Witold Pilecki
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Translator's Introductory Note
Report ‘W’ KL Auschwitz 1940 – 1943 by Captain Witold Pilecki Copyright © by Andrzej Nowak and Hubert Blaszczyk, President of the Association of Polish Political Prisoners in Australia, 2013([email protected], [email protected]) Copyright © translations Report W (IPN BU 0259/168 t 6) by Dr. Adam J. Koch Acknowledgements: Hubert Blaszczyk, President of the Association of Polish Political Prisoners in Australia The Editorial Board gratefully acknowledges the support and financial generosity of Isis Pacific Pty Ltd in publishing of this book. The Editorial Board wishes to thank Mr. Jacek Glinka for his dedication to design and graphic setting of our book. Foreword: Dr.George Luk-Kozik, Honorary Consul-General for Republic of Poland Admission (A Yesteryear's hero?) and afterword (Instead of an Epilogue): Dr. Adam J. Koch My Tribute to Pilecki: Andrzej Nowak Biography: Publishers, translated by Krzysztof Derwinski Project coordinators: Andrzej Nowak, Jacek Glinka, Andrzej Balcerzak, Hubert Blaszczyk Project Contributors: Jerzy Wieslaw Fiedler, Zbigniew Leman, Zofia Kwiatkowska-Dublaszewski, Bogdan Platek, Dr. Zdzislaw Derwinski Editors: Dr. Adam Koch, Jacek Glinka, Andrzej Nowak; Graphic Design: Daniel Brewinski Computer processing of text: Jacek Glinka Publishers: Andrzej Nowak with the Polish Association of Political Prisoners in Australia All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, without the prior permission of publishers. Picture Sources: The publishers wish to express their thanks to the following sources of illustrative material and/or permission to reproduce it. They will make the proper acknowledgements in future editions in the event that any omissions have occurred. IPN (Institute of National Remembrance) in Poland, Institute’s Bureau of Access and Documents Archivization, copies of original documents from IPN and Album ‘Rotmistrz Witold Pilecki 1901- 1948’ by Jacek Pawłowicz of IPN. -
Nihil Novi #3
The Kos’ciuszko Chair of Polish Studies Miller Center of Public Affairs University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Bulletin Number Three Fall 2003 On the Cover: The symbol of the KoÊciuszko Squadron was designed by Lt. Elliot Chess, one of a group of Americans who helped the fledgling Polish air force defend its skies from Bolshevik invaders in 1919 and 1920. Inspired by the example of Tadeusz KoÊciuszko, who had fought for American independence, the American volunteers named their unit after the Polish and American hero. The logo shows thirteen stars and stripes for the original Thirteen Colonies, over which is KoÊciuszko’s four-cornered cap and two crossed scythes, symbolizing the peasant volunteers who, led by KoÊciuszko, fought for Polish freedom in 1794. After the Polish-Bolshevik war ended with Poland’s victory, the symbol was adopted by the Polish 111th KoÊciuszko Squadron. In September 1939, this squadron was among the first to defend Warsaw against Nazi bombers. Following the Polish defeat, the squadron was reformed in Britain in 1940 as Royal Air Force’s 303rd KoÊciuszko. This Polish unit became the highest scoring RAF squadron in the Battle of Britain, often defending London itself from Nazi raiders. The 303rd bore this logo throughout the war, becoming one of the most famous and successful squadrons in the Second World War. The title of our bulletin, Nihil Novi, invokes Poland’s ancient constitution of 1505. It declared that there would be “nothing new about us without our consent.” In essence, it drew on the popular sentiment that its American version expressed as “no taxation without representation.” The Nihil Novi constitution guar- anteed that “nothing new” would be enacted in the country without the consent of the Parliament (Sejm). -
"Witold Pilecki. Confronting the Legend of the "Volunteer to Auschwitz""
Ewa Cuber-Strutyńska Witold Pilecki. Confronting the legend of the “volunteer to Auschwitz” Death had many opportunities to prematurely end the life of Witold Pilecki, who participated in the ight for independence during the war against the Bolsheviks and fought in World War II. Despite the risk he took, he managed to avoid death when he was at the front, when he found himself in the Auschwitz concentration camp and when he took part in the Warsaw Uprising. That it reached him in seemingly independent Poland and that it happened owing to, among others, his old brothers in arms should be considered a tragic paradox. Pilecki became a victim of the Communist regime, which brought death to him twice. The irst death, with a bullet in the back of his head, came on 25 May 1948; the second, symbolic one, involved killing the memory of Pilecki by censoring it for several dozen years. The memory of Pilecki was liberated and he was rehabilitated only after the fall of the regime that had brought death upon him. In the 1990s, we witnessed the publication of the irst biographies of Pilecki, which led to his return to the history of Poland and placed him in the pantheon of Poles who served their homeland to the greatest extent. Moreover, the past several years have shown a growing interest in Pilecki. His igure is now popularised by not only academic publications (which after all reach a rather small audience) but also various kinds of activities undertaken by state institutions, non-governmental organisations as well as football club fans.1 Among the increasing number of initiatives intended to honour Pilecki was even the idea to make an attempt at his beatiication.2 1 During a match between Śląsk Wrocław and Jagiellonia Białystok that took place on 3 May 2012, the supporters of Śląsk Wrocław prepared a setting including Pilecki’s portrait with a caption “Volunteer to Auschwitz” and the quote “Because compared with them Auschwitz was just a trile”. -
Witold Pilecki (1901-1948) Photo
Witold Pilecki (1901-1948) Photo. Private collection Pilecki of Zofia and Andrzej Private Photo. Witold Pilecki was born in 1901 in Olonets in Russian Karelia. His family had been living in Russia since the January Uprising (1863); following its fall, Witold’s grandfather was exiled to Siberia and the family estates were confiscated. In 1910, the Pilecki family returned to Wilno. At the age of 13, Witold joined the clandestine Polish Scouting and Guiding Association. He was also a member of the Polish Military collection Pilecki of Zofia and Andrzej Private Photo. Organization. In 1918, he volunteered for the Self-Defense of Lithuania, where he achieved the rank of uhlan. In 1920, he took part in the Polish-Soviet War in the rank of senior uhlan. He fought in the Battle of Warsaw (13–25 August 1920), one of the most decisive battles in world history. Witold’s steadfastness was duly noted; he was twice awarded a Cross of Valor. Photo. Private collection Pilecki of Zofia and Andrzej Private Photo. In the 1920s, he began to study art in Wilno, but had to quit due to the family’s poor financial situation. He took a job instead, and made efforts to recover the family estate in Sukurcze (now in Belarus). In 1926, the Pilecki family were able to reclaim their ruined property. Photo. Private collection of Zofia and Andrzej Pilecki Witold immediately set about modernizing the estate. Over a few years, he not only restored it, but also transformed it into a buoyant dairy and agricultural center. Photo. Private collection Pilecki of Zofia and Andrzej Private Photo. -
Polish Contribution to World War II - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia 12/18/15, 12:45 AM Polish Contribution to World War II from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Polish contribution to World War II - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 12/18/15, 12:45 AM Polish contribution to World War II From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The European theatre of World War II opened with the German invasion of Poland on Friday September 1, 1939 and the Soviet Polish contribution to World invasion of Poland on September 17, 1939. The Polish Army War II was defeated after more than a month of fighting. After Poland had been overrun, a government-in-exile (headquartered in Britain), armed forces, and an intelligence service were established outside of Poland. These organizations contributed to the Allied effort throughout the war. The Polish Army was recreated in the West, as well as in the East (after the German invasion of the Soviet Union). Poles provided crucial help to the Allies throughout the war, fighting on land, sea and air. Notable was the service of the Polish Air Force, not only in the Allied victory in the Battle of Britain but also the subsequent air war. Polish ground troops The personnel of submarine were present in the North Africa Campaign (siege of Tobruk); ORP Sokół displaying a Jolly the Italian campaign (including the capture of the monastery hill Roger marking, among others, at the Battle of Monte Cassino); and in battles following the the number of sunk or damaged invasion of France (the battle of the Falaise pocket; an airborne ships brigade parachute drop during Operation Market Garden and one division in the Western Allied invasion of Germany). Polish forces in the east, fighting alongside the Red army and under Soviet command, took part in the Soviet offensives across Belarus and Ukraine into Poland, across the Vistula and towards the Oder and then into Berlin. -
Witold Pilecki – the Forgotten Polish Patriot -Mary Elmes Competition.Docx
Peter O’Neill – Witold Pilecki Witold Pilecki in cavalry uniform, colourised pre-19391 Witold Pilecki – The Forgotten Polish Patriot Arguably, the world is most dangerous when it is blind. When the world decides to devote all of its attention to one place or one way of thinking, we let all sorts of horrors pass us by. It takes immense bravery and the greatest courage to survive these events, but it takes even more to volunteer to go through hell to prove and report on these events, so the world is no longer blind to them. This is the story of Witold Pilecki. Witold Pilecki served his country, his community and the world during his adventurous life, and in forty-seven years, he saw Poland rise to become a nation once again, he fought to protect her against several foes, took part in the Warsaw Uprising and volunteered to enter Auschwitz Concentration Camp in order to report on the true nature of the camp. Sadly, like so many resistance heroes in Poland and Eastern Europe, his name was erased by the Communist regime for four decades and the story of his great deeds were almost lost. His life was taken by the Communists, but his legacy would outlive their governments and the Soviet Bloc. Early Life The Pilecki’s were of old Polish Nobility, but when Witold was born in 1901, there was no Poland: only the Russian Empire under the Czar2. When Witold was sixteen years old (the same age as me) he had already joined the movement for Polish freedom. -
Downloaded for Personal Non-Commercial Research Or Study, Without Prior Permission Or Charge
Blackwell, James W. (2010) The Polish Home Army and the struggle for the Lublin region. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/1540/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] By James Blackwell Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of PhD Department of Central and East European Studies Faculty of Law, Business and Social Studies Glasgow University The Polish Home Army and the struggle for the Lublin Region - 1943–1945 1 Abstract Between 1939 and 1944 the underground forces of the Polish Government-in-Exile created an underground army in the Lublin region, which, at its height, numbered 60,000 men. The underground Army was created in order to facilitate the reestablishment of an independent Poland. The Army that was created, the AK, was in effect, an alliance organisation comprising, to varying degrees, members of all pro-independence underground groups. It was, in Lublin, to always suffer from internal stresses and strains, which were exaggerated by the actions of the region’s occupiers. -
Kielce Province Villages During WWII (Pdf, 150.77
Katarzyna Jedynak Kielce Village Museum Mausoleum of the Martyrdom of Polish Villages in Michniów KIELCE PROVINCE VILLAGES DURING WORLD WAR II The plan to exploit the Polish lands and to gradually ruin the Polish nation had been created by the leaders of the Third Reich before World War II even began. Therefore, the totality of German crimes against Poles and other nationalities must be considered as deliberate and planned actions. The occupier aimed to subjugate the Polish people and ultimately exterminate them after winning the war. In September 1939, Kielce Province came under the control of the Wehrmacht. During the 55 days of Wehrmacht rule (1 September – 25 October 1939), its frontline units committed numerous crimes against the inhabitants of the rural areas of Kielce Province. Random residents of conquered villages were killed on sight. Residents of the following villages met their demise in this way: Lelów, Ślężany, Szczekociny, Koniecpol, Wodzisław, Chmielnik, Daleszyce and others. The Germans would often terrorise the villages they conquered by killing off parts of their populations. 80 people were killed in Lipsk, 50 in Pińczów and 30 in Miechów. The Germans also killed civilians in retaliation whenever they met with resistance from the Polish Army. After the Battle of Krasna (6 September), German soldiers killed 24 people in the village itself and the nearby village of Komorów, including 4 Jews and 3 POWs. Civilians were also frequently used as human shields. This was the case during the battles fought near Odrzywół, where seven people died as a result. Starting in mid- September, Wehrmacht, gendarmerie and Ordnungspolizei units began to arrest and execute Poles, primarily members of the intelligentsia, political and social activists, as well as Jews. -
Pogrom Cries – Essays on Polish-Jewish History, 1939–1946
Rückenstärke cvr_eu: 39,0 mm Rückenstärke cvr_int: 34,9 mm Eastern European Culture, 12 Eastern European Culture, Politics and Societies 12 Politics and Societies 12 Joanna Tokarska-Bakir Joanna Tokarska-Bakir Pogrom Cries – Essays on Polish-Jewish History, 1939–1946 Pogrom Cries – Essays This book focuses on the fate of Polish “From page one to the very end, the book Tokarska-Bakir Joanna Jews and Polish-Jewish relations during is composed of original and novel texts, the Holocaust and its aftermath, in the which make an enormous contribution on Polish-Jewish History, ill-recognized era of Eastern-European to the knowledge of the Holocaust and its pogroms after the WW2. It is based on the aftermath. It brings a change in the Polish author’s own ethnographic research in reading of the Holocaust, and offers totally 1939–1946 those areas of Poland where the Holo- unknown perspectives.” caust machinery operated, as well as on Feliks Tych, Professor Emeritus at the the extensive archival query. The results Jewish Historical Institute, Warsaw 2nd Revised Edition comprise the anthropological interviews with the members of the generation of Holocaust witnesses and the results of her own extensive archive research in the Pol- The Author ish Institute for National Remembrance Joanna Tokarska-Bakir is a cultural (IPN). anthropologist and Professor at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Polish “[This book] is at times shocking; however, Academy of Sciences at Warsaw, Poland. it grips the reader’s attention from the first She specialises in the anthropology of to the last page. It is a remarkable work, set violence and is the author, among others, to become a classic among the publica- of a monograph on blood libel in Euro- tions in this field.” pean perspective and a monograph on Jerzy Jedlicki, Professor Emeritus at the the Kielce pogrom. -
Folder Promocyjny Gmina Nasielsk 2020
www.nasielsk.pl Gmina Nasielsk Nasielsk Commune 1 GMINA NASIELSK ▪ NASIELSK COMMUNE Szanowni Państwo, Ladies and Gentlemen, poznajcie Gminę Nasielsk gościnną i przyjazną okolicę z naturalnymi walorami przyrodniczymi, bogatą historią oraz wspaniałymi miesz- kańcami, którzy gwarantują życzliwość i ciepłe przyjęcie. Wierzę, że folder informacyjny przybliży Państwu naszą Gminę i zachęci do jej odwiedzenia. Do zobaczenia. I am pleased to present the Nasielsk Commune – a hospitable and friendly area with natural values, rich history and wonderful inhabitants from whom you can only expect kindness and a warm welcome. I believe that this informative folder will bring you closer to our commune and encourage you to visit it. See you soon! Z poważaniem / Sincerely, Bogdan Ruszkowski Burmistrz Nasielska / Mayor of Nasielsk Dane kontaktowe Położenie geograficzne Contact details Geographical location Urząd Miejski w Nasielsku / Municipal Office in Nasielsk Malowniczy, rozległy teren Gminy Nasielsk położony jest w województwie mazowieckim ul. Elektronowa 3, 05-190 Nasielsk NASIELSK na terenie powiatu nowodworskiego, niespełna godzinę drogi od Warszawy. NIP 531-160-74-68 W jej skład wchodzi miasto Nasielsk oraz 65 sołectw. Obszar gminy zamieszkuje tel.: 23 693 30 00, fax: 23 691 24 70 blisko 20 tys. mieszkańców. Dzięki dogodnemu położeniu i dobrze rozwiniętej sieci e-mail: [email protected], www.nasielsk.pl komunikacyjnej (4 stacje PKP na terenie gminy, przystanki autobusowe) szybko i w łatwy sposób można dojechać ze stolicy czy zlokalizowanego ok. 20 km od Konto bankowe / Bank account: Nasielska lotniska w Modlinie. BS Nasielsk 18 8226 0008 0000 1746 2000 0002 The vast, picturesque area of Nasielsk Commune is located in Mazovian Voivodeship Godziny pracy Urzędu / Working hours: (Masovia Province), within Nowy Dwór County, less than an hour by car from Poniedziałek: 8:00-17:00 / Monday: 8:00 AM-5:00 PM Warsaw. -
New Issues Frank Karwoski
New Issues Frank Karwoski 150th Anniversary Polish government-in-exile in London signed an agreement of Birth of Józef Piłsudski with the Soviet government. After the German invasion of This 10-zł stamp honors Poland’s the Soviet Union in June 1941, the Soviets sought to rees- famous patriot and statesman, JÓzef tablish Polish-Soviet relations (terminated since 1939), and Klemens Piłsudski; it shows him grant amnesty to thousands of Poles interned in pow camps; in uniform on his favorite horse, they were apprehended for the purpose of creating an army to Chestnut (Kasztanka). Piłsudski help the Soviets fight the Germans. Prime minister and com- was born in 1867 in the village of mander in chief of the Polish government-in-exile, Władysław Zalavas (Zułów), Lithuania, which Sikorski, nominated Anders as commander of the new army; prior to 1939 was located in Po- Anders had just been released from detention at the Lubyanka land. He considered himself a de- prison in Moscow. By the end of 1941 the new army had grown scendant of the culture and traditions of the historic Polish- to three infantry divisions. As the Soviets were unable to pro- Lithuanian Commonwealth. During World War I, Piłsudski vide adequate rations to the growing Polish army, Stalin agreed founded and led the Polish Legions in the Austro-Hungarian to evacuate the army to Iran where operational control was Army. After the war in 1918 he returned home a national hero, transferred to the British government. Anders’ Army moved and until 1922 was Poland’s first chief of state. -
News 26 Website Book Review the Volunteer Cy1jul Done
Book Review The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero who Infiltrated Auschwitz by Jack Fairweather, WH Allen, 2019. Review by Nick Fox OBE, Deputy Col Comdt At the outbreak of World War II, Witold Pilecki was a gentleman farmer and junior officer in a reserve cavalry unit of the Polish Army. At the end of September 1939 Poland was a defeated nation, occupied by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union; Pilecki joined the Polish underground. In November, he helped to form the Tajna Armia Polska (Secret Polish Army) acting as its chief recruiter. The SS started mass arrests of Poles and by January 1940, 150,000 had been deported; the leader of one resistance group began documenting these Nazi crimes and smuggling details to the Polish government in exile, in the hope these would stiffen the resolve of British and French allies in Poland’s favour. Initial reports mentioned a camp in Poland which mirrored the ‘protective custody’ regime of those in Germany; this was a former Polish Army cavalry barracks at Oswiecim, the name of which, in German, would later become synonymous with mass murder: Auschwitz. It was thought that as long as this camp remained unknown, the Germans were free to do anything they liked there and so a search was started for someone to infiltrate it. Pilecki’s name was put forward; the task was to infiltrate the camp, collect intelligence about it, create a resistance cell and stage a breakout. Given the risks, Pilecki could not be ordered to undertake the mission, he would have to volunteer.