He later escaped and was the author of witolds report, the first comprehensive allied intelligence report on auschwitz and the holocaust. On the night of 2627 april 1943, pilecki and two others inmates escaped. The people of poland saw thousands of people entering auschwitz. This article appeared on wikipedia s main page as todays featured article on january 24, 2005. During the first 3 years at auschwitz, 2 million people were killed. You may not agree with his report but there is no doubt he was a brave man and a real polish patriot. A man fighting for his life can do more than he ever imagined he could. In 1918, he volunteered for the polish army that was being formed at that time, and. He is now recognized as the only known person to volunteer to be imprisoned at the auschwitz concentration camp during world war ii.
Captain witold pilecki 19011948, a cavalry officer in the polish army, was one of the founders of a resistance organization in germanoccupied poland during world war ii that quickly evolved into the polish underground army. He and his comrades went underground, meeting in secret, as nazi bullies strutted through the streets. Til of witold pilecki, a member of polish resistance who volunteered to be imprisoned in the auschwitz death camp to gather intelligence in 1940. Witold pileckis heroism in the face of unspeakable evil. Witold pilecki was a polish soldier who smuggled himself. Like many soviet prosecutions, the real purpose was political. A short movie about witold pilecki escape from auschwitz. Witold pilecki 19011948, also known by the pseudonyms witold and druh, was a cavalry commander in the polish army, a cofounder of the polish secret army, as well as a soldier of the home army, a participant of the polishbolshevik war, in addition to being a prisoner of auschwitzbirkenau, an organizer of the resistance movement in the camp. Witold pilecki was a cavalry officer in service to the polish army, and was a leader in the polish home army during world war 2. Avoiding detection, pilecki made his way from auschwitz to warsaw, a journey of some 200 miles. We make available witness interview reports of polish citizens who were testifying after the end of the second world war in the main commission for the investigation of german crimes in poland. In may 1947 two years to the day after germany capitulated witold pilecki s cover was blown.
He decided to infiltrate the auschwitz concentration camp, where he could gather intelligence and organize a resistance movement within the camp. Because of his post war activities, the polish communist government repressed pileckis heroism for 50 years. Witold pilecki biography facts, childhood, family life. Witolds report, also known as pileckis report, was an official report that was prepared in 1943 by witold pilecki, a soldier in the polish army and a secret agent of the polish resistance, who entered and escaped from the auschwitz concentration camp.
Witold pilecki was a polish resistance fighter who decided to enter auschwitz to gather intelligence on the camp and organize an inmate resistance. Witold pilecki ging freiwillig ins kz auschwitz politik. Their january 1944 report becomes known as the polish majors report. He served as a cavalry officer in the polish army in the polishsoviet war and world war ii. In 1940, he volunteered to infiltrate auschwitz whose operations were then largely opaque to the polish resistance and allowed himself to be rounded up by the gestapo pilecki spent 31 months in the notorious concentration camp.
The man who volunteered for auschwitz the atlantic. He was the author of witolds report, the first intelligence report on nazi atrocities at the auschwitz concentration camp. Upon arrival, he learned auschwitz was far from anything the resistance had imagined. He smuggled out the first accounts of the camp to the rest of the world. On the morning of september 19, 1940, the 39year old pilecki deliberately placed himself on a warsaw street during a roundup of poles.
When god created the human being, god had in mind that we should all be like captain witold pilecki, of blessed memory. Pilecki and other polish nationalists were eliminated to pave the way for a compliant soviet puppet state. Throughout his life, he demonstrated that courage and dedication have no limits. He is famous for infiltrating the auschwitz concentration camp and organizing a resistance from within the camp as well as providing intelligence on the camps operations, including information on the mass murders and human. Roman jezierski, tomasz serafinski, druh, witold witold pilecki was a soldier of the second polish republic and founder of the secret polish army tajna armia polska a resistance group and a member of the home army armia krajowahe was the author of the first intelligence report on auschwitz, which the polish governmentinexile used to convince the allies that the. The official page for the latest news and announcements on the.
Chronicles of terror is one of the largest collections of testimonies of civilians from the occupied europe. The auschwitz volunteer, by witold pilecki the new. He was a cofounder of the polish secret army, later part of the home army. Pilecki is the only man known to have volunteered to get himself arrested and sent to auschwitz as a prisoner. Pilecki made contact with home army units a few days later. In september 1940 the 39yearold polish cavalry officer witold pilecki deliberately walked into a german roundup in warsaw, and was sent by train to the new german camp.
I myself became fully aware of the greatness of witold pilecki while conducting research on the warsaw rising of 1944. Incredibly, theres still more to tell and its every bit as stunning as what youve read so far. A former cavalry officer turned home army figure, pilecki authored one of the great wars most daring and oddly obscure covert escapades. Pilecki was born in olonets, karelia on may, 1901, where his family had been forcibly resettled. Oskarzony i skazany przez wladze komunistyczne polski ludowej na kare smierci, stracony w 1948. Witold pilecki protokol z egzekucji execution certificate signed by smietanski 1948. After the war, witold pilecki is hailed as a war hero for his part in the report of death camps. He was also the author of witolds report, which was the first account of the auschwitz concentration camp and the holocaust.
Najlepsze obrazy na tablicy witold pilecki 22 armia. Captain witold pilecki was captured by the communist polish secret police the ub and murdered in 1946. He was a captain in the polish army when hilter took over his country. Born in 1901, as a seventeen year old he took part in the defense of wilno during the first world war. Pilecki decided to break out of the camp with the hope of convincing the home army leaders personally that a rescue attempt was a valid option. Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do so. It is into this environment that witold pilecki, a 39year old veteran of the polishsoviet war of 19191921 who fought against the initial nazi invasion and. He chronicled its transition from a concentration camp for polish political opponents to a factory of genocide. In the foreword to the book the auschwitz volunteer.
Witold pilecki was a soldier of the second polish republic, the founder of the secret polish army polish resistance group, and a member of the home army. Witold pilecki the incredible story of the man who. The man who volunteered for auschwitz witold pilecki. Witold pilecki has also passed away and i see not why he should be slandered here in that manner. Pilecki was eventually cleared to insert himself into a street roundup of poles in warsaw on sept.
Historian jack fairweather tells the story of witold pilecki the pole who volunteered for the job. In 1940, he volunteered to infiltrate auschwitz whose operations were then largely opaque to the polish resistance and allowed himself to be rounded up by the gestapo pilecki spent 31 months in the notorious. Witold pilecki was a soldier of the second polish republic and the founder of the secret polish army resistance group. So witold pilecki, a man of sound body and mind, raised his hand and volunteered to enter the camp himself. Witold pilecki bio, facts, family famous birthdays. He is now recognized as the only known person to volunteer to be imprisoned at the auschwitz concentration camp during world war ii pilecki was born on may, 1901 in karelia, russia where his family had been forcibly. Which saved 34 of the prisoners in the camps in europe.
Witold pilecki standing trial on trumped up charges of espionage. Witold pileckis letter to his sisterinlaw eleonora ostrowska written in the murnau oflag, witold pilecki, 19441114, original source. Witold pilecki may 1901 25 may 1948 was a polish cavalry captain, the founder of a wwii resistance movement secret polish army tajna armia polska, who deliberately let himself get caught and imprisoned in auschwitz in order to organize resistance there quotes. Pilecki volunteered in 1940 to be imprisoned in auschwitz to organize a resistance movement and send out information about it. The extraordinary story of the auschwitz volunteer witold pilecki as seen by his nephew, marek ostrowski and british author jack fairweather. He served as a rotmistrz captain with the polish army in the polishsoviet war, second polish republic, and world war ii. Volunteer for auschwitz concentration camp the story of captain witold pilecki who volunteered to be sent to the auschwitz concentration camp in order to gather information about nazi crimes for the allies. During world war ii, he became the only known person to. Witold pilecki was born may, 1901, in olonets on the shores of lake ladoga in karelia, russia, where his family had been forcibly resettled by tsarist russian authorities after the suppression of polands january uprising of 18631864. Probably the most courageous hero of the second world war. Witnessing the atrocities at auschwitz on the morning of september 19, 1940, the 39year old pilecki deliberately placed himself on a warsaw street during a roundup of poles. Unbroken soldier, cursed soldier, a soldier of the lost republic of poland, the last lancer of the polish republic, a volunteer to auschwitz, one of the six bravest men of the european resistance movement during world war ii. Witold pilecki was a dedicated member of the polish resistance, formed in the wake of germanys defeat of the polish army in the fall of 1939. Witolds report, also known as pileckis report, is a report about the auschwitz concentration camp written in 1943 by witold pilecki, a polish military officer and agent of the polish resistance.
The germans captured roughly 2,000 people alongside pilecki. The auschwitz volunteer is a newly available english translation of a report written by witold pilecki, a polish military officer, in the late summer of 1945 about the 3 years he spent inside the auschwitz concentration camp from 19401943. Witold pilecki quotes author of the auschwitz volunteer. He was arrested and tortured for months before a sham public trial in may 1948, where he was found guilty of espionage and given a death sentence. Beyond bravery,8 michael schudrich, the chief rabbi of poland, wrote as follows. Witold pilecki was a polish army officer, intelligence agent, social worker, and community leader, who is remembered for deliberately entering the auschwitz concentration camp as a prisoner, with the intention of gathering information. Pilecki was also a cofounder of the secret polish army resistance group.
Here was a man, who almost singlehandedly had held up the german panzers on one of warsaws main thoroughfares for a fortnight. He felt happiness at the solidarity which the camps terrible conditions had created amongst the poles. Zofia and andrzej pilecki collection after the fall of the uprising, pilecki was taken prisoner of war to the officers camp in murnau from where he was communicating with his family by post. Stanislaw chybinski, a member of the polish home army, escapes and compiles the report snapshots of auschwitz. Pilecki, captain witold pronounced veetold peeletskee captain witold pilecki 19011948, a cavalry officer in the polish army, was one of the founders of a resistance organization in germanoccupied poland during world war ii that quickly evolved into the polish underground army.