Lecture Notes: Witold Pilecki's Mission at Auschwitz

Introduction

• Witold Pilecki: Born May 13, 1901.
• Volunteer at Auschwitz to document conditions and form an underground organization.
• Created the Union of Military Organization and prepared reports for the Warsaw Command.

Getting to Auschwitz

• Took on a new identity: Tomasz Serafiński.
• Captured by Germans during a roundup in Warsaw on September 19, 1940.
• Arrived at Auschwitz: September 22, 1940.
• Assigned prisoner number 4859.

Daily Life and Conditions

• Daily schedule: Began at 4:20 a.m. (summer) or 5:20 a.m. (winter).
• Roll calls, brutal labor, harsh punishment.

Punishments

• Beating on a stool: 50-100 hits.
• Bunker: Confinement in cramped conditions.
• Hanging by hands: Resulted in severe physical harm.
• Execution: Quick death, often preferred by prisoners due to harsh conditions.

Notable Events

• Father Maximilian Kolbe's sacrifice: Took place in Block 11.
• Formation of an underground organization.

SS Crew and Functionaries

• German criminals as early prisoners and functionaries.
• Gerhard Palitzsch: Notorious for cruelty and executions.
• Use of Zyklon B initiated by camp director SS-Hauptsturmführer Karl Fritzsch.

Holocaust at Auschwitz

• Transports of Jews and selections for gas chambers.
• Scam strategies: Fake showers and promises of work.

Lice and Hygiene

• Extreme vermin problem, relentless lice infestations.

Escape

• Date: Night of April 26-27, 1943.
• Partners: Jan Redzej and Edward Ciesielski.
• Route: From camp bakery in Niva to Vistula River, then to Nowy Wiśnicz.

Post-Escape Activities

• Continued underground activities and Warsaw Uprising participation.
• Return to Poland, wrongful arrest, and execution by Communists.

Legacy

• Continued remembrance of Pilecki's heroism at Auschwitz.
• Importance of his report in documenting German war crimes.