The Auschwitz volunteer : beyond bravery

In 1940, the Polish Underground wanted to know what was happening inside the recently opened Auschwitz concentration camp. Polish army officer Witold Pilecki volunteered to be arrested by the Germans and reported from inside the camp. His intelligence reports, smuggled out in 1941, were among the first eyewitness accounts of Auschwitz atrocities: the extermination of Soviet POWs, its function as a camp for Polish political prisoners, and the “final solution” for Jews. Pilecki received brutal treatment until he escaped in April 1943; soon after, he wrote a brief report. This book is the first English translation of a 1945 expanded version. In the foreword, Poland's chief rabbi states, “If heeded, Pilecki's early warnings might have changed the course of history.” Pilecki's story was suppressed for half a century after his 1948 arrest by the Polish Communist regime as a “Western spy.” He was executed and expunged from Polish history. Pilecki writes in staccato style but also interjects his observations on humankind's lack of progress: “We have strayed, my friends, we have strayed dreadfully... we are a whole level of hell worse than animals!” These remarkable revelations are amplified by 40 b&w photos, illus., and maps. September 1940. Polish Army Officer Witold Pilecki Deliberately Walked Into A Nazi German Street Round-up In Warsaw And Became Auschwitz Prisoner No. 4859. He Had Volunteered For A Secret Undercover Mission: Smuggle Out Intelligence About The New German Concentration Camp, And Build A Resistance Organization Among Prisoners. Pilecki's Clandestine Intelligence, Received By The Allies In 1941, Was Among Earliest. He Escaped In 1943 After Accomplishing His Mission. Dramatic Eyewitness Report, Written In 1945 For Pilecki's Polish Army Superiors, Published In English For First Time. --amazon.com Captain Pilecki's Covering Letter To Major General Tadeusz Petcynski -- Captain Witold Pilecki's 1945 Auschwitz Report. By Witold Pilecki; Translated By Jarek Garliński. Includes Index. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Witold Pilecki volunteered for a secret undercover mission as a prisoner at Auschwitz -- this is his comprehensive eyewitness report, suppressed by the communists for more than 50 years September 1940. With calm deliberation, Polish Army officer Witold Pilecki walked into a Nazi German street roundup in Warsaw... and became Auschwitz Prisoner No. 4859.