A WWII Polish officer spied for the Allies by volunteering to be imprisoned in Auschwitz

According to the official records of the Auschwitz prison camp, he was known as Tomasz Serafiński, but was likely commonly called by the prison number tattooed on his arm: 4859. Just another dissident that was rounded up by the Nazis, being at the wrong place at the wrong time. But his real name was Witold Pilecki, an intelligence agent, one of the founders of the Secret Polish Army, and a man who volunteered to be sent to Auschwitz as a spy for the Allied Forces.

Following defeat against Nazi occupation of Poland in 1939, Pilecki remained in the country as part of the Polish underground resistance, translated in English as the “Home Army.” In August of 1940, the Home Army took notice when a group of Polish political opponents were imprisoned in Auschwitz and their families were given telegrams reporting their deaths shortly after. With the Home Army wanting to know what was really going on at this work camp, Pilecki volunteered to investigate.

On September 19, 1940, Pilecki used the identity of Serafiński, a Jewish soldier who was mistakenly assumed dead, to be arrested alongside 1,800 Polish political prisoners over the next two days before they were all transported to Auschwitz. It would be two and half years before Pilecki saw freedom again.

While Pilecki’s mission was to act as the eyes and ears of the Home Army, his role as a spy grew exponentially. Aside from having reports of the camp’s activities smuggled to the outside world, Pilecki formed a resistance group within the camp itself. Using smuggled radio parts, the group would transmit reports to the Allies of camp activity. They also arranged contraband and food to be smuggled into the camp, while executing missions to sabotage facilities and assassinate S.S. officers. He would eventually assist with escape plans for prisoners, even sacrificing his own escape route through the sewers to another inmate that was marked for execution.

- YouTubeyoutube.com

Throughout all of this, Pilecki suffered the same atrocities as other prisoners. Along with starvation, Pilecki survived bouts of pneumonia and typhus during his imprisonment. While he understandably wanted to break and give up, he didn’t show it outwardly so he wouldn’t hurt morale among his colleagues.

In April 1943, when it was clear that Pilecki was going to be transferred out of Auschwitz, he and two companions made their escape. They would journey 100 kilometers on foot before they could reach safety, spending a whole week on the run. While his work didn’t immediately lead to the liberation of the prisoners, Pilecki brought firsthand information regarding the death camp three years before commanders in the Allied Forces officially recognized Auschwitz’s existence.

So why is Pilecki not as well-known of a figure in World War II history? Well, shortly after Poland was free of Nazi occupation, it was taken hold by Soviet forces. As an advocate for Polish independence, Pilecki was targeted and arrested by Communist Polish authorities. Pilecki was tortured and forced to sign a confession stating that he conspired to assassinate members of the Polish police. He was falsely tried and executed as a traitor. As a result, Pilecki’s heroism was buried, even to the point that his own family members never knew about his courageous and selfless deeds until the 1990s when the Soviet Union collapsed.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

Today, Witold Pilecki’s name is among the most admired heroes during one of the most bloody events in human history, with books, songs, and even films being made based on his life. One man that helped saved so many. May his life be a reminder to some, a warning to others, and an inspiration for us all.