James L. Buckley
United States politician and federal judge (1923-2023)
Polish underground resistance soldier, World War II concentration camp resistance leader (1901-1948)
Witold Pilecki was a Polish World War II hero who volunteered to be captured by the Nazis and sent to Auschwitz in order to gather intelligence and organize resistance within the camp. He later escaped, fought in the Warsaw Uprising, and was executed by the communist authorities after the war for his anti-communist activities.
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About the Witold Pilecki
Witold Pileckiwas a Polish World War II cavalry officer, intelligence agent, and resistance leader.
As a youth, Pilecki joined Polish underground scouting; in the aftermath of World War I, he joined the Polish militia and, later, the Polish Army. He participated in the Polish-Soviet War, which ended in 1921. In 1939, he participated in the unsuccessful defense of Poland against the German invasion and, shortly afterward, joined the Polish resistance, co-founding the Secret Polish Army resistance movement. In 1940, Pilecki volunteered: 66 to allow himself to be captured by the occupying Germans in order to infiltrate the Auschwitz concentration camp. At Auschwitz, he organized a resistance movement that eventually included hundreds of inmates, and he secretly drew up reports detailing German atrocities at the camp, which were smuggled out to Home Army headquarters and shared with the Western Allies. After eventually escaping from Auschwitz in April 1943, Pilecki fought in the Warsaw Uprising of August-October 1944. Following its suppression, he was interned in a German prisoner-of-war camp. After the communist takeover of Poland, he remained loyal to the London-based Polish government-in-exile. In 1945, he returned to Poland to report to the government-in-exile on the situation in Poland. Before returning, Pilecki compiled his previous reports into Witold’s Report to detail his Auschwitz experiences, anticipating that he might be killed by Poland’s new communist authorities. In 1947, he was arrested by the secret police on charges of working for “foreign imperialism” and, after being subjected to torture and a show trial, was executed in 1948.
His story, inconvenient to the Polish communist authorities, remained mostly unknown for several decades; one of the first accounts of Pilecki’s mission to Auschwitz was given by Polish historian Jozef Garlinski, himself a former Auschwitz inmate who emigrated to Britain after the war, in Fighting Auschwitz: The Resistance Movement in the Concentration Camp (1975). Several monographs appeared in subsequent years, particularly after the fall of communism in Poland facilitated research into his life by Polish historians.
Frequently Asked Questions
Witold Pilecki was a Polish World War II cavalry officer, intelligence agent, and resistance leader who volunteered to be sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp in order to gather intelligence and organize resistance from within.
Witold Pilecki volunteered to be captured by the Germans and sent to Auschwitz in 1940 in order to gather intelligence on the atrocities being committed there and to organize a resistance movement among the inmates.
At Auschwitz, Witold Pilecki organized a resistance movement that eventually included hundreds of inmates, and he secretly wrote reports detailing the German atrocities at the camp, which were smuggled out to the Polish resistance.
Witold Pilecki’s story remained mostly unknown for several decades because it was inconvenient to the Polish communist authorities, and it wasn’t until after the fall of communism in Poland that his life and exploits could be fully researched by historians.
After the war, Witold Pilecki remained loyal to the London-based Polish government-in-exile. In 1945, he returned to Poland to report on the situation, but was later arrested by the secret police, subjected to torture and a show trial, and executed in 1948.
3 Quotes by Witold Pilecki
- 1.
So they didn’t let anybody else off. I can’t live like this, I’m finished. Auschwitz was easy.
Witold PileckiPolish underground resistance soldier, World War II concentration camp resistance leader (1901-1948)
- 2.
I carried out my orders until arrested. I had no sense that I was spying, and I ask that this be taken into account in deciding my verdict.
Witold PileckiPolish underground resistance soldier, World War II concentration camp resistance leader (1901-1948)
- 3.
During the first 3 years at Auschwitz, 2 million people died; over the next 2 years – 3 million.
Witold PileckiPolish underground resistance soldier, World War II concentration camp resistance leader (1901-1948)