Witold's Report

Last updated

Witold Pilecki Witold Pilecki in color.jpg
Witold Pilecki

Witold's Report, also known as Pilecki's Report, is a report about the Auschwitz concentration camp written in 1943 by Witold Pilecki, a Polish military officer and member of the Polish resistance. Pilecki volunteered in 1940 to be imprisoned in Auschwitz to organize a resistance movement and send out information about the camp. He escaped from Auschwitz in April 1943. His was the first comprehensive record of a Holocaust death camp to be obtained by the Allies.

Contents

The report includes details about the gas chambers, " Selektion ", and sterilization experiments. It states that there were three crematoria in Auschwitz II capable of cremating 8,000 people daily. [1]

Pilecki's Report preceded and complemented the Auschwitz Protocols , compiled from late 1943, which warned about the mass murder and other atrocities taking place at the camp. The Auschwitz Protocols comprise the Polish Major's Report by Jerzy Tabeau, who escaped with Roman Cieliczko on 19 November 1943 and compiled a report between December 1943 and January 1944; the Vrba-Wetzler report; and the Rosin-Mordowicz report. [2]

Background

On 9 November 1939, after the Polish Army had been defeated in the invasion of Poland, Cavalry Captain Witold Pilecki, together with his commander, Major Jan Włodarkiewicz, founded the Secret Polish Army (Tajna Armia Polska, TAP). [3] In 1940 Pilecki presented to his superiors a plan to enter Germany's Auschwitz concentration camp, gather intelligence on the camp, and organize inmate resistance. [4] At the time, little was known about how the Germans ran the camp, which appeared to operate as an internment, or large prison, camp. Pilecki's superiors approved his plan and provided him with a false identity card in the name of "Tomasz Serafiński". [5] On 19 September 1940 he deliberately went out during a Warsaw street roundup ( łapanka ) and was caught by the Germans, along with some 2,000 innocent civilians. After two days' detention in the Light Horse Guards Barracks, where prisoners suffered beatings with rubber batons, Pilecki was sent to Auschwitz and was assigned inmate number 4859. [5] [6]

Auschwitz

Inside the camp Pilecki organized an underground military organization (Związek Organizacji Wojskowej, ZOW), connected with other smaller underground organizations. [7] [8] Pilecki planned a general uprising in Auschwitz and hoped that the Allies would drop arms or troops into the camp (most likely the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade, based in Great Britain), and that the Home Army would organize an assault on the camp from outside. In 1943, the Gestapo redoubled its efforts to ferret out ZOW members, succeeding in killing many of them. [9] Pilecki decided to break out of the camp, hoping to personally convince Home Army leaders about his idea of the uprising in Auschwitz. On the night of April 26/27, 1943, Pilecki made a daring escape from the camp, but the Home Army did not accept his insurgency plan, as the Allies considered his reports about the Holocaust exaggerated.[ citation needed ]

Report

ZOW's intelligence network inside the camp started to send regular reports to the Home Army starting in October 1940. Beginning in November 1940, the first information about genocide occurring in the camp was sent via ZOW to the Home Army headquarters in Warsaw. [10] From March 1941 onwards Witold Pilecki's messages were forwarded to the Polish government in exile in London and, through it, to the British government and other Allied governments. These reports informed the Allies about the unfolding Holocaust and were the principal source of intelligence on Auschwitz-Birkenau for the Western Allies. [11]

On June 20, 1942, four Poles, Eugeniusz Bendera  [ pl ], Kazimierz Piechowski, Stanisław Gustaw Jaster  [ pl ] and Józef Lempart, made a daring escape from Auschwitz. [12] [13] [14] Dressed as members of the SS-Totenkopfverbände, fully armed and in an SS staff car, they drove out the main gate in a stolen automobile, a Steyr 220 belonging to Rudolf Höss. Jaster, a member of ZOW, carried with him a detailed report about conditions in the camp, written by Pilecki. The Germans never recaptured any of them. [15]

After his own daring escape from Auschwitz on April 27, 1943, Pilecki wrote Raport W. The report was signed by other members of the Polish underground who worked with ZOW: Aleksander Wielopolski, Stefan Bielecki, Antoni Woźniak, Aleksander Paliński, Ferdynand Trojnicki, Eleonora Ostrowska and Stefan Miłkowski, and it included a section called "Teren S" which contained a list of ZOW members. Later, after his release from the German prisoner-of-war camp at Murnau in 1945, Pilecki compiled a version of the report that was over 100 pages long. [16]

The first publication of Witold's Report took place in 2000, 55 years after the war, after it was reconstructed and published by Adam Cyra in his book Rotmistrz Pilecki. Ochotnik do Auschwitz. [17] [18] Additional documents were discovered in 2009. [19] An English translation was published in 2012 under the title The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery . [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witold Pilecki</span> Polish military officer (1901–1948)

Witold Pilecki was a Polish World War II cavalry officer, intelligence agent, and resistance leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Łapanka</span> World War II roundups by Germans in Poland

Łapanka ( ) was the Polish name for a World War II practice in German-occupied Poland, whereby the German SS, Wehrmacht and Gestapo rounded up civilians on the streets of Polish cities. The civilians arrested were in most cases chosen at random from among passers-by or inhabitants of city quarters surrounded by German forces prior to the action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfréd Wetzler</span> Slovak Jewish writer (1918–1988)

Alfréd Israel Wetzler, who wrote under the alias Jozef Lánik, was a Slovak Jewish writer. He is known for escaping from Auschwitz concentration camp and co-writing the Vrba-Wetzler Report, which helped halt the deportation of Jews from Hungary, saving up to 200,000 lives.

Józef Garliński was a Polish historian and prose writer. He was a survivor of Auschwitz concentration camp and wrote books on the history of World War II, some of which were translated into English. In particular, his book Fighting Auschwitz, translated into English in 1975, became a best-seller.

Secret Polish Army was a Polish resistance movement founded in November 1939 in German-occupied Poland, which was active in the voivodeships of Warsaw, Podlasie, Kielce and Lublin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish resistance movement in World War II</span> Combatant organizations opposed to Nazi Germany

In Poland, the resistance movement during World War II was led by the Home Army. The Polish resistance is notable among others for disrupting German supply lines to the Eastern Front, and providing intelligence reports to the British intelligence agencies. It was a part of the Polish Underground State.

<i>Auschwitz Protocols</i> Eyewitness accounts of concentration camp

The Auschwitz Protocols, also known as the Auschwitz Reports, and originally published as The Extermination Camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau, is a collection of three eyewitness accounts from 1943–1944 about the mass murder that was taking place inside the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland during the Second World War. The eyewitness accounts are individually known as the Vrba–Wetzler report, Polish Major's report, and Rosin-Mordowicz report.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auschwitz bombing debate</span> Strategic debate during World War II

The issue of why the Allies did not act on early reports of atrocities in the Auschwitz concentration camp by destroying it or its railways by air during World War II has been a subject of controversy since the late 1970s. Brought to public attention by a 1978 article from historian David Wyman, it has been described by Michael Berenbaum as "a moral question emblematic of the Allied response to the plight of the Jews during the Holocaust", and whether or not the Allies had the requisite knowledge and the technical capability to act continues to be explored by historians. The U.S. government followed the military's strong advice to always keep the defeat of Germany the paramount objective, and refused to tolerate outside civilian advice regarding alternative military operations. No major American Jewish organizations recommended bombing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cursed soldiers</span> Term applied to a variety of anti-Soviet and anti-communist Polish resistance movements

The "cursed soldiers" or "indomitable soldiers" were a heterogeneous array of anti-Soviet-imperialist and anti-communist Polish resistance movements formed in the later stages of World War II and in its aftermath by members of the Polish Underground State. The above terms, introduced in the early 1990s, reflect the stance of many of the diehard soldiers.

Związek Organizacji Wojskowej, abbreviated ZOW, was an underground resistance organization formed by Witold Pilecki at Auschwitz concentration camp in 1940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerhard Palitzsch</span> German SS soldier

Gerhard Palitzsch was a German non-commissioned officer (NCO) of the SS. He was notorious for his brutal treatment of prisoners in Auschwitz concentration camp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazimierz Piechowski</span> Polish engineer, political prisoner, and Holocaust survivor (1919–2017)

Kazimierz Piechowski was a Polish engineer, Boy Scout during the Second Polish Republic, and political prisoner of the Nazis held at Auschwitz concentration camp. He was a soldier of the Polish Home Army, and again became a political prisoner under the post-war communist government of Poland for seven years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquila Polonica</span>

Aquila Polonica is an independent publishing house based in the U.S. and the U.K., founded in 2005 by Terry A. Tegnazian and Stefan Mucha. The company specializes in books based on eyewitness accounts, in English, of Poland in World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piotr Śmietański</span> Polish executioner during Communist regime

Piotr Śmietański was a Polish non-commissioned officer and communist functionary in the Ministry of Public Security and executioner at Mokotów Prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerzy Tabeau</span> Polish Auschwitz escapee (1918–2002)

Jerzy Tabeau, an imprisoned Polish medical student, was one of the first escapees from Auschwitz to give a detailed report to the outside world on the genocide occurring there. First reports in early 1942 had been made by the Polish officer Witold Pilecki. Zabłotów-born Tabeau's report was known as that of the "Polish major" in the Auschwitz Protocols. After the war, he became a noted cardiologist in Kraków.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Resistance movement in Auschwitz</span> Underground resistance to the Holocaust in Auschwitz concentration camp

The organization of underground resistance movements in Auschwitz concentration camp began in the second half of 1940, shortly after the camp became operational in May that year. In September 1940 Witold Pilecki, a Polish army captain, arrived in the camp. Using the name Tomasz Serafiński, Pilecki had allowed himself to be captured by Germans in a street round up (łapanka) with the goal of having himself sent to Auschwitz to gather information and organize resistance inside. Under Pilecki's direction the Związek Organizacji Wojskowej, ZOW, was formed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Cyra</span> Polish historian

Adam Cyra is a Polish historian. A specialist in World War II history of Central Europe, he graduated from Jagiellonian University. Since 1972 he is a staff member of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim. His doctoral thesis at the Silesian University was on a Polish cavalry officer, intelligence agent, and resistance leader Witold Pilecki. He authored several dozen books and articles, mostly on World War II history of Poland and the Auschwitz concentration camp.

<i>The Volunteer</i> (book) 2019 book by Jack Fairweather about Witold Pilecki

The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero Who Infiltrated Auschwitz is a 2019 book which presents research by British writer Jack Fairweather, a former Washington Post war correspondent, into the life of Witold Pilecki, a Polish soldier and Home Army resistance fighter who infiltrated the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp. The book was met with positive reception from critics and won the Costa Book Awards – Book of the Year prize that year.

<i>The Auschwitz Volunteer</i> 2012 nonfiction book

The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery is a nonfiction 2012 book consisting of a report by Polish resistance fighter Witold Pilecki, an introduction written by historian Norman Davies and a foreword by Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich. The diary has been translated by Jarek Garliński and was published in English by Aquila Polonica. It covers a period of about four years during which Pilecki was on a mission to infiltrate the Auschwitz concentration camp. Pilecki wrote his report in Polish in the summer of 1945 for his Polish Army superiors; this book was the first time his report was published in English. His mission had two principal goals: smuggle out intelligence about the camp, and build a resistance organization among the prisoners.

Fighting Auschwitz: The Resistance Movement in the Concentration Camp is a 1975 book by Polish historian Józef Garliński about the resistance movement in Auschwitz, published by Julian Friedmann Publishers. The book's primary focus is the Związek Organizacji Wojskowej underground organization formed by the Polish resistance fighter, Witold Pilecki, known for infiltrating the Auschwitz concentration camp to organize resistance on the inside. The book, despite being close to 50 years old, is still considered a "definitive study of the topic" by modern scholars.

References

  1. ↑ Hilberg, Raul (1961). The Destruction of the European Jews (2003 republication ed.). Yale University Press. p. 1212.
  2. ↑ Henryk Świebocki (1997). London has been informed—: reports by Auschwitz escapees. Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. p. 94. ISBN   83-85047-60-3. The chronological order begins with the 'Polish Major's Report,' Jerzy Tabeau's text from his Polish manuscript, which the ... still in the camp, the memoirs of August Kowalczyk, or the accounts of the late Stanisiaw Chybinski and Witold Pilecki.
  3. ↑ Malinowski, Kazimierz (1986). Tajna Armia Polska. Znak. Konfederacja Zbrojna. Zarys genezy, organizacji i działalności (in Polish). Warszawa. ISBN   83-211-0791-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ↑ Pawłowicz, Jacek (2008). Rotmistrz Witold Pilecki 1901–1948 (in Polish). Instytut Pamięci Narodowej. ISBN   978-83-60464-97-7.
  5. 1 2 Lewis, Jon E. (1999), The Mammoth Book of True War Stories, Carroll & Graf Publishers, ISBN   0-7867-0629-5, p. 390
  6. ↑ Pilecki, Witold (2012). The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery. USA: Aquila Polonica (US) Ltd. p. 460. ISBN   978-1-60772-010-2.
  7. ↑ Świerczek, Lidia. "Rotamaster Witold Pilecki 1901–1948". The Institute of National Remembrance. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  8. ↑ Foot, Michael Richard Daniell (1978). "Secret agents against Nazi tyranny. Witold Pilecki, Leo Cooper". Six Faces of Courage. Eyre Methuen. ISBN   0-413-39430-1.
  9. ↑ Garlinski, Jozef (1975). Fighting Auschwitz: The Resistance Movement in the Concentration Camp. Fawcett. pp. 191–197.
  10. ↑ Cyra, Adam; Garliński, Józef (2000). Ochotnik do Auschwitz: Witold Pilecki 1901–48[Volunteer for Auschwitz]. Oświęcim. ISBN   83-912000-3-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ↑ Davies, Norman (1996). Europe: A History . Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-06-097468-0.
  12. ↑ Wojciech Zawadzki (2012), Przedborski, Słownik Biograficzny, via Internet Archive
  13. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20131103214327/http://www.psbprzedborz.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50%3Abendera-eugeniusz Eugeniusz Bendera (1906-po 1970)
  14. ↑ Kazimierz Piechowski, Eugenia Bożena Kodecka-Kaczyńska and Michał Ziółkowski. "Byłem Numerem: świadectwa z Auschwitz". Hardcover, Wydawnictwo Sióstr Loretanek, ISBN   83-7257-122-8
  15. ↑ "en.auschwitz.org.pl". auschwitz.org.pl. 2009-01-13. Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  16. ↑ Pilecki, Witold (25 May 2008). "Witold's Report". Volunteer for Auschwitz. Translated by Kucharski, Jacek (Full Text Online, Translated from Polish for the "LET'S REMINISCE ABOUT WITOLD PILECKI" ("PRZYPOMNIJMY O ROTMISTRZU") initiative ed.). Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  17. ↑ Cyra, Adam (26 August 2016). "Raporty rtm. Witolda Pileckiego". dzieje.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  18. ↑ Foks, Maciej; Cyra, Adam (2020). "Klucz Pileckiego wciąż czeka na odnalezienie". Instytut Pamięci Narodowej (in Polish). Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  19. ↑ Tchorek, Kamil (12 March 2009), "Double life of Witold Pilecki, the Auschwitz volunteer who uncovered Holocaust secrets", The Times, London, archived from the original on 10 May 2011, retrieved 16 March 2009
  20. ↑ Pilecki, Witold (30 April 2015). The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery. Translated by Garlinski, Jarek. Aquila Polonica. ISBN   978-1-60772-009-6.

Further reading

  1. Adam Cyra, Ochotnik do Auschwitz. Witold Pilecki 1901–1948, ISBN   83-912000-3-5, Chrześcijańskie Stowarzyszenie Rodzin Oświęcimskich, Oświęcim 2000
  2. Cyra, Adam Spadochroniarz Urban [Paratrooper Urban], Oświęcim 2005.
  3. Cyra, Adam and Wiesław Jan Wysocki, Rotmistrz Witold Pilecki, Oficyna Wydawnicza VOLUMEN, 1997. ISBN   83-86857-27-7
  4. Jacek Pawłowicz, Rotmistrz Witold Pilecki 1901–1948, 2008, ISBN   978-83-60464-97-7.
  5. Foot, Michael Richard Daniell (2003), Six Faces of Courage. Secret agents against Nazi tyranny. Witold Pilecki, Leo Cooper, ISBN   0-413-39430-1
  6. Piekarski, Konstanty R. (1990), Escaping Hell: The Story of a Polish Underground Officer in Auschwitz and Buchenwald, Dundurn Press Ltd., ISBN   1-55002-071-4
  7. Tchorek, Kamil (March 12, 2009), Double life of Witold Pilecki, the Auschwitz volunteer who uncovered Holocaust secrets, London: The Times, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article5891132.ece, retrieved March 16, 2009
  8. Wyman, David S.; Garlinski, Jozef (December 1976), "Review: Jozef Garlinski. Fighting Auschwitz: The Resistance Movement in the Concentration Camp", American Historical Review (American Historical Association) 81 (5): 1168–1169, doi : 10.2307/1853043, ISSN   0002-8762
  9. Ciesielski E., Wspomnienia Oświęcimskie [Auschwitz Memoirs], Kraków, 1968
  10. Garlinski, Jozef, Fighting Auschwitz: the Resistance Movement in the Concentration Camp, Fawcett, 1975, ISBN   0-449-22599-2, reprinted by Time Life Education, 1993. ISBN   0-8094-8925-2
  11. Gawron, W. Ochotnik do Oświęcimia [Volunteer for Auschwitz], Calvarianum, Auschwitz Museum, 1992
  12. Patricelli, M. "Il volontario" [The Volunteer], Laterza 2010, ISBN   88-420-9188-X.
  13. Wysocki, Wiesław Jan. Rotmistrz Pilecki, Pomost, 1994. ISBN   83-85209-42-5
  14. Kon Piekarski "Escaping Hell: The Story of a Polish Underground Officer in Auschwitz and Buchenwald", Dundurn Press Ltd., 1989, ISBN   1-55002-071-4, ISBN   978-1-55002-071-7
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.