Auschwitz Witold Pilecki

mass extermination of jews in german occupied poland , polish government-in-exile addressed wartime allies of then-united nations, 1942

in 1940, pilecki presented superiors plan enter germany s auschwitz concentration camp @ oświęcim (the polish name of locality), gather intelligence on camp inside , organize inmate resistance. until then, little had been known how germans ran camp, , thought internment camp or large prison rather death camp. superiors approved plan , provided him false identity card in name of tomasz serafiński . on 19 september 1940, deliberately went out during warsaw street roundup (łapanka) , caught germans, along 2,000 civilians (among them, władysław bartoszewski). after 2 days of detention in light horse guards barracks, prisoners suffered beatings rubber truncheons, pilecki sent auschwitz , assigned inmate number 4859. during imprisonment, pilecki promoted home army rank of porucznik (first lieutenant).

auschwitz concentration camp photos of pilecki (1941).

at auschwitz, while working in various kommandos , surviving pneumonia, pilecki organized underground union of military organizations (zow). many smaller underground organizations @ auschwitz merged zow. zow s tasks improve inmate morale, provide news outside, distribute food , clothing members, set intelligence networks , train detachments take on camp in event of relief attack home army, arms airdrops or airborne landing polish 1st independent parachute brigade based in britain.

zow provided polish underground invaluable information camp. october 1940, zow sent reports warsaw, , beginning in march 1941, pilecki s reports being forwarded via polish resistance british government in london. in 1942, pilecki s resistance movement broadcasting details on number of arrivals , deaths in camp , inmates conditions using radio transmitter built camp inmates. secret radio station, built on 7 months using smuggled parts, broadcasting camp until autumn of 1942, when dismantled pilecki s men after concerns germans might discover location because of 1 of our fellow s big mouth .

these reports principal source of intelligence on auschwitz western allies. pilecki hoped either allies drop arms or troops camp or home army organize assault on outside. such plans, however, judged impossible carry out. meanwhile, camp gestapo under ss-untersturmfuhrer maximilian grabner redoubled efforts ferret out zow members, succeeding in killing many of them. pilecki decided break out of camp hope of convincing home army leaders rescue attempt valid option. when assigned night shift @ camp bakery outside fence, , 2 comrades overpowered guard, cut phone line , escaped on night of 26/27 april 1943, taking them documents stolen germans.