April–May
• Great transports of Polish prisoners from Pawiak Prison—many friends arrive.
• Difference between indoor and outdoor jobs.
• Saving friends.
June
• Outbreak of the German–Bolshevik War.
July
• Nephew Kazimierz Radwański brought into camp.
• Camp grows. New subcamps include Buna and Birkenau. Most of those who build them die.
August
• First Bolshevik prisoners of war brought in and gassed.
Autumn
• Two hundred inmates released.
• Worries family might buy him out. Clandestinely sends two letters to them.
November
• The organization grows, based on mutual trust. Choosing leaders.
• More than a thousand naked Bolshevik POWs herded into crematorium.
• Church bells.
• Sets up a fourth “five.” Begins bringing senior officers into the organization; suggests Kazimierz Rawicz as leader.
• The political cell.
• Carpentry and woodcarving “elite.” A warm bath in the tannery tank.
December
• Beaten for a “smile” that enrages an SS man.
• Promoted in Warsaw.
• Barbers.
• Lining up to receive money sent by families, one could see who was still alive—only six out of his “hundred.”
• “Seidler week.”
Christmas 1941
• Second Christmas in Auschwitz. Another parcel from home—no food allowed.
19422
Early 1942
• Change in attitude toward Jews.
February
• Remaining Bolshevik POWs finished off; Bolshevik POW revolt quashed.
• Orders from Berlin prohibit use of collective responsibility for escapes and the beating of inmates.
• Typhus-infected lice cultivated and released onto coats of SS men.
• Gas chambers hastily built in Rajsko-Berkenau.
• Inspectors see only “good” view of Auschwitz. Camp tyrants hung by inmates.
• Begins building radio transmitter; broadcasts until autumn 1942. Clandestinely sends out German cipher keys and receives medicine.
16th of March
• One hundred and twenty Polish women brought in for interrogation. That evening: bloody corpses in pieces with severed heads, hands, breasts.
March
• Another Warsaw transport brings friends and information.
• First daily gassings of people. Two new crematoria with electric ovens.
• Buried bodies dug up and burnt.
• First large female transports begin.
Spring
• SS man Klehr kills with phenol injections.
• Plans are developed for eventual action by the organization.
Easter
• Typhus taking a terrible toll.
June
• Superior officer Kazimierz Rawicz sent to Mauthausen, replaced by Juliusz Gilewicz.
July
• Second transport of priests from Auschwitz to Dachau.
Summer
• Transports keep coming—the numbers processed in camp now higher than 40,000. But vast majority go straight to Rajsko-Birkenau without processing, where they are gassed. Mostly Jews from France, Czechoslovakia, Holland and other European countries.
• “Canada.”
• Four inmates escape in the Camp Commandant’s car, dressed in SS uniforms.
• “Sick tourists”: inmates in the hospital taken to gas chambers.
• The Jewish “Strangler.”
• Women all moved to Rajsko-Birkenau, where they die in terrible conditions. Great flea infestation in the women’s blocks.
August–September
• Tyhpus patients taken from hospital to gas chambers.
• A new expression: “de-lifing.”
• Ill with typhus: recovering, thanks to comrades’ care.
• Rajsko-Birkenau bombed by air.
• Prepares new plans for the organization in the event of military action.
October–Autumn
• Back to work in the tanners’ Kommando. Items left by people who had been gassed are burned, but first searched for valuables by inmates.
• “Able to take over the camp on more or less a daily basis”—awaiting orders from Home Army High Command.
• The different Lublin pacifications.
• The Volksliste.
• New transport from Pawiak Prison: surprised by inmates’ good physical condition and morale. No one in Warsaw had seriously considered that Auschwitz could represent an active asset.
• The gold “organization.”
Late Autumn
• Germans begin sexual experiments on inmates.
Christmas 1942
• Third Christmas in Auschwitz. Parcels from home—food now allowed.
• Daring daylight escape by inmate Bolesław Kuczbara and two Arbeitsdiensts (work assignment leaders).
1943
January
• Poles on Block 27, suspected of being organized, are punished. The “educated” group is tortured, interrogated, and finally shot in March 1943. The less educated are sent to the gravel pit to be worked to death.
• Seven inmates escape through the SS kitchen.
• New German policy: escapees’ families will be put in camp.
February
• Moves to the parcel Kommando, dealing with avalanche of food parcels arriving from inmates’ families.
• Nearly twenty thousand Gypsies brought to Birkenau; the men are finished off “Auschwitz style.”
• Audacious inmate escape via “Diogenes’s Barrel.”
• Investigates the sewers as possible escape route.
7th–11th of March
• Fakes a hernia to escape transport with five thousand Poles to other camps—his responsibility is continuity of his work in Auschwitz.
March–Spring
• Gets to know Jan Redzej, who is planning an escape through the bakery.
• Abolition of morning roll call. Civilian clothing for some inmates.
• Relationships between men (both SS and inmates) and women in the camp.
11th–12th of April
• Avoids another transport of twenty-five hundred Poles.
13th of April
• Decides to escape.
24th of April, Holy Saturday
• Fakes the symptoms of typhus; gets into hospital with help of Edward Ciesielski. Only one night’s opportunity for escape through bakery. Jan Redzej and Edward Ciesielski will go too.
27th of April
• Around 2 a.m., before the last batch of bread for the night is put in the oven, they make their move …
27th April–2nd May
• Fleeing to freedom.
4th of May
• Meets a commander of the local military underground: Tomasz Serafiński, the man under whose identity Pilecki has been in Auschwitz for nearly three years.
July
• General Grot (Stefan Rowecki, head of the Home Army) is arrested by the Germans.
23rd of August
• Back in Warsaw.
Autumn
• Works in one of the High Command’s cells. Keeps pressing for liberation of Auschwitz. Writes twenty-page report on Auschwitz.
1944
• A few post-Auschwitz experiences, including the Warsaw Uprising.
1 This is an approximate chronology of some key experiences in Pilecki’s Report. The chronology is only approximate because in many cases, Pilecki does not give specific months or days, nor does his Report proceed in strictly chronological order.
2 At this point in the Report, Pilecki says: “owing to a lack of time... I must write almost in shorthand.”
Portraits of Witold Pilecki.
Pi
lecki Family
INDEX
Dear Reader: Just like in a print book, we refer you to the approximate location where you can locate the term you are looking for. In this eBook edition, we have retained the page number reference and link it to the same location you would find if you were reading the print book.
Page numbers in italics indicate illustrative material
Code Numbers of People
1 (Colonel Władysław Surmacki; Władek), xx, xxvii, 36–37, 59, 106, 149, 153–154, 165, 240
2 (Captain Dr. Władysław Dering; Władek or Dziunko). See Dering, Captain Dr. Władysław
3 (Cavalry Captain Jerzy de Virion), 37, 59, 102, 240
4 (Second Lieutenant Alfred Stössel; Fredek), 37, 91, 116, 168, 226, 241–242
5 (Roman Zagner), 37, 241
6 (Second Lieutenant Tadeusz Burski; Tadek), 37, 87, 91
7 (Captain Michał Romanowicz; Michał or Captain Michał), 47, 53–54, 56, 58
8 (Captain Ferdynand Trojnicki; Fred), 60, 61, 64, 168
9 (Corporal Czesław Wąsowski; Czesiek), 62–64, 104, 153
10 (name unknown; Jurek), 64
11 (Colonel Tadeusz Reklewski; Colonel R), 51, 81, 270–271, 291n66
12 (Dr. Edward Nowak), 87–88
13 (Zofia Szczerbowska), 97
14 (Sergeant Antoni Woźniak; Antek), 104–105, 153, 240
15 (Officer Cadet Witold Szymkowiak; Witold), 105, 186
16 (Jan Pilecki; no relation to Witold Pilecki), 105
17 (Władysław Kupiec; Władek), 105, 115
18 (Bolesław Kupiec; Bolek), 105
19 (Tadeusz Słowiaczek; Tadek), 105, 131–132, 215, 309, 311
20 (First Lieutenant Jan Kupiec; Janek), 105
21 (Tadeusz Pietrzykowski; Tadek), 105, 114, 206
22 (Antoni Rosa; Antek), 105
23 (Colonel Aleksander Stawarz), 105, 165, 184, 187
24 (Lieutenant Colonel Karol Kumuniecki), 105, 165, 184, 232, 249
25 (Stefan Bielecki; Czesław III), 106, 116–117, 166–167, 239–240, 322–323, 328
26 (Officer Cadet Platoon Sergeant Stanisław Maringe; Stasiek), 106, 116, 212, 240
27 (First Lieutenant Jerzy Poraziński; Jurek), 106, 116, 212
28 (Warrant Officer Szczepan Rzeczkowski; Szczepan), 106, 280
29 (First Lieutenant Włodzimierz Makaliński; Włodek), 106, 117, 163, 204, 240
30 (Captain Eugeniusz Triebling; Geniek), 106, 217–218
31 (Karol Świętorzecki), 24, 113
32 (Leszek Cenzartowicz), 114
33 (Stanisław Kocjan), 116
34 (name unknown), 116, 240
35 (Officer Cadet Remigiusz Niewiarowski), 116, 240
36 (Stanisław Arct), 116, 241
37 (name unknown), 116, 241
38 (Major Chmielewski, first name unknown; Sęp II), 117, 241
39 (Kazimierz Radwański; Kazio; nephew of Pilecki), 120, 184, 225, 250, 270, 271
40 (Platoon Sergeant Tadeusz Szydlik), 120–121, 291
41 (Stanisław Stawiszyński), 106n29, 121, 207, 233, 239, 241
42 (Tadeusz Lech), 121, 128–129
43 (Antoni Koszczyński), 121
44 (Wincenty Gawron; Wicek), 21, 106n29, 121, 128, 141, 150, 165–167, 322, 328
45 (Stanisław Gutkiewicz), 106n29, 121, 128, 150, 163
46 (Wiktor Śniegucki), 121
47 (name unknown), 125
48 (Stanisław Ozimek; Stach), 125, 241
49 (Jan Dangel; Janek), 125, 241, 347
50 (Jan Mielcarek; Wernyhora), 129, 216, 217
52 (Tadeusz Myszkowski; Tadek), 128, 167, 168, 215
53 (Józef Chramiec), 129, 217
54 (Stefan Gaik), 129, 217
55 (Mieczysław Wagner), 129
56 (Zbigniew Różak), 129
57 (Edward Ciesielski; Edek), xlix, 129, 224–225, 254, 299, 319, 323, 325, 328. See also escape of Pilecki from Auschwitz
58 (Andrzej Marduła), 129, 217
59 (Henryk Bartosiewicz). See Bartosiewicz, Henryk
60 (Captain Stanisław Kazuba), 138, 183, 227, 292
61 (Second Lieutenant Konstanty Piekarski), 138, 145, 168, 183, 226, 228, 244, 266, 271
62 (Colonel Jan Karcz), 138, 160–163, 167–168, 207–208
63 (Lieutenant Colonel Jerzy Zalewski), 138
64 (Lieutenant Colonel Kazimierz Rawicz; in camp as Jan Hilkner), lii, 139, 140, 162, 163, 183–184, 186
65 (name unknown), 139
66 (name unknown), 139
67 (Second Lieutenant Czesław Darkowski), 139, 186
68 (Mieczysław Januszewski), 139, 166, 168
69 (Professor Roman Rybarski; former member of Parliament), 139, 150, 166
70 (Stanisław Dubois; former member of Parliament), 139, 150, 187
71 (Jan Mosdorf; former member of Parliament, per Pilecki), 139, 216, 217
72 (Konstanty Jagiełło; former member of Parliament, per Pilecki), 139
73 (Piotr Kownacki; former member of Parliament), 139, 216, 217
74 (Kiliański, first name unknown; former member of Parliament), 139
75 (Stefan Niebudek; former member of Parliament), 139
76 (First Lieutenant Bernard Świerczyna), 140, 184, 225–226, 240, 243, 249, 275, 291, 292
77 (Zbigniew Ruszczyński), 140, 168, 243
78 (name unknown), 140
79 (name unknown), 140
80 (Alfred Włodarczyk), 70, 150, 218, 221, 291
81 (Alojz Pohl), 150
82 (Major Jan Włodarkiewicz; Janek W.), xlvi, 17, 125, 146
83 (Dr. Helena Pawłowska), 152–153, 321
84 (Lieutenant Tomasz Serafiński; Tomek). See Serafiński, Lieutenant Tomasz
85 (Major Zygmunt Bohdanowski; Bohdan), 146, 165, 183, 184, 227, 241, 250, 274, 275
86 (Aleksander Paliński), 154, 325
87 (Father Zygmunt Ruszczak), 157
88 (Captain Tadeusz Dziedzic), 160, 239
89 (Karel Stransky), 163
90 (Officer Cadet, name unknown), 165, 243, 252
91 (Corporal Stanisław Polkowski), 165, 216, 217
92 (Wacław Weszke), 165, 216, 281, 292
93 (name unknown), 165
94 (Officer Cadet, name unknown), 165, 216, 217, 243
95 (name unknown), 165, 216
96 (Tadeusz Stulgiński), 165
97 (Jan Machnowski; Janek), 140–141, 165
98 (First Lieutenant, name unknown), 166, 292
99 (Officer Cadet, name unknown), 166, 292
100 (name unknown), 166, 223, 224
101 (Witold Kosztowny), 166, 224, 252–254, 291
102 (Dr. Rudolf Diem), 166, 244
103 (name unknown), 166
105 (Edward Berlin), 167, 239
106 (name unknown), 167, 216, 276
107 (name unknown), 167
108 (Stanisław Dobrowolski), 167, 239, 241
109 (Second Lieutenant, name unknown), 167
110 (Andrzej Makowski-Gąsienica), 167, 266
111 (name unknown), 167, 215–217, 222
112 (Officer Cadet Stanisław Jaster), 168, 204
113 (Sokołowski, first name unknown), 168
114 (Captain Tadeusz Paolone), 183, 227, 291n66
115 (First Lieutenant, name unknown), 183
116 (Captain Zygmunt Pawłowicz; in camp as Julian Trzęsimiech), 183–184, 227, 327
117 (First Lieutenant Eugeniusz Zaturski), 184, 240, 241, 243, 250
118 (name unknown), 184, 226, 266, 292
119 (Cavalry Sergeant Jan Miksa), 184, 186
120 (Dr. Zygmunt Zakrzewski), 184, 241
121 (Colonel Juliusz Gilewicz), xx, 186–187, 226–228, 244, 275
122 (Lieutenant Colonel Teofil Dziama), 187, 232, 292
123 (Senior Uhlan Stefan Stępień), 204
124 (Captain Tadeusz Chrościcki; father), 212, 241
125 (Tadeusz Lucjan Chrościcki; son), 212–213, 241
&n
bsp; 126 (Tadeusz Czechowski), 217
127 (name unknown), 215
128 (name unknown), 218
129 (Leon Kukiełka), 218, 226, 239, 241
130 (name unknown), 218, 226, 241
131 (name unknown), 218, 241
132 (name unknown), 218
133 (name unknown), 218
134 (name unknown), 218
135 (name unknown), 218
136 (name unknown), 218
137 (name unknown), 218
138 (name unknown), 218, 240, 274
139 (name unknown), 218
140 (name unknown), 218
141 (name unknown), 218
142 (lawyer, name unknown), 218, 249
143 (name unknown), 218
144 (name unknown), 218
145 (Dr., name unknown), 224, 226
146 (Captain Dr. Henryk Suchnicki), 224, 226, 239
147 (name unknown), 226
148 (name unknown), 226
149 (name unknown), 226, 273
150 (Major Edward Gött-Getyński), 227, 249
151 (name unknown), 232
152 (name unknown), 232
153 (name unknown), 232
154 (name unknown), 232
155 (name unknown), 232
156 (Second Lieutenant Stanisław Wierzbicki; Stasiek), 232, 239–242, 250–251, 274
157 (Czesław Sikora), 239, 241, 242
158 (Zygmunt Ważyński), 239–242, 320
159 (Captain Stanisław Machowski), 240, 274
160 (Father Kuc), 240, 320, 321
161 (Bolesław Kuczbara), 244–245, 275, 324
162 (Cavalry Captain Włodzimierz Koliński), 249
163 (Second Lieutenant Mieczysław Koliński), 249
164 (Second Lieutenant Edmund Zabawski), 259, 276, 283, 317–318
165 (Second Lieutenant Henryk Szklarz), 259
166 (Platoon Sergeant, name unknown), 259
167 (Second Lieutenant Aleksander Bugajski; Olek), 259–262, 265–266, 280, 289, 326
168 (First Lieutenant Witold Wierusz), 260–262, 265
169 (Stanisław Barański), 271
170 (Jan Redzej; Jasiek, Jasio, Jaś, Janek; in camp as Jan Retko), xlix, 276–277, 299, 319, 323, 325, 328. See also escape of Pilecki from Auschwitz
171 (name unknown), 282
172 (Janusz Młynarski), 284, 286
173 (Dr. Władysław Fejkiel), 287
174 (Second Lieutenant Jan Olszowski), 293
175 (Piotr Mazurkiewicz), 314–315
176 (Mr. and Mrs. Obora), 318–319