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Polish military resistance movement at Auschwitz. New exhibition in the Google Cultural Institute.
The history of the military resistance movement organized by Polish political prisoners in the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz is presented by a new exhibition created by the Museum at the Google Cultural Institute.
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'The camp’s wing of the Home Army that remained in contact with ZWZ (the Union of Armed Struggle) later AK (Polish Home Army) and other organized Polish underground structures in KL Auschwitz were a quite specific manifestation of resistance against the entire German concentration camp system. They conveyed information outside, formed an organized prisoners' self-help in the camp, made the surveillance of the prison environment difficult for the SS men, and analyzed on an ongoing basis chances of an armed uprising,' said Dr. Piotr MA Cywiński, director of the Museum. 'This story, shown in the exhibition space of Google has a chance today of reaching the consciousness of people all over the world, showing them that even in the most difficult moments there were true patriots and heroes, who did not doubt the advisability of facing the German Nazis,' he added.
The author of the exhibition is a historian at the museum's Research Center Dr. Adam Cyra. "A significant group of the first Auschwitz prisoners were Poles engaged in conspiracy activity. The first transports that arrived from Warsaw carried members of TAP (the Polish Secret Army) - an underground organization founded by John Włodarkiewicz, in cooperation with, among others, Witold Pilecki. It is, these prisoners among others that will constitute the backbone of the military resistance movement at Auschwitz,' said Adam Cyra.
When in the summer of 1940, several members of the Polish Secret Army (TAP) were deported to KL Auschwitz, Maj. Jan Włodarkiewicz decided to send an officer of TAP (Polish Secret Army) to the camp to create a clandestine military organization and examine the possibility of freeing the prisoners. The execution of this dangerous mission was entrusted to Witold Pilecki, who for this purpose voluntarily allowed himself to be captured by the Germans during a round-up in Warsaw. Under an assumed name as Thomas Serafiński, he was brought to KL Auschwitz on the night of 21/22 September, 1940.
'The Military Organization was aimed at helping prisoners residing at KL Auschwitz, keeping their spirits high by disseminating news from the fronts of World War II, the clandestine acquisition of food, clothing and medicines, forwarding of messages from outside the camp and organizing escapes, as well as preparing their own troops to take over the camp in collaboration with the partisans,' stressed Dr. Cyra.
The exhibition in the Google Cultural Institute makes reference among others, to the structure and organizational development of the military resistance movement in Auschwitz; its most important forms, and about the repression on the part of SS men garrisoned at the camp. Much space is devoted to the most significant element of the conspirational activities, whose main purpose was to convey information about Auschwitz beyond the wires of the camp.
'Reports from members of the resistance movement, were initially sent via prisoners released from the camp, and then also by initiated civilian workers employed by the SS men during the expansion of the camp as well as initiated inhabitants of Auschwitz. These reports began to systematically reach out to Warsaw from the beginning and end of 1940. Information about KL Auschwitz was also passed through prisoners who escaped from the camp,' the exhibition says.
The conspiratorial reports sent from the camp primarily contained crimes committed by the Germans and the situation in the camp. From the end of June 1942, one can encounter numerous references both about murders committed on Jews in the gas chambers, and about the rapid increase in the number of registered Jewish prisoners in the camp. Reports from that period recorded fairly accurately both the highest number ever issued in a camp for men and women, as well as the first information on the killing of Jews in gas chambers, and burying of bodies in mass graves; not included in the camp registers
The exposition also makes reference to Pilecki’s escape from the camp and his subsequent fate. A brief history of the consolidation of the various resistance movements in Auschwitz into one international organization - Auschwitz Military Council was also presented.
'Undoubtedly, thanks to the military conspiracy in the camp and planning of prisoners’ escapes, who then conveyed the truth about Auschwitz; the world learned about the crimes of the German Nazis. The following may also be included as results of the activities of OW (Military Organization): intimidation of functionary prisoners, entering of false professions for newly-arrived prisoners, entering diseases into the medical card of sick prisoners, which gave such a prisoner the chance of not being referred to the gas chambers,' we read.
The exhibition in the Google Cultural Institute has been prepared in Polish and English. This year, on the website of the Museum, a more comprehensive online lesson will be published constituting a holistic approach to the subject of the resistance movement in Auschwitz.
English translation of the exhibition was possible thanks to support of the Memorial Foundation for the Victims of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Other exhibits of the Auschwitz Memorial at the Google Cultural Institute:
• “The Evacuation and Liberation of Auschwitz"
• "Sonderkommando"
• “The Tragic Story of Love in Auschwitz”
• "Before They Perished"
The Google Cultural Institute is dedicated to creating technology that helps bring cultural treasures, archives, heritage sites and other material online. The aim is to increase the range and volume of material from the cultural world that is available for people to explore online and, in doing so, democratize access to it and preserve it for future generations. Google Cultural Institute has more than 600 partners from 60 countries and presents more than 6 million assets from partners.
