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Translator's Introductory Note

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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. Printing: TBA Melbourne, Australia 2013 He who loves much, does much. He who does good, does much. He who is a servant to his fellow men, Rather than to his own will, does good. Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... I Foreword ................................................................................................................. III A yesteryear’s hero? ................................................................................................. V My Tribute to Pilecki ............................................................................................... XV Biography ............................................................................................................. XVIII Translator’s Introductory Note ............................................................................ XXIV Auschwitz Maps drawn by Pilecki ............................................................................. 1 Introduction to Report “W” ...................................................................................... 2 Report “W" ............................................................................................................... 3 Murdered during an interrogation ........................................................................ 4 Executed by shooting ............................................................................................ 4 Murdered by lethal injections ............................................................................... 5 Died (killed in the camp’s public area or died as a result of the prevalent conditions or epidemies in the camp) ................................................................... 5 Released by the camp’s authorities ...................................................................... 6 Released by the authorities – took a report for the Organization ........................ 6 Transferred to Dachau when ill (arranged) ........................................................... 6 Transferred to other camps .................................................................................. 7 Requested transfer to attempt escape while in transit......................................... 7 Shot dead during an escape .................................................................................. 8 Left the camp in an arranged escape to deliver a report to the Organization ...... 8 Still at the camp .................................................................................................... 8 June 1943 ............................................................................................................ 11 We decided to fight it ......................................................................................... 38 Escapes ............................................................................................................... 53 By Aleksander Wielopolski .................................................................................. 75 By Stefan Bielecki ................................................................................................ 75 By Sergeant Antoni Woźniak ............................................................................... 76 By Aleksander Paliński (died in the Warsaw Rising) ............................................ 76 By Captain Ferdynand Trojnicki .......................................................................... 77 By Eleonora Ostrowska ....................................................................................... 77 By „Skiba” ........................................................................................................... 78 By „Jeż” (Stefan Miłkowski)................................................................................. 78 By Witold ............................................................................................................ 79 End Notes ............................................................................................................... 82 Instead of an Epilogue ............................................................................................ 85 Index ....................................................................................................................... 89 Acknowledgements As members of the Polish Political Prisoners’ Association, an Australia-wide organization, we felt greatly honoured when Mr Andrzej Nowak and Mr Jacek Glinka asked our organization in September 2012 to get involved in their project which aimed to establish a permanent exhibit at the Melbourne Holocaust Centre dedicated to one of Poland’s greatest heroes, Captain Witold Pilecki. Many people have since been involved in the work on this project. On this occasion, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each one of them for their, so generous and so enthusiastic, contributions to our joint effort. A special thank-you I would like to extend to Republic of Poland’s Honorary Consul in Melbourne, Dr George Łuk- Kozika, who kindly agreed to chair this project’s committee and thus gave the project its proper imprimatur. This project would not have even taken off the ground if not for the kind and benevolent reception of this project by the Institute of National Remembrance, in Warsaw, Poland. The assistance granted to us throughout the project by the Institute’s staff, in particular however by: Dr Rafal Leśkiewicz, Director of Institute’s Bureau of Access and Documents Archivization, Mr Jacek Pawłowicz, the Institute’s foremost expert on matters concerning Captain Pilecki, and Ms Małgorzata Zaremba, Head of Bureau’s Referrals, has been very comprehensive, competent, patient and gracious. Due to that assistance we got access to a wealth of documentation I related to Captain Pilecki’s life and activities. We are truly indebted to all of them. I am also very grateful to Dr Adam Koch from Melbourne for the enormous effort he put into the translation into English of Captain Pilecki’s Report “W” and some other associated documents included into our book. He did it as a volunteer. I recognize the very high professional level of all his work in this project. Last but not least, I would like thank the two initiators of this project, Mr Andrzej Nowak and Mr Jacek Glinka, both of Melbourne, who have given their time so generously and have served as this project’s coordinators. Their passion and commitment have made it possible to get this great initiative going and brought this project to fruition much sooner than would otherwise have been possible. Hubert Błaszczyk President of Association of Polish Political Prisoners in Australia II Foreword In all nations of the world, it is rare to find a person, who for his firmly held beliefs, would put his life on knife’s edge. Such a man was Captain Witold Pilecki, a Polish Cavalry Officer of the highest moral calibre. He fought for Poland in the Russo – Polish War of 1920-1921, and the 2nd World War of 1939-1945. After the German invasion and defeat of Poland he helped create a clandestine Secret Polish Army, and in 1940 infiltrated the German Extermination Camp in Auschwitz to form a resistance network and gather intelligence. His reports as prisoner 4859 were smuggled out of Auschwitz and delivered to the British Government in London, as well as to the Home Army and Polish Government in Exile: this Report W is the result of his work. In 1943 he escaped from the camp, and as a member of the Home Army of Poland fought in the
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