Pilecki's Report

Jan Karski https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Karski had a similar story, though he went in an out of the Warsaw Ghetto a few times during the war, rather than Auschwitz. He ended up as a professor at Georgetown University until the 90's. If he drifted off topic in class, his stories of being in the resistance in occupied Poland were amazing.

These were his words after his death sentence:

“I've been trying to live my life so that in the hour of my death I would rather feel joy, than fear.”

What a hero.

Probably the bravest man, for the longest time, I have ever read about of any period in history. If ever a life deserved a major movie...

He did so much for Poland, yet was ultimately shot in the back of the head by a communist Pole, after the show trial in 1948, and after months of torture. He'd been trying to gather information of Soviet bloc atrocities.

The Volunteer by Jack Fairweather, published last year is well worth a read.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Volunteer-Mission-Underground-Ausch...

Edit: You can also get the reports themselves, with little extra translated to English. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Auschwitz-Volunteer-Beyond-Bravery/...

"He remained loyal to the London-based Polish government-in-exile after the communist takeover of Poland and was arrested in 1947 by the secret police on charges of working for "foreign imperialism". Pilecki was executed after a show trial in 1948."

Incredibly sad, and probably typical of how communist regimes dealt with resistance heroes after the war. See František Fajtl [0] for instance.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franti%C5%A1ek_Fajtl#Persecuti...

Incidentally wonderful song called Inmate 4859 by Swedish power metal band called Sabaton that is about Pilecki.

If you think this story is interesting Sabaton has an entire album dedicated to stories of people like this called Heroes.

I recommend reading his Wikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witold_Pilecki.

In 1948 Pilecki was executed by communists after a show trial.

The Polish entry has a bit more info (https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witold_Pilecki). What is horrifying are his words during the last seeing of his wife: "Auschwitz was a plaything". While in arrest he was tortured: the denailed his feet, crushed his genitals, impaled him on a table leg.

The historian Dan Snow recently did a podcast with the author of a new book about Pilecki. Definitely worth a listen.

https://www.historyhit.com/podcasts/

(2nd one down on the left)

Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Volunteer-Mission-Underground-Ausch...

This guy is badass. He went to auchswitz and escaped. Then did it again.

He is our hero! The core of polish “magical” heroism. It’s unbelievable that Poland after second war war, abounded by allies, stood agains oppression of communism and won after 50 years.

The Allies and the USA knew all about the Holocaust thanks to this man but kept it a secret. Total farce of a narrative that American troops 'discovered' concentration camps when they went into Germany.