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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
| name = Witold Pilecki
| name = Witold Pilecki
| image = Witold Pilecki in color.jpg
| image = Witold Pilecki in color.jpg
| caption = Pilecki in a colorized pre-1939 photograph
| caption = Pilecki in a colorized pre-1939 photograph
| birth_date = {{birth date|1901|5|13|df=y}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1901|5|13|df=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1948|5|25|1901|5|13|df=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1948|5|25|1901|5|13|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Olonets]], [[Olonetsky Uyezd]], [[Olonets Governorate]], [[Russian Empire]]
| birth_place = [[Olonets]], [[Olonetsky Uyezd]], [[Olonets Governorate]], [[Russian Empire]]
| death_place = [[Mokotów Prison]], [[Warsaw]], [[People's Republic of Poland|Poland]]
| death_place = [[Mokotów Prison]], [[Warsaw]], [[People's Republic of Poland|Poland]]
| placeofburial = Unknown; possibly in [[Powązki Military Cemetery]] or [[Mokotów Prison]]
| placeofburial = Unknown; possibly in [[Powązki Military Cemetery]] or [[Mokotów Prison]]
| allegiance = [[Second Polish Republic]]; [[Polish Government in Exile]]
| allegiance = [[Second Polish Republic]]; [[Polish Government in Exile]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Poznań]], Faculty of Agriculture (1922)
| alma_mater = [[University of Poznań]], Faculty of Agriculture (1922)
[[Stefan Batory University]], Faculty of Fine Arts (1922–1924)
[[Stefan Batory University]], Faculty of Fine Arts (1922–1924)
| spouse = {{marriage|Maria Ostrowska|1931}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Maria Ostrowska|1931}}
| children = 2
| children = 2
| serviceyears = 1918–1947
| serviceyears = 1918–1947
| rank = Captain, Cavalry master
| rank = Captain, Cavalry master
| commands = Commander of the 1st Lidsky Squadron (1932–1937)
| commands = Commander of the 1st Lidsky Squadron (1932–1937)
* Deputy Commander of the 41st Infantry Division (1939)
* Deputy Commander of the 41st Infantry Division (1939)
* Organizer of the [[Secret Polish Army]] (1939–1940)
* Organizer of the [[Secret Polish Army]] (1939–1940)
* Organizer of the [[Związek Organizacji Wojskowej|Union of Military Organizations]] (1940–1943)
* Organizer of the [[Związek Organizacji Wojskowej|Union of Military Organizations]] (1940–1943)
* Commander of the Warszawianka Company (1944)
* Commander of the Warszawianka Company (1944)
| battles = [[Polish–Soviet War]]
| battles = [[Polish–Soviet War]]
* [[Vilna offensive|Wilno Offensive (1919)]]
* [[Vilna offensive|Wilno Offensive (1919)]]
* [[Kiev Offensive (1920)]]
* [[Kiev Offensive (1920)]]
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* [[September Campaign]] (1939)
* [[September Campaign]] (1939)
* [[Warsaw Uprising]] (1944)
* [[Warsaw Uprising]] (1944)
| awards = {{plainlist|
| awards = {{plainlist|
* [[File:POL Order Orła Białego BAR.svg|border|23px]] [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]]
* [[File:POL Order Orła Białego BAR.svg|border|23px]] [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]]
* [[File:POL Polonia Restituta Komandorski BAR.svg|border|23px]] [[Order of Polonia Restituta]]
* [[File:POL Polonia Restituta Komandorski BAR.svg|border|23px]] [[Order of Polonia Restituta]]
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In 1940 Pilecki volunteered<ref>John Besemeres, "The Worst of Both Worlds: Captain Witold Pilecki between Hitler and Stalin", in ''A Difficult Neighbourhood: Essays on Russia and East-Central Europe since World War II'', [[Australian National University Press]], 2016, p. 66.</ref><ref name="Were We All People?">{{cite news|last=Snyder|first=Timothy|date=22 June 2012|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/books/review/the-auschwitz-volunteer-by-witold-pilecki.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|title=Were We All People?|work=The New York Times|url-access=registration|access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref><ref name=szum>{{Cite book |last=Szumilo |first=Mirosalw |title=''"Living with the Stigma of a 'Traitor of the Nation': The Plight of the Families of Victims of Stalinist Terror in Poland"'', ''in'' Histories (Un)Spoken: Strategies of Survival and Social-Professional Integration in Political Prisoners' Families in Communist Central and Eastern Europe in the '50s and '60s, ''edited by C. Budeanca and D Bathory'' |publisher=LIT Verlag |year=2018 |pages=48-62}}.</ref> to allow himself to be captured by the occupying Germans in one of their [[roundup (history)|street round-ups]],{{dubious|date=March 2021}} in order to infiltrate the [[Auschwitz concentration camp]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Paliwoda |first=D. |date=2013 |title=Captain Witold Pilecki |journal=Military Review |volume=93 |issue=6 |pages=88–96 |via=ProQuest}}</ref> There he organized a resistance movement that eventually included hundreds of inmates, and he secretly sent reports to the [[Allies of World War II|Western Allies]] detailing German atrocities at the camp.{{Citation needed}}
In 1940 Pilecki volunteered<ref>John Besemeres, "The Worst of Both Worlds: Captain Witold Pilecki between Hitler and Stalin", in ''A Difficult Neighbourhood: Essays on Russia and East-Central Europe since World War II'', [[Australian National University Press]], 2016, p. 66.</ref><ref name="Were We All People?">{{cite news|last=Snyder|first=Timothy|date=22 June 2012|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/books/review/the-auschwitz-volunteer-by-witold-pilecki.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|title=Were We All People?|work=The New York Times|url-access=registration|access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref><ref name=szum>{{Cite book |last=Szumilo |first=Mirosalw |title=''"Living with the Stigma of a 'Traitor of the Nation': The Plight of the Families of Victims of Stalinist Terror in Poland"'', ''in'' Histories (Un)Spoken: Strategies of Survival and Social-Professional Integration in Political Prisoners' Families in Communist Central and Eastern Europe in the '50s and '60s, ''edited by C. Budeanca and D Bathory'' |publisher=LIT Verlag |year=2018 |pages=48-62}}.</ref> to allow himself to be captured by the occupying Germans in one of their [[roundup (history)|street round-ups]],{{dubious|date=March 2021}} in order to infiltrate the [[Auschwitz concentration camp]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Paliwoda |first=D. |date=2013 |title=Captain Witold Pilecki |journal=Military Review |volume=93 |issue=6 |pages=88–96 |via=ProQuest}}</ref> There he organized a resistance movement that eventually included hundreds of inmates, and he secretly sent reports to the [[Allies of World War II|Western Allies]] detailing German atrocities at the camp.{{Citation needed}}


Later, having escaped from Auschwitz, Pilecki fought in the [[Warsaw Uprising]] of August–October 1944. Following its suppression, he was interned in a German prisoner-of-war camp.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Davies |first=Norman |title=Rising '44: "The Battle for Warsaw" |publisher=Pan Books |year=2004 |isbn=0-333-90568-7}}</ref><ref name="Were We All People?"/> 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 Exile Government on the situation in Poland.<ref name="Were We All People?"/> Before returning, Pilecki wrote ''[[Witold's Report]]'' on the Auschwitz concentration camp, anticipating that he might be killed by Poland's new communist authorities.<ref name="Were We All People?"/><ref name=cuber>{{cite journal |last1=Cuber-Strutyńska |first1=Ewa |title=Witold Pilecki. Confronting the legend of the “volunteer to Auschwitz”|journal=Holocaust Studies and Materials |date=2017 |volume=4 |pages=281-301 |url=https://zagladazydow.pl/index.php/zz/article/download/720/679}}</ref><ref name=Fleming>{{cite journal |last1=Fleming |first1=Michael |author1-link=Michael Fleming (historian) |title=The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero Who Infiltrated Auschwitz: by Jack Fairweather (London: WH Allen, 2019), 505 pages |journal=Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs |date=2019 |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=289–294 |doi=10.1080/23739770.2019.1673981}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Paliwoda |first=D. |date=2013 |title=Captain Witold Pilecki |journal=Military Review |volume=93 |issue=6 |pages=88–96 |via=ProQuest}}</ref>
Later, having escaped from Auschwitz, Pilecki fought in the [[Warsaw Uprising]] of August–October 1944. Following its suppression, he was interned in a German prisoner-of-war camp.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Davies |first=Norman |title=Rising '44: "The Battle for Warsaw" |publisher=Pan Books |year=2004 |isbn=0-333-90568-7}}</ref><ref name="Were We All People?"/> 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 Exile Government on the situation in Poland.<ref name="Were We All People?"/> Before returning, Pilecki wrote ''[[Witold's Report]]'' on the Auschwitz concentration camp, anticipating that he might be killed by Poland's new communist authorities.<ref name="Were We All People?"/><ref name=cuber>{{cite journal |last1=Cuber-Strutyńska |first1=Ewa |title=Witold Pilecki. Confronting the legend of the “volunteer to Auschwitz”|journal=Holocaust Studies and Materials |date=2017 |volume=4 |pages=281-301 |url=https://zagladazydow.pl/index.php/zz/article/download/720/679}}</ref><ref name=Fleming>{{cite journal |last1=Fleming |first1=Michael |author1-link=Michael Fleming (historian) |title=The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero Who Infiltrated Auschwitz: by Jack Fairweather (London: WH Allen, 2019), 505 pages |journal=Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs |date=2019 |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=289–294 |doi=10.1080/23739770.2019.1673981}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Paliwoda |first=D. |date=2013 |title=Captain Witold Pilecki |journal=Military Review |volume=93 |issue=6 |pages=88–96 |via=ProQuest}}</ref>


In 1947 he was arrested by the [[Urząd Bezpieczeństwa|secret police]] on charges of working for "foreign imperialism"{{Citation needed}} and, after being subjected to torture<ref name="Were We All People?" /> and a [[show trial]], was executed in 1948. An account of Pilecki's mission to Auschwitz was given by Polish historian [[Józef Garliński]], himself a former Auschwitz inmate who emigrated to Britain after the war, in ''Fighting Auschwitz: The Resistance Movement in the Concentration Camp'' (1975).{{sfn|Garliński|1975}}
In 1947 he was arrested by the [[Urząd Bezpieczeństwa|secret police]] on charges of working for "foreign imperialism"{{Citation needed}} and, after being subjected to torture<ref name="Were We All People?" /> and a [[show trial]], was executed in 1948. An account of Pilecki's mission to Auschwitz was given by Polish historian [[Józef Garliński]], himself a former Auschwitz inmate who emigrated to Britain after the war, in ''Fighting Auschwitz: The Resistance Movement in the Concentration Camp'' (1975).{{sfn|Garliński|1975}}
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==Early life==
==Early life==
Witold Pilecki was born on 13 May 1901 in the town of [[Olonets]], [[Republic of Karelia|Karelia]], in the [[Russian Empire]]. His ancestors were deported to Russia due to their participation in the [[January Uprising]] of 1863–1864. Witold was one of five children of forest inspector Julian Pilecki and Ludwika Osiecimska. In 1910 Witold moved with his mother and siblings to [[Wilno, while his father remained in Olonets. During his time in WIlno, Pilecki attended a local school, and joined the undeground [[Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego|Polish Scouts organization]] (ZHP). <ref name="IPNweb">Świerczek, Lidia. [https://biogramy.ipn.gov.pl/bio/wszystkie-biogramy/106001,Rotmistrz-Witold-Pilecki.html Pilecki's life]. [[Institute of National Remembrance]].</ref>]].<ref name=cuber/> In 1916, Pilecki was sent by his mother to a school in the Russian city of [[Oryol]], where he attended a [[Gymnasium (school)|gymnasium]] and where founded a local chapter of the ZHP.<ref name="IPNweb" />
Witold Pilecki was born on 13 May 1901 in the town of [[Olonets]], [[Republic of Karelia|Karelia]], in the [[Russian Empire]]. His ancestors were deported to Russia due to their participation in the [[January Uprising]] of 1863–1864. Witold was one of five children of forest inspector Julian Pilecki and Ludwika Osiecimska. In 1910 Witold moved with his mother and siblings to [[Wilno]] to receive a Polish education, while his father remained in Olonets. During his time in WIlno, Pilecki joined the secret [[Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego|ZHP Scouts organization]]. During the First World War he was part of the Wilno self defence force.<ref name=cuber/>

==Polish–Soviet War==
==Polish–Soviet War and later career==
In 1918, following the outbreak of the [[Russian Revolution]] and the defeat of the [[Central Powers]] in [[World War I]], Pilecki returned to [[Wilno]] (at that time part of the newly independent [[Polish Second Republic]]) and joined a ZHP Scout section of the [[Lithuanian and Belarusian Self-Defence|Lithuanian and Belarusian Self-Defense Militia]], a [[paramilitary]] formation aligned with the [[White movement]] under General [[Władysław Wejtko.<ref name=cuber/><ref name="IPNweb" /> The militia disarmed the retreating German troops and took up positions to defend the city from a looming attack by the [[Soviet Red Army]]. However, Wilno fell to [[Bolshevik]] forces on 5 January 1919, and Pilecki and his unit resorted to [[partisan warfare]] behind Soviet lines. He and his comrades then retreated to [[Białystok]] where Pilecki enlisted as a ''[[Private (rank)|szeregowy]]'' (private) in Poland's newly established [[Volunteer Army (Poland)|volunteer army]]. He took part in the [[Polish-Soviet War]] of 1919–1921, serving under Captain [[Jerzy Dąbrowski (Lieutenant Colonel)|Jerzy Dąbrowski]].<ref name="IPNweb"/> He fought in the [[Kiev Offensive (1920)]] and as part of a [[cavalry]] unit defending the city of [[Grodno]]. On 5 August 1920, Pilecki joined the 211th [[Uhlan]] Regiment and fought in the crucial [[Battle of Warsaw (1920)|Battle of Warsaw]] and in the Rudniki Forest (''Puszcza Rudnicka''). Pilecki later took part in the [[Vilna offensive|liberation of Wilno]] and briefly served in the ongoing [[Polish-Lithuanian War]] as a member of the October 1920 [[Żeligowski's Mutiny|Żeligowski rebellion]].<ref name="IPNweb"/>
As a cavalryman, Pilecki fought in the [[First Battle of Grodno (1920)|Battle of Grodno]] and the [[Battle of Warsaw (1920)|Battle of Warsaw]] in the [[Polish–Soviet War]]. When the war with the Soviets ended he completed his school examinations while continuing his military service. In 1926 he was promoted to reserve second lieutenant (seniority from 1923).<ref name=cuber/>
==Interwar years==

When the war with the Soviets ended, he completed his school examinations while continuing his military service, completing courses required for a [[non-commissioned officer]] rank at the Cavalry Reserve Officers' Training School in [[Grudziądz]]. He briefly enrolled with the [[Fine art|Faculty of Fine Arts]] at [[University of Vilnius|Stefan Batory University]] but was forced to abandon his studies in 1924 due to both financial issues and the declining health of his father.<ref name="IPNweb"/> In July 1925 Pilecki was assigned to the 26th Lancer Regiment with the rank of ''[[Chorąży]]'' ([[Ensign (rank)|ensign]]). Pilecki would be promoted to ''[[Podporucznik]]'' (second lieutenant, with seniority from 1923) the following year.<ref name=cuber/><ref name="IPNweb"/>
Also in 1926, in September, Pilecki became the owner of his family's ancestral estate, [[Sukurcze]], in the [[Lida district]] of the [[Nowogródek Voivodeship (1919–1939)|Nowogródek Voivodeship]]. In 1931, he married Maria Ostrowska. They had two children, born in Wilno: Andrzej (16 January 1932) and Zofia (14 March 1933). Pilecki was active in the local community, he was the chairman of a dairy and founded a farmer's association. He also organized the ''Krakus'' Military Horsemen Training school in 1932 and was appointed to command the 1st Lida Military Training [[Squadron (army)|Squadron]], which was placed under the [[Polish 19th Infantry Division]] in 1937. In 1938, Pilecki received the Silver [[Cross of Merit (Poland)|Cross of Merit]] for his activism.<ref name=cuber/><ref name="IPNweb"/>
In September 1926, Pilecki became the owner of his family's ancestral estate, [[Sukurcze]], in the [[Lida district]] of the [[Nowogródek Voivodeship (1919–1939)|Nowogródek Voivodeship]]. In 1931, he married Maria Ostrowska. They had two children, born in Wilno: Andrzej (16 January 1932) and Zofia (14 March 1933). Pilecki was active in the local community, he was the chairman of a dairy and founded a famrer's association. He also organized ''Krakus'' Military Horsemen Training, and was appointed to command the 1st Lida Military Training [[Squadron (army)|Squadron]], which as placed under the [[Polish 19th Infantry Division]] in 1937. In 1938, Pilecki received the Silver [[Cross of Merit (Poland)|Cross of Merit]] for his activism.<ref name=cuber/>


==World War II==
==World War II==
{{Polish Underground State sidebar}}
{{Polish Underground State sidebar}}
Pilecki was mobilized as a cavalry platoon commander on 26 August 1939. He was assigned to the 19th Infantry Division under General [[Józef Kwaciszewski]], part of the [[Prusy Army|Polish Army Prusy and his unit took part in heavy fighting against the advancing Germans during the [[invasion of Poland]]. The 19th Division was almost completely destroyed following a clash with the German forces on the night of September 5 to 6.<ref name="IPNweb" /> Its remains were incorporated into the [[41st Infantry Division (Poland)|41st Infantry Division]], which was withdrawn to the southeast toward [[Lwów]] (now L'viv in Ukraine) and the [[Romanian bridgehead]].]]. In the 41st Division, Pilecki served as divisional second-in-command of its cavalry detachment, under Major [[Jan Włodarkiewicz]].<ref name="IPNweb" /> He and his men destroyed seven German tanks, shot down one aircraft, and destroyed two more on the ground.<ref>Beadle, Jeremy and Harrison, Ian (2008) ''Firsts, lasts & only: military''. Anova Books. {{ISBN|1-905798-06-7}}. p. 129.</ref><ref>Wysocki, Wiesław Jan (1994) ''Rotmistrz Pilecki''. "Gryf". {{ISBN|83-85521-23-2}}. p. 32.</ref> On 17 September, the [[Soviet invasion of Poland|Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland]], which worsened the already desperate situation of the Polish forces. On September 22, the 41st Division suffered a major defeat and capitulated.<ref name="IPNweb" /> Włodarkiewicz and Pilecki did not follow the order of Commander-in-Chief General [[Edward Śmigły-Rydz]] to retreat through Romania to France, instead opting to stay in the underground in Poland.<ref name=cuber/>
Pilecki was mobilized as a cavalry platoon commander on 26 August 1939. He was assigned to the 19th Infantry Division under General Józef Kwaciszewski, part of the Polish Army Prusy. He was then part of the [[41st Infantry Division (Poland)|41st Infantry Division]], in which Pilecki was second-in-command under cavalry commander Major [[Jan Włodarkiewicz]]. On September 22 Włodarkiewicz and Pilecki disobeyed orders to retreat through Romania to France, instead opting to stay in the underground in Poland.<ref name=cuber/>


===Polish resistance===
===Polish resistance===


On 9 November 1939 in Warsaw, Major Włodarkiewicz, Second Lieutenant Pilecki, Second Lieutenant Jerzy Maringe, Jerzy Skoczyński, and the Jan and Stanisław Dangel brothers founded the [[Secret Polish Army]] (''Tajna Armia Polska'', TAP), one of the first underground organizations in Poland. TAP was based on Christian ideological values.<ref name=cuber/> Pilecki was the organizational inspector and Chief of Staff in TAP from 25 November 1939 until May 1940. From August 1940, he was in charge of the 1st branch (organizational and mobilization).<ref name=cuber/>
On 9 November 1939 in Warsaw, Major Włodarkiewicz, Second Lieutenant Pilecki, Second Lieutenant Jerzy Maringe, Jerzy Skoczyński, and the Jan and Stanisław Dangel brothers founded the [[Secret Polish Army]] (''Tajna Armia Polska'', TAP), one of the first underground organizations in Poland. TAP was based on ideological Christian values.<ref name=cuber/> Pilecki was organisational inspector and Chief of Staff in TAP from 25 November 1939 until May 1940. From August 1940 he was in charge of the 1st branch (organizational and mobilization).<ref name=cuber/>

Toward the end of August 1940, after the arrest of two TAP leaders (Doctor Dering and Lieutenant Colonel Surmacki), Włodarkiewicz called a meeting in which it was proposed that a TAP member infiltrate Auschwitz. Pilecki is commonly said to have volunteered for that task, although Ewa Cuber-Strutyńska noted that some documents suggest that he was pressured into doing so by Włodarkiewicz.<ref name=cuber/>
Though some TAP members were arrested, these were mainly from accidental unmaskings through August 1940. However, in September 1940 arrests were made due to the organization having been infiltrated by informer Borys Pilnik. Toward the end of August 1940, after the arrest of two leaders of TAP (Doctor Dering and Lieutenant Colonel Surmacki), Włodarkiewicz called a meeting in which it was proposed that a TAP member infiltrate Auschwitz. Pilecki was urged by his superior{{who|date=March 2021}} to accept this task.<ref name=cuber/>


===Auschwitz===
===Auschwitz===
{{main|Witold's Report}}
{{main|Witold's Report}}


Pilecki was one of about 2000 men arrested on 19 September 1940. Pilecki hid his real identity and instead used the identity documents of Tomasz Serafiński. He was caught at the flat of Eleonora Ostrowska at Wojska Polskiego Street.<ref name=cuber/> He was detained for two days in the Light Horse Guards Barracks, where prisoners suffered beatings with rubber truncheons,<ref name="Pilecki 2012 460">{{cite book|last=Pilecki|first=Witold|title=The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery|year=2012|publisher=Aquila Polonica (US) Ltd|location=USA|isbn=978-1-60772-010-2|page=460}}</ref> Along with 1705 other prisoners he reached Auschwitz between 21-22 September 1940 and was assigned prisoner number 4859 under the name of Serafiński. In autumn 1941, he was promoted by his superiors to lieutenant.<ref name=cuber/>
Pilecki was one of 2000 men arrested on 19 September 1940. Pilecki used the identity documents of Tomasz Serafiński, who was assumed dead by mistake. He was caught at the flat of Eleonora Ostrowska at Wojska Polskiego Street. Along with 1705 other prisoners he reached Auschwitz between 21-22 September 1940 and was assigned prisoner number 4859 under the name of Serafiński. In autumn 1941 he was promoted by his superiors to lieutenant.<ref name=cuber/>


[[File:Pilecki ausch f.jpg|thumb|250px|Auschwitz concentration camp photographs of Pilecki (1941)]]
[[File:Pilecki ausch f.jpg|thumb|250px|Auschwitz concentration camp photographs of Pilecki (1941)]]
Pilecki organized the underground [[Związek Organizacji Wojskowej|Union of Military Organizations]] (ZOW) at Auschwitz while working in the camp. ZOW's tasks were to improve inmate morale, provide news from outside, distribute extra food and clothing to members, set up intelligence networks, and train detachments to take over the camp in the event of a relief attack. ZOW was organized along with secret cells of five.<ref name=cuber/>
Pilecki organized the underground [[Związek Organizacji Wojskowej|Union of Military Organizations]] (ZOW) at Auschwitz while working in the camp. ZOW's tasks were to improve inmate morale, provide news from outside, distribute extra food and clothing to members, set up intelligence networks, and train detachments to take over the camp in the event of a relief attack ZOW was organized along secret cells of five.<ref name=cuber/>

During his time in the camp, Pilecki prepared reports and sent them to the main command of the [[Home Army]]. The first dispatch was delivered in October 1940, described the ongoing extermination via starvation and brutal punishment, as well as a general description of the camp, and was used as a basis of a Home Army report ''"On the terror and lawlessness of the occupiers"''. Subsequent dispatches from Pilecki were delivered by individuals who managed to escape from Auschwitz. The reports were forwarded via the Polish resistance to London's British government, with his first report reaching London on 18 March 1941. One of the likely purposes of these reports may have been to urge the Home Army command to grant permission for ZOW to fight for the camp's liberation or even elicit a wider response from the Western Allies; however, no concrete plan of action ever came to be. Meanwhile, the Camp Gestapo under SS-Untersturmführer [[Maximilian Grabner]] redoubled its efforts to ferret out ZOW members, killing many of them.<ref name="IPNweb"/><ref>Garlinski, Jozef (1975) ''Fighting Auschwitz: the Resistance Movement in the Concentration Camp''. Fawcett. {{ISBN|0-904014-09-6}}. pp. 191–197.</ref> With the camp's situation increasingly desperate, and ZOW in increasing danger of being exposed, Pilecki decided to escape from the camp, hoping to rejoin the resistance outside and help organize an assault on the camp from the outside.<ref name=cuber/><ref name="IPNweb" />
During his time in the camp, Pilecki prepared reports and sent them to the main command of the [[Home Army]]. The first dispatch was delivered in October 1940, described the ongoing extermination via starvation and brutal punishment, as well as a general description of the camp, and was used as a basis of a Home Army report ''"On the terror and lawlessness of the occupiers"''. Subsequent dispatches from Pilecki were delivered by individuals who managed to escape from Auschwitz. The purpose of the reports may have been to urge the Home Army command to grant permission for ZOW to fight for the liberation of the camp, however, no such response ever came. Pilecki escaped from Auschwitz on the night of 26–27 April 1943 together with two other prisoners.<ref name=cuber/>
⚫
On the night of 26–27 April 1943, Pilecki was assigned to a night shift at a camp bakery outside the fence, and he and two comrades managed to force open a metal door. They left the SS guards in the woodshed, barricaded from outside. Before escaping, they cut an alarm wire. They headed east and crossed into the [[General Government]] after several hours.<ref name=cuber/>

===Escape===
⚫
On the night of 26–27 April 1943 Pilecki was assigned to a night shift at a camp bakery outside the fence, and he and two comrades managed to force open a metal door. They left the SS guards in the woodshed, barricaded from outside. Before escaping they cut an alarm wire. They headed east, and crossed into the [[General Government]] after several hours.<ref name=cuber/>

===Outside the camp===
===Outside the camp===


During June 1943, in Nowy Wiśnicz, Pilecki drafted his first informal report covering the situation in Auschwitz. However, this report was buried at the farm he was staying and was only revealed after his death. In August 1943, already in Warsaw, Pilecki started preparing [[Witold's Report]] (''Rapport W''), which focused on the Auschwitz underground. The report covers three main topics: ZOW and its members, Pilecki's experiences, and to a lesser extent, a description of the extermination of prisoners, including Jews. Pilecki's intent in writing the report was to convince the Home Army command to liberate the camp prisoners. However, the Home Army command rejected this proposal since the camp's resistance lacked basic fighting. Even if the initial attack was successful, the resistance lacked sufficient transport capabilities, supplies, and shelter that would be required for the rescued inmates.<ref name=cuber/>
During June 1943, in Nowy Wiśnicz, Pilecki drafted his first informal report covering the situation in Auschwitz. However this report was buried at the farm he was staying, and was only revealed after his death. In August 1943, already in Warsaw, Pilecki started preparing [[Witold's Report]] (''Rapport W''), which focused on the Auschwitz underground. The report covers three main topics: ZOW and its members, Pilecki's experiences, and to a lesser extent a description of the extermination of prisoners, including Jews. Pilecki's intent in writing the report was to convince the Home Army command to liberate the prisoners in the camp, however the Home Army command rejected this proposal since the resistance in the camp lacked basic fighting equipment.<ref name=cuber/>

Shortly after rejoining the resistance, he became a member of the [[Kedyw]] sabotage unit, using the pseudonym Roman Jezierski. Later joined a secret anti-communist organization, [[NIE (resistance)|NIE]]. On 19 February 1944, he was promoted to captain of the cavalry (''[[Rotmistrz]]''). Until he became involved in the [[Warsaw Uprising]], Pilecki remained in charge of coordinating ZOW and AK activities and provided what limited support he was able to offer to ZOW.<ref name="IPNweb"/>
On 19 February 1944 he was promoted to captain of cavalry (''[[Rotmistrz]]'').<!--the promotion was backdated to 11 November 1943, but was from 1944--><ref name=cuber/> Pilecki was involved in the Home Army [[Kedyw]] unit and joined a secret anti-communist organization, [[NIE (resistance)|NIE]]. He fought in the [[Warsaw Uprising]], and after its fall was captured and taken prisoner by the Germans. He survived until liberation in 1945 at [[Oflag VII-A]] in Bavaria.<ref name=cuber/>
===Warsaw Uprising===

When the [[Warsaw Uprising]] broke out on 1 August 1944, Pilecki volunteered for service with [[Kedyw]]'s [[Chrobry II Battalion]]. At first, Pilecki served as a common soldier in the northern city center, without revealing his rank to his superiors.<ref name="IPNweb"/> Later, after many officers were killed in the fierce fighting that occurred during the early days of the uprising, Pilecki disclosed his true identity to his superiors and accepted command of the 1st "Warszawianka" Company located in [[Śródmieście, Warsaw|Śródmieście]] in downtown Warsaw.<ref name="IPNweb"/>
After the fall of the uprising, he was captured and taken prisoner by the Germans. He survived until liberation in 1945 at [[Oflag VII-A]] in [[Murnau am Staffelsee|Murnau]], [[Bavaria]] where the camp was eventually liberated.<ref name=cuber/><ref name="IPNweb"/>
==Communist Poland==
==Communist Poland==
[[File:Pilecki photo 1947.jpg|thumb|240px|Photographs of Pilecki from [[Mokotów Prison]] (1947)]]
[[File:Pilecki photo 1947.jpg|thumb|240px|Photographs of Pilecki from [[Mokotów Prison]] (1947)]]
Line 88: Line 92:
[[File:Proces Pileckiego 1948.jpg|240px|thumb|Trial of Pilecki (1948)]]
[[File:Proces Pileckiego 1948.jpg|240px|thumb|Trial of Pilecki (1948)]]
[[File:Witold Pilecki ława oskarżonych 1948.jpg|240px|thumb|Show trial of Pilecki (1948)]]
[[File:Witold Pilecki ława oskarżonych 1948.jpg|240px|thumb|Show trial of Pilecki (1948)]]
In July 1945, Pilecki left Murnau and was reassigned to the [[military intelligence]] division of the [[Polish II Corps]] under General [[Władysław Anders]] in [[Ancona]], [[Italy]]. By December 1945, he was sent back to Warsaw with the mission of gathering intelligence for II Corps.<ref name=cuber/> As NIE had been disbanded, Pilecki recruited former ZOW and TAP members and continued sending information to the [[Polish government in exile]].<ref name="IPNweb"/> Pilecki was informed in July 1946 that his identity had been uncovered by the [[Ministry of Public Security (Poland)|MBP]]. General Anders ordered him to leave the country, but he refused to do so. His superiors rescinded their order in early 1947.<ref name="IPNweb"/> Pilecki was arrested on 8 May 1947 by the communist authorities, tortured, and despite pleas for pardon written to the prime minister [[Józef Cyrankiewicz]] (who was also an Auschwitz survivor) and president [[Bolesław Bierut]], he was executed on 25 May 1948.<ref name=cuber/><ref name="IPNweb"/>
In July 1945, Pilecki left Murnau and was reassigned to the [[military intelligence]] division of the [[Polish II Corps]] under General [[Władysław Anders]] in [[Ancona]], [[Italy]]. By December 1945 he was sent back to Warsaw with the mission of gathering intelligence for II Corps.<ref name=cuber/> As NIE had been disbanded, Pilecki recruited former ZOW and TAP members. Pilecki was arrested on 8 May 1947 by the communist authorities, and despite pleas for pardon written to president [[Bolesław Bierut]], he was executed on 25 May 1948.<ref name=cuber/>

Pilecki's place of burial has never been found but is thought to be somewhere within Warsaw's [[Powązki Cemetery]].<ref name="IPNweb"/>
==Legacy==
==Legacy==
[[File:Witold Pilecki memorial plaque on the wall of Kościół św Stanisława Kostki (St Stanislaus Kostka Church) (19122651385).jpg|240px|thumb|Witold Pilecki memorial plaque in Warsaw]]
[[File:Witold Pilecki memorial plaque on the wall of Kościół św Stanisława Kostki (St Stanislaus Kostka Church) (19122651385).jpg|240px|thumb|Witold Pilecki memorial plaque in Warsaw]]

From the 1990s, following the fall of Polish communism, Pilecki was [[Political rehabilitation|rehabilitated]] and has been the subject of popular discourse.<ref name=cuber/>
From the 1990s, following the fall of Polish communism, Pilecki was rehabilitated and has been the subject of popular discourse.<ref name=cuber/>
He was awarded the [[Order of Polonia Restituta]] in 1995, and he received the [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]] in 2006, the highest Polish decoration.<ref name="IPNweb/> On 6 September 2013, he was promoted to Colonel by the Minister of National Defence.<ref name=rmf24>{{cite web|title=MON awansował Witolda Pileckiego|url=http://www.rmf24.pl/fakty/polska/news-mon-awansowal-witolda-pileckiego,nId,1022059|publisher=RMF FM/PAP|access-date=10 October 2013|language=pl|date=6 September 2013}}</ref>

After the fall of Communism in Poland, a [[cenotaph]] was erected in his memory at [[Ostrów Mazowiecka]] Cemetery. In 2012, Powązki Cemetery was partially excavated to find his remains.<ref>Puhl, Jan. (9 August 2012) [http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/poland-searches-for-remains-of-world-war-ii-hero-witold-pilecki-a-848853.html Poland Searches for Remains of World War II Hero Witold Pilecki]. Spiegel.de. Retrieved on 19 September 2015.</ref>
Films about Pilecki include ''Śmierć rotmistrza Pileckiego'' (The Death of Captain Pilecki, 2006) starring Marek Probosz,<ref>[http://www.filmpolski.pl/fp/index.php?film=524105 Śmierć Rotmistrza Pileckiego]. FilmPolski.pl. Retrieved on 19 September 2015.</ref> ''Pilecki'' (2015) starring Mateusz Bieryt,<ref>{{cite web |title=Pilecki (2015) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5145444/ |publisher=IMDb}}</ref> and the documentaries ''Against the Odds: Resistance in Nazi Concentration Camps'' (2004)<ref>[http://www.capitaljfilms.com/products/against-the-odds/ Against The Odds] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150624035840/http://www.capitaljfilms.com/products/against-the-odds/ |date=24 June 2015 }}, Capitaljfilms.com. Retrieved 19 September 2015.</ref> and ''Heroes of War: Poland'' (2014) produced by Sky Vision for the History Channel UK.<ref>[http://realscreen.com/2013/04/25/history-uk-orders-heroes-of-war-from-sky-vision/ History UK orders "Heroes of War" from Sky Vision]. Realscreen (25 April 2013). Retrieved 19 September 2015.</ref> A number of books have been written about him, and his comprehensive 1945 report on his undercover mission at Auschwitz was published in English in 2012 under the title ''The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery''.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery |first=Witold |last=Pilecki |author-link=Witold Pilecki |translator-first=Jarek |translator-last=Garlinski |publisher=Aquila Polonica |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-60772-009-6}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' called it "a historical document of the greatest importance".<ref name="Were We All People?"/>
Pilecki is the subject of [[Jack Fairweather (writer)|Jack Fairweather]]'s 2019 book entitled ''[[The Volunteer (book)|The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero Who Infiltrated Auschwitz]].''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/in-pileckis-footsteps-the-story-behind-the-book-the-volunteer-6661 |title=In Pilecki's footsteps: the story behind the book 'The Volunteer' |access-date=15 September 2019}}</ref>
The song "Inmate 4859" by Swedish [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Sabaton (band)|Sabaton]] is about Pilecki.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/sabaton/status/1132239925527621632?lang=en|title=Today we honour the death of Witold Pilecki, the only known voluntary inmate of Auschwitz, who spent two and a half years gathering intelligence from within the camp. He was Inmate 4859|last=Sabaton|date=25 May 2019|website=@sabaton|access-date=23 January 2020}}</ref>
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography and further reading===
* [[Adam Cyra|Cyra, Adam]]. ''Ochotnik do Auschwitz – Witold Pilecki 1901–1948'' [''Volunteer for Auschwitz'']. Oświęcim: 2000. {{ISBN|83-912000-3-5}}
* Cyra, Adam and Wiesław Jan Wysocki. ''Rotmistrz Witold Pilecki''. Oficyna Wydawnicza VOLUMEN, 1997. {{ISBN|83-86857-27-7}}
* [[Jack Fairweather (writer)|Jack Fairweather]], ''[[The Volunteer (book)|The Volunteer: One Man's Mission to Lead an Underground Army Inside Auschwitz and Stop the Holocaust]]'', Custom House, 2019. About Witold Pilecki.
* {{Citation|last=Garliński|first=Józef |title=Fighting Auschwitz: The Resistance Movement in the Concentration Camp |chapter=Witold Pilecki|year=1975|publisher=Julian Friedmann Publishers|isbn=0-904014-09-6}}
* Gawron, W. ''Ochotnik do Oświęcimia'' [''Volunteer for Auschwitz'']. Calvarianum: Auschwitz Museum, 1992.
* Adam J. Koch. [https://freedompublishingbooks.com.au/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=pilecki&x=0&y=0 A Captain's Portrait Witold Pilecki - Martyr for Truth] Freedom Publishing Books, Melbourne Australia, 2018 {{ISBN|978-0-64823-035-9}}
* {{Citation|last=Piekarski|first=Konstanty R.|title=Escaping Hell: The Story of a Polish Underground Officer in Auschwitz and Buchenwald|year=1990|publisher=[[Dundurn Press]] Ltd.|isbn=1-55002-071-4}}
* Pilecki, W. (Translated by Jarek Garlinski) ''The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery''. [[Aquila Polonica]], 2012. {{ISBN|978-1-60772-010-2|978-1-60772-009-6}}
* {{Citation|doi=10.2307/1853043|last=Wyman|first=David S.|s2cid=159644414|title=Review: Jozef Garlinski. ''Fighting Auschwitz: The Resistance Movement in the Concentration Camp''|periodical=American Historical Review|volume=81|issue=5|date=December 1976|publisher=American Historical Association|issn=0002-8762|pages=1168–1169|jstor=1853043}}
* Wysocki, Wiesław Jan. ''[[Rotmistrz]] Pilecki''. Pomost, 1994. {{ISBN|83-85209-42-5}}
==External links==
==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Wikiquote}}

Revision as of 07:44, 2 March 2021

Witold Pilecki
Pilecki in a colorized pre-1939 photograph
Born(1901-05-13)13 May 1901
Olonets, Olonetsky Uyezd, Olonets Governorate, Russian Empire
Died25 May 1948(1948-05-25) (aged 47)
Mokotów Prison, Warsaw, Poland
Buried
Unknown; possibly in Powązki Military Cemetery or Mokotów Prison
AllegianceSecond Polish Republic; Polish Government in Exile
Years of service1918–1947
RankCaptain, Cavalry master
Commands heldCommander of the 1st Lidsky Squadron (1932–1937)
Battles/warsPolish–Soviet War

Polish-Lithuanian War

World War II

Awards
Alma materUniversity of Poznań, Faculty of Agriculture (1922) Stefan Batory University, Faculty of Fine Arts (1922–1924)
Spouse(s)
Maria Ostrowska
​
(m. 1931)​
Children2

Witold Pilecki (13 May 1901 – 25 May 1948; Polish pronunciation: [ˈvitɔlt piˈlɛt͡skʲi]; codenames Roman Jezierski, Tomasz Serafiński, Druh, Witold) was a Polish cavalry officer, intelligence agent, and resistance leader. Early in World War II he co-founded the Secret Polish Army resistance movement.

In 1940 Pilecki volunteered[1][2][3] to allow himself to be captured by the occupying Germans in one of their street round-ups,[dubious – discuss] in order to infiltrate the Auschwitz concentration camp.[4] There he organized a resistance movement that eventually included hundreds of inmates, and he secretly sent reports to the Western Allies detailing German atrocities at the camp.[citation needed]

Later, having escaped from Auschwitz, Pilecki fought in the Warsaw Uprising of August–October 1944. Following its suppression, he was interned in a German prisoner-of-war camp.[5][2] 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 Exile Government on the situation in Poland.[2] Before returning, Pilecki wrote Witold's Report on the Auschwitz concentration camp, anticipating that he might be killed by Poland's new communist authorities.[2][6][7][8]

In 1947 he was arrested by the secret police on charges of working for "foreign imperialism"[citation needed] and, after being subjected to torture[2] and a show trial, was executed in 1948. An account of Pilecki's mission to Auschwitz was given by Polish historian Józef Garliński, himself a former Auschwitz inmate who emigrated to Britain after the war, in Fighting Auschwitz: The Resistance Movement in the Concentration Camp (1975).[9]

Poland's Chief Rabbi, Michael Schudrich, writes in the foreword to a 2014 English translation of Pilecki's report: "When God created the human being, God had in mind that we should all be like Captain Witold Pilecki, of blessed memory."[10] Historian Norman Davies writes in the introduction to the same translation: "If there was an Allied hero who deserved to be remembered and celebrated, this was a person with few peers."[11]

Early life

Witold Pilecki was born on 13 May 1901 in the town of Olonets, Karelia, in the Russian Empire. His ancestors were deported to Russia due to their participation in the January Uprising of 1863–1864. Witold was one of five children of forest inspector Julian Pilecki and Ludwika Osiecimska. In 1910 Witold moved with his mother and siblings to Wilno to receive a Polish education, while his father remained in Olonets. During his time in WIlno, Pilecki joined the secret ZHP Scouts organization. During the First World War he was part of the Wilno self defence force.[6]

Polish–Soviet War and later career

As a cavalryman, Pilecki fought in the Battle of Grodno and the Battle of Warsaw in the Polish–Soviet War. When the war with the Soviets ended he completed his school examinations while continuing his military service. In 1926 he was promoted to reserve second lieutenant (seniority from 1923).[6]

In September 1926, Pilecki became the owner of his family's ancestral estate, Sukurcze, in the Lida district of the Nowogródek Voivodeship. In 1931, he married Maria Ostrowska. They had two children, born in Wilno: Andrzej (16 January 1932) and Zofia (14 March 1933). Pilecki was active in the local community, he was the chairman of a dairy and founded a famrer's association. He also organized Krakus Military Horsemen Training, and was appointed to command the 1st Lida Military Training Squadron, which as placed under the Polish 19th Infantry Division in 1937. In 1938, Pilecki received the Silver Cross of Merit for his activism.[6]

World War II

Part of a series on the
Polska Walczy Polish
Underground State
Parasol Regiment, Warsaw, 1944
History of Poland 1939–1945
Authorities
Political organizations
Major parties
Minor parties
Opposition
Military organizations
Home Army (AK)
Mostly integrated
with Armed Resistance and Home Army
Partially integrated
with Armed Resistance and Home Army
Non-integrated but recognizing
authority of Armed Resistance and Home Army
Opposition
Related topics

Pilecki was mobilized as a cavalry platoon commander on 26 August 1939. He was assigned to the 19th Infantry Division under General Józef Kwaciszewski, part of the Polish Army Prusy. He was then part of the 41st Infantry Division, in which Pilecki was second-in-command under cavalry commander Major Jan Włodarkiewicz. On September 22 Włodarkiewicz and Pilecki disobeyed orders to retreat through Romania to France, instead opting to stay in the underground in Poland.[6]

Polish resistance

On 9 November 1939 in Warsaw, Major Włodarkiewicz, Second Lieutenant Pilecki, Second Lieutenant Jerzy Maringe, Jerzy Skoczyński, and the Jan and Stanisław Dangel brothers founded the Secret Polish Army (Tajna Armia Polska, TAP), one of the first underground organizations in Poland. TAP was based on ideological Christian values.[6] Pilecki was organisational inspector and Chief of Staff in TAP from 25 November 1939 until May 1940. From August 1940 he was in charge of the 1st branch (organizational and mobilization).[6]

Though some TAP members were arrested, these were mainly from accidental unmaskings through August 1940. However, in September 1940 arrests were made due to the organization having been infiltrated by informer Borys Pilnik. Toward the end of August 1940, after the arrest of two leaders of TAP (Doctor Dering and Lieutenant Colonel Surmacki), Włodarkiewicz called a meeting in which it was proposed that a TAP member infiltrate Auschwitz. Pilecki was urged by his superior[who?] to accept this task.[6]

Auschwitz

Main article: Witold's Report

Pilecki was one of 2000 men arrested on 19 September 1940. Pilecki used the identity documents of Tomasz Serafiński, who was assumed dead by mistake. He was caught at the flat of Eleonora Ostrowska at Wojska Polskiego Street. Along with 1705 other prisoners he reached Auschwitz between 21-22 September 1940 and was assigned prisoner number 4859 under the name of Serafiński. In autumn 1941 he was promoted by his superiors to lieutenant.[6]

Auschwitz concentration camp photographs of Pilecki (1941)

Pilecki organized the underground Union of Military Organizations (ZOW) at Auschwitz while working in the camp. ZOW's tasks were to improve inmate morale, provide news from outside, distribute extra food and clothing to members, set up intelligence networks, and train detachments to take over the camp in the event of a relief attack ZOW was organized along secret cells of five.[6]

During his time in the camp, Pilecki prepared reports and sent them to the main command of the Home Army. The first dispatch was delivered in October 1940, described the ongoing extermination via starvation and brutal punishment, as well as a general description of the camp, and was used as a basis of a Home Army report "On the terror and lawlessness of the occupiers". Subsequent dispatches from Pilecki were delivered by individuals who managed to escape from Auschwitz. The purpose of the reports may have been to urge the Home Army command to grant permission for ZOW to fight for the liberation of the camp, however, no such response ever came. Pilecki escaped from Auschwitz on the night of 26–27 April 1943 together with two other prisoners.[6]

Escape

On the night of 26–27 April 1943 Pilecki was assigned to a night shift at a camp bakery outside the fence, and he and two comrades managed to force open a metal door. They left the SS guards in the woodshed, barricaded from outside. Before escaping they cut an alarm wire. They headed east, and crossed into the General Government after several hours.[6]

Outside the camp

During June 1943, in Nowy Wiśnicz, Pilecki drafted his first informal report covering the situation in Auschwitz. However this report was buried at the farm he was staying, and was only revealed after his death. In August 1943, already in Warsaw, Pilecki started preparing Witold's Report (Rapport W), which focused on the Auschwitz underground. The report covers three main topics: ZOW and its members, Pilecki's experiences, and to a lesser extent a description of the extermination of prisoners, including Jews. Pilecki's intent in writing the report was to convince the Home Army command to liberate the prisoners in the camp, however the Home Army command rejected this proposal since the resistance in the camp lacked basic fighting equipment.[6]

On 19 February 1944 he was promoted to captain of cavalry (Rotmistrz).[6] Pilecki was involved in the Home Army Kedyw unit and joined a secret anti-communist organization, NIE. He fought in the Warsaw Uprising, and after its fall was captured and taken prisoner by the Germans. He survived until liberation in 1945 at Oflag VII-A in Bavaria.[6]

Communist Poland

Photographs of Pilecki from Mokotów Prison (1947)
Pilecki in court (1948)
Trial of Pilecki (1948)
Show trial of Pilecki (1948)

In July 1945, Pilecki left Murnau and was reassigned to the military intelligence division of the Polish II Corps under General Władysław Anders in Ancona, Italy. By December 1945 he was sent back to Warsaw with the mission of gathering intelligence for II Corps.[6] As NIE had been disbanded, Pilecki recruited former ZOW and TAP members. Pilecki was arrested on 8 May 1947 by the communist authorities, and despite pleas for pardon written to president Bolesław Bierut, he was executed on 25 May 1948.[6]

Legacy

Witold Pilecki memorial plaque in Warsaw

From the 1990s, following the fall of Polish communism, Pilecki was rehabilitated and has been the subject of popular discourse.[6]

References

  1. ^ John Besemeres, "The Worst of Both Worlds: Captain Witold Pilecki between Hitler and Stalin", in A Difficult Neighbourhood: Essays on Russia and East-Central Europe since World War II, Australian National University Press, 2016, p. 66.
  2. ^ a b c d e Snyder, Timothy (22 June 2012). "Were We All People?". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  3. ^ Szumilo, Mirosalw (2018). "Living with the Stigma of a 'Traitor of the Nation': The Plight of the Families of Victims of Stalinist Terror in Poland", in Histories (Un)Spoken: Strategies of Survival and Social-Professional Integration in Political Prisoners' Families in Communist Central and Eastern Europe in the '50s and '60s, edited by C. Budeanca and D Bathory. LIT Verlag. pp. 48–62..
  4. ^ Paliwoda, D. (2013). "Captain Witold Pilecki". Military Review. 93 (6): 88–96 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ Davies, Norman (2004). Rising '44: "The Battle for Warsaw". Pan Books. ISBN 0-333-90568-7.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Cuber-Strutyńska, Ewa (2017). "Witold Pilecki. Confronting the legend of the "volunteer to Auschwitz"". Holocaust Studies and Materials. 4: 281–301.
  7. ^ Fleming, Michael (2019). "The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero Who Infiltrated Auschwitz: by Jack Fairweather (London: WH Allen, 2019), 505 pages". Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs. 13 (2): 289–294. doi:10.1080/23739770.2019.1673981.
  8. ^ Paliwoda, D. (2013). "Captain Witold Pilecki". Military Review. 93 (6): 88–96 – via ProQuest.
  9. ^ Garliński 1975.
  10. ^ Schudrich, Michael (2014). Foreword to The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery. Aquila Polonica.
  11. ^ Davies, Norman (2014). Introduction to The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery. Aquila Polonica.

External links

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