New Kazimierz Piechowski, 1 Of The Kickoff Prisoners At Auschwitz, Went On To Pb A Daring Escape, Helping To Pocket The Commandant's Auto Past Times Impersonating An Irate Ss Officer

Mr. Piechowski was a 19year old eagle Scout, when High German forces swept through Poland as well as began killing priests, intellectuals as well as members of the country's Scouting organization inwards September 1939, fearing — correctly — that the Scouts would assist shape the seeds of the country's surreptitious resistance.

He presently struck out on a circuitous route for France, aiming to bring together the displaced Polish army. But he was captured close the Hungarian border, imprisoned as well as sent on June 20, 1940, to Auschwitz, which had been opened a calendar month before yesteryear the SS every bit a concentration army camp for criminals as well as political prisoners.

Mr. Piechowski enacted his ain unlikely escape innovation inwards 1942, 2 years to the twenty-four hours after he arrived at Auschwitz. He had seen enough of escapes halted yesteryear the electrified barbed wire as well as watchtowers surrounding the camp, as well as knew that 10 people were forced to starve inwards reprisal for each mortal who escaped.

But the calculus changed abruptly when a friend of Mr. Piechowski's, Eugeniusz Bendera, learned that he was scheduled to move killed as well as suggested they flee the army camp inwards an SS car. Bendera, a mechanic, had access to the vehicle. Mr. Piechowski, who was working inwards the warehouse, knew where to detect a stash of uniforms as well as weapons that would permit them to disguise themselves every bit SS officers.

In an endeavour to spare his cellmates from retribution, Mr. Piechowski devised a innovation inwards which he, Bendera as well as 2 others — Stanislaw Gustaw Jaster, a erstwhile Scout, as well as Jozef Lempart, a priest — would move out the principal army camp expanse yesteryear pretending to move component subdivision of a four-person piece of occupation unit. If the entire unit of measurement disappeared, Mr. Piechowski figured, their block supervisor would probable move held wholly responsible.

On a serenity Sabbatum morning, they pushed a garbage cart through the laid out army camp gate, nether a sign reading "Arbeit Macht Frei" ("Work Sets You Free"). Three of the men scurried through a coal hatch within the warehouse, as well as Mr. Piechowski led them to a room where they nabbed SS uniforms, 4 machine guns as well as 8 grenades, according to historian Laurence Rees's 2005 mass "Auschwitz: H5N1 New History."

The mechanic had picked the Steyr 220 – the fastest motorcar inwards Auschwitz, at that spot for the sole piece of occupation of the commandant. "It had to move fast, because he had to move able to acquire to Berlin inwards a few hours. We took it because if nosotros were chased nosotros had to move able to acquire away."

They jumped into the Steyr 220 as well as drove toward the camp's principal gate, greeting SS officers amongst a "Heil Hitler!" along the way, Mr. Piechowski subsequently said. They had proficient luck pushing their garbage cart as well as taking the uniforms out of the warehouse, where SS officers failed to position them, simply at the camp's outermost gate they were met amongst a unopen barrier.

"Wake up, you lot buggers!" Mr. Piechowski yelled inwards High German to the men manning the gate, he subsequently told the Guardian. "Open upwardly or I'll opened upwardly you lot up!"

The gate opened, as well as the escapees drove to freedom. The Nazis were incensed, says Piechowski. "When the commandant heard inwards Berlin that 4 prisoners had escaped he asked: 'How the bloody hell could they escape inwards my ain car, inwards our ain uniforms, as well as amongst our ammunition?' They could non believe that people they did non intend had whatever intelligence took them [for a ride]."

Keeping away from the principal roads to evade capture, they drove on wood roads for 2 hours, heading for the town of Wadowice. There they abandoned the Steyr as well as continued on foot, sleeping inwards the wood as well as taking turns to hold watch.

In revenge, Jaster's parents were arrested as well as died inwards Auschwitz, as well as at that spot were serious consequences for the remaining prisoners. "A calendar month after nosotros escaped, an lodge went out that every mortal must move tattooed [with their prison theater number]. The Nazis knew that an escapee's pilus would grow back, as well as that the partisans would brand novel documents for them. But when people saw the number, they would know that they were from Auschwitz. No other army camp used numbering – it was our escape that led to it."

When the communists consolidated ability inwards Poland after the war, Mr. Piechowski was sentenced to 10 years inwards prison theater every bit an enemy of the state, according to the London-based Mail on Lord's Day newspaper. He was released after 7 years. He subsequently worked every bit an engineer inwards the Gdansk shipyard.

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/11/i-escaped-from-auschwitz

This curt documentary follows the songwriter Katy Carr's see to Poland inwards August 2009 to run into Kazik, at nowadays 90, as well as convey a at nowadays window into his retentiveness as well as sense of the concluding lxxx metres of his escape, where he as well as the other prisoners convey driven to the exterior checkpoint of Auschwitz, as well as all their lives depend upon 5 seconds of daring as well as inspiration.

Kazik as well as the Kommander's Car from Kazik as well as the Kommander's Car on Vimeo.

Thanks Steve!

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