Witold Pilecki
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. He also managed to
escape the camp with important German documents after 3 years and lived to tell
the tale in the report known as the ‘Witold's Report.’ The Roman Catholic also
fought in various wars and was part of the Polish army in the Polish–Soviet
War, the Second Polish Republic, and the Second World War. Known as one the
greatest wartime heroes, Pilecki also fought in the Warsaw Uprising until he
was arrested and sent to a camp in Bavaria. Although he was a loyal officer and
was remembered for his patriotism, Pilecki was accused of various charges, such
as working for “foreign imperialism” and indulging in illegal trading, and was
held guilty after trial. He was sentenced to death and was executed in 1948.
Films such as ‘The Death of Captain Pilecki’ (2006) and ‘Pilecki’ (2015) were
made to honor his legacy. He was also mentioned in documentaries such as
‘Against the Odds: Resistance in Nazi Concentration Camps’ (2004) and ‘Heroes
of War: Poland’ (2014).
Childhood & Early Life Pilecki
was born on May 13, 1901, in Karelia, Russia, to Julian Pilecki and Ludwika
Pilecki (née Osiecimska). Pilecki was the fourth of the five children of his
parents. His father, Julian, attended the ‘Petersburg Institute of
Forestry,’ where he studied forestry, and later became a senior inspector with
the ‘Board of National Forests’ in Karelia. While Julian continued with his
job, Ludwika moved to Northwestern Krai with the children in 1910. The
family finally settled in Wilno (present-day Vilnius, Lithuania). Pilecki
completed his schooling there, after which he joined an illegally operating
scout movement called the ‘ZHP Scouts Organization.’ Due to the impact
of the First World War in Vilnius, Pilecki and his family had to flee to
Mogilev, Byelorussia. They sought protection from Germans. Pilecki started a
local chapter of the ‘ZHP Scouts Organization’ after he moved to Oryol, Russia.
In 1918, he moved back to Vilnius to finish his primary education from
‘Joachim Lelewel High School. He finished his secondary education in 1921. Soon
after, he attended the 'University of Poznań,’ where he studied agriculture. He
then attended ‘Stefan Batory University’ to study arts. nIn 1924, he was
forced to end his studies due to his father’s ill health and their
deteriorating financial condition.
Early Career In 1918,
Pilecki joined a self-defense paramilitary training group under the ‘Lithuanian
and Belarusian Self-Defense Militia.’ The group went on to disarm the German
troops and take positions to save the city from the Soviet ‘Red Army.’ This was
during the beginning of the Russian Revolution, and the purpose was to defend
Wilno. After Wilno was captured by Bolshevik forces, Pilecki fled to
Bialystok and soon joined the Polish-Soviet War (1919–1920). He later joined
the 211th ‘Uhlan (light cavalry) Regiment.’ He fought the Battle of Warsaw and
also got involved in the Rudniki Forest as part of the regiment He also
fought in the Polish–Lithuanian War during this time. In 1921, he got
transferred to the army. Soon after getting promoted to the rank of
corporal, Pilecki focused on completing his education. However, he had to give
it up after his father’s health deteriorated. He decided to train
himself at the ‘Cavalry Reserve Officers' Training School’ in Grudziadz. He was
sent as an ensign to the ‘26th Lancer Regiment’ during this time. In
1926, he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant. For the next few years,
he continued his social work and also focused on agricultural development. In
1932, he developed his own training school (cavalry) in Lida. During this time,
he earned the rank of the commander of the ‘1st Lidsky Squadron.’
Career In 1939, he was
assigned to the ‘Polish 19th Infantry Division’ as a cavalry platoon. As part
of the platoon, he fought against the Germans at the time of the invasion of
Poland. After the German forces destroyed the platoon, the latter merged
with the ‘41st Infantry Division,’ where Pilecki joined as the divisional
second-in-command. A month after the signing of the ‘Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact’
(1939), the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland, leading to the surrender of the
Polish government to the ‘Nazis.’ In spite of government’s surrender on
September 27, 1939, Pilecki continued fighting through his division. However,
his division was disbanded, with parts of it surrendering to its enemies. A
month later, Pilecki and his commander, Major Włodarkiewicz, founded the ‘Tajna
Armia Polska’ (TAP), or the ‘Secret Polish Army.’ Within a year, the ‘TAP’ had
more than 8,000 men working for it. The ‘TAP’ was later incorporated into the
‘Union for Armed Struggle’ (Związek Walki Zbrojnej), which then came to be
known as the ‘Home Army’ (Armia Krajowa, AK). By the summer of 1940, Pilecki
had attained a different level of patriotism.
(Being photographed by the Germans upon arrival at Auschwitz in 1940.)
He volunteered to enter Germany's
‘Auschwitz’ concentration camp in Oświęcim. After receiving approval from his
seniors about the plan he presented, Pilecki deliberately received detention
from the Germans, along with 2,000 civilians, on September 19, 1940. After
2 days of rigorous beatings, he was sent to ‘Auschwitz.’ He later stated that
after the transfer, his identity had become limited to “number 4859” and
nothing more. He also noticed that the food provided to keep a prisoner
alive was barely sufficient for 6 weeks. If someone lived more than that, it
meant that he/she had stolen food, and the punishment for the same was death.
Amidst all the atrocities, Pilecki managed to organize the ‘Union of
Military Organizations’ (ZOW), which sent reports and updates about the camp to
other Polish underground organizations. The organization also provided extra
food, clothes, and news to its members. In 1942, a secret radio station
was also built using smuggled parts but was later dismantled due to the fear of
it being discovered by the German army. Apart from this, messages and reports
were sent out after being sewn into laundry clothes. After 3 years of
surviving in such horrific conditions, Pilecki decided to break out of the
camp. He felt that he could help prisoners after convincing the Polish
intelligence to do away with the resistance. On the night of 26/27 April
1943, he, along with two others, cut the phone line of the camp and escaped
with a few German documents. This incident turned him into one of the
most-remembered Polish men of all time.
(Being photographed by the Polish and Soviet Communists upon his arrest in 1947.)
In August 1944, he fought in the
Warsaw Uprising and was captured and sent to the ‘Murnau POW’ camp in Bavaria.
After the camp was liberated by the US in 1945, he went to Italy and joined the
‘Polish Second Corps.’On May 8, 1947, he was arrested by the ‘Ministry of
Public Security’ and subsequently tortured. He was accused of crossing the
border illegally, using forged documents, carrying illegal arms, conducting
espionage for “foreign imperialism,” and many other crimes. He pleaded guilty
and was sentenced to death. He was executed on May 25, 1948, at the ‘Mokotów
Prison’ in Warsaw. He was 47 years old at the time of his death.
Other Major Works He wrote
a report that turned into a book titled ‘The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond
Bravery.’ He was also a social worker, a community leader, and a painter.
Awards & Achievements In
1938, Pilecki received the ‘Silver Cross of Merit’ for his social activism. He
was also awarded the ‘Krzyż Walecznych’ (the Cross of Valor) twice. He
received a number of posthumous honors, too. In 1995, he received the ‘Order of
Polonia Restituta.’ In 2006, he was honored with the ‘Order of the White
Eagle.’
Family & Personal Life He
married Maria Pilecka (née Ostrowska) on April 7, 1931. She was a local school
teacher. The couple had two children: Andrzej and Zofia.
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/witold-pilecki-11397.php
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