalski – was taken to the place of execution in the forest near Rudzki Most. The massacre was to be carried out by members of the so-called Volksdeutscher Selbstschutz, a paramilitary organization of ethnic Germans who were previously Polish citizens. Before the execution, local Selbstschutz leader, Kurt Gehrt, made a speech to the Polish hostages. He claimed that "Poles murdered Hugo Fritz, the best German man in the area" and then promised that the hostages would be released if the arsonist identified himself. Hearing this, Nogalski stepped forward and said that he was the one who set fire to the barn. Confused and angry, Gehrt said to his comrades: "This bloody priest is looking for an excuse to save the others. We must hang him!". However, they did not find a suitable tree so they violently beat the priest and then shot him.