Description
Book SynopsisIn 1940, the Polish Underground wanted to know what was happening inside the recently opened Auschwitz concentration camp. Polish army officer Witold Pilecki volunteered to be arrested by the Germans and reported from inside the camp. His intelligence reports, smuggled out in 1941, were among the first eyewitness accounts of Auschwitz atrocities: the extermination of Soviet POWs, its function as a camp for Polish political prisoners, and the final solution" for Jews. Pilecki received brutal treatment until he escaped in April 1943; soon after, he wrote a brief report. This book is the first English translation of a 1945 expanded version. In the foreword, Poland's chief rabbi states, If heeded, Pilecki's early warnings might have changed the course of history." Pilecki's story was suppressed for half a century after his 1948 arrest by the Polish Communist regime as a Western spy." He was executed and expunged from Polish history. Pilecki writes in staccato style but also interjects his observations on humankind's lack of progress: We have strayed, my friends, we have strayed dreadfully...we are a whole level of hell worse than animals!" These remarkable revelations are amplified by 40 b&w photos, illus., and maps.
Trade ReviewEarthshaking. A book which I hope will be widely read. -- Zbigniew Brzezinski, Johns Hopkins University and Center for Strategic and International Studies; former National Security Advisor to President Carter A shining example of heroism that transcends religion, race and time...This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the Holocaust. -- Rabbi Michael Schudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland A real contribution to our understanding of the history of Poland under Nazi occupation. -- Antony Polonsky, Professor, Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Brandeis University An Allied hero who deserved to be remembered and celebrated. -- Norman Davies, Professor This remarkable book...may shock but will surely enlighten. Here is a portion of the Auschwitz story that needed to be told. -- Gerhard L. Weinberg, author of A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II One man volunteered for Auschwitz, and now we have his story... Pilecki's report on Auschwitz, unpublishable for decades in Communist Poland and now translated into English under the title The Auschwitz Volunteer, is a historical document of the greatest importance. -- Timothy Snyder New York Times, June 24, 2012 A historical document of the greatest importance. New York Times Editors' Choice Extraordinary. Maclean's
Table of ContentsVII. Table of Contents CONTENTS Introduction by Norman Davies ... xi Foreword by Rabbi Michael Schudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland ... xv Translator's Introductory Note ... xix Publisher's Note ... xxiii Selected Highlights from Pilecki's 1945 Report ... xxix List of Maps ... xxxi Historical Horizon Captain Witold Pilecki: The Report, the Mission, the Man ... xxxiii Captain Pilecki's Covering Letter to Major General Tadeusz Pelczynski ... 1 Captain Witold Pilecki's 1945 Auschwitz Report ... 5 Appendices 1 Glossary of English, German and Polish Terms and Acronyms ...335 2 German-Language Positions and Ranks at Auschwitz Mentioned by Pilecki ...343 3 Index of People and Places Referred to by Pilecki with Either a Code Number or Letter ...345 4 Chronology of Pilecki's 1945 Report ...355 Index ...365 Discussion Questions ...397 LIST OF MAPS Europe 1939 ... vi Poland-September 1939 ... ix Occupied Poland 1939-1941 ... x Auschwitz and Environs-1944 ... 9 KL Auschwitz 1 ... 10 Pilecki's Escape Route from Auschwitz ...300
