Loading summary
Raza Jafre
Wondery subscribers can binge full seasons of the Spy who early and ad free on Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app. Please be advised. This episode is set inside the Nazi death camp Auschwitz, and includes descriptions and references to violence, suicide, mass murder and the Holocaust. March 1941. Nazi occupied Poland. Straight down the lens. Don't smile. Don't cry. In a small building in the Auschwitz concentration camp, polished by Witold Pilecki, sits blinking on a stool in front of a powerful light. An SS photographer adjusts the focus on his camera, then takes Pilecki's picture for the camp's records. It's been six months since Pilecki allowed himself to be arrested by the Nazis. He came to Auschwitz with a secret mission to smuggle out intelligence about this new German concentration camp and build a resistance organization among the inmates, with the ultimate goal of liberating the camp. Now he has a secret resistance network consisting of several hundred prisoners. But with the camp's brutal conditions making a breakout seem impossible, the priority is on keeping each other alive and smuggling out information about the war crimes taking place here. Turn to the side. You chewing a wasp? Relax your face. To protect his family, Pilecki entered the camp using the identity of a lawyer called Tomasz Serafinsky. But now he fears that these photographs could expose him. If the SS compared them to photos of the real Serafinsky, his true identity could be exposed, bringing the risk of immediate execution and retribution for his family. So he's puffing out his cheeks and pulling his chin downwards to distort his appearance. The ploy risks attracting attention, but it's less dangerous than allowing his true face to appear on German documents. A couple of days after the photo shoot, Pilecki strides through the camp courtyard. He has spent the day laboring in a carpentry workshop. His muscles feel bruised. He is hungry. Suddenly, a voice calls out. Pilecki tenses. He senses the other prisoners around the courtyard watching on with interest. He resists the urge to turn around. To do so would expose his true identity. Pilecki continues walking, but the man who called his name rushes to his side. He throws a friendly arm around Pilecki's shoulder. It's you. The Gestapo chopped my ass into little pieces, demanding to know what happened to you, old friend. Quiet.
Grant Ellis
Shh.
Raza Jafre
His friend is taken aback. He removes his arm from around Pilecki's shoulder. Don't panic. I told him I didn't know you. Obviously. Don't you remember me? Of course I remember you. But in here, my name is Tomasz. Do you want to get me killed? Promise me. You will never say my real name again. Of course. I promise. I didn't think. Pilecki lengthens his stride, leaving the other man standing in the fading light, looking ashamed. Pilecki feels no remorse for his unfriendly response. The incident has not gone unnoticed by other inmates. Now in this camp, where the smallest advantage can mean the difference between survival and death and desperate, starving prisoners often turn informants for as little as a crust of bread, he must pray nobody uses this information against him.
Narrator
Your weekly dose of romance and drama has arrived. Season 29 of the Bachelor is here and Grant Ellis, certified hottie and former day trader, is trading his day job on Wall street for a second chance at everlasting. New episodes drop every Monday at 87 Central, bringing you fresh twists in Grant's journey to find his soulmate. This self proclaimed mama's boy is all grown up and ready to invest his heart. Will his playful charm win over the house full of hopefuls? Or will the competition prove too intense? From heartfelt moments to adrenaline pumping dates, each week brings new surprises in the mansion. Will Grant find his perfect match or end up with a broken heart? Tune in every Monday at 87 Central on ABC and stream on Hulu for new episodes of the Bachelor.
Rocket Money Ad
You sign up for something, forget about it. After the trial period ends, then you're charged month after month after month. The subscriptions are there, but you're not using them. In fact, 85% of people have at least one paid subscription going unused each month. Thanks to Rocket Money, you can see all your subscriptions in one place and cancel the ones you're not using anymore. Now, boom, you're saving more money. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. Rocket Money has over 5 million users and has saved a total of $500 million in canceled subscriptions, saving members up to $740 a year when using all of the app's premium features. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket money. Go to Rocketmoney.com Wondery today. That's Rocketmoney.com Wondery Rocketmoney.com Wondery.
Raza Jafre
From Wondery I'm Raza Jaffre and this is the spy who in the last episode, Nazi Germany invaded Poland and opened Auschwitz to put Polish political prisoners to work as slave laborers. Witold Pilecki was arrested and sent to the camp where he began organizing the prisoners to form a secret resistance, and the British government opted not to bomb the camp after receiving a report that glossed over its brutality. But Pilecki hasn't given up on his mission. He's determined to keep smuggling information out. And the urgency of the operation is about to increase exponentially. This is episode 2 the Message March 1941 the Records Office Auschwitz Enter. Paletzki's stomach tenses with anxiety as he opens the door. An SS officer summoned Pilecki to his office after roll call. He fears the summons means he's been exposed after his friend called out his name a few days ago. Ah, Serafinsky, there you are. Come in, don't be shy. I need your help with something. Pilecki approaches the officer's desk. On it, he spots several of the mug shots of prisoners taken a few days earlier, including his own. He adjusts his head slightly to better see his own picture. He's relieved it doesn't look like him at all. The officer slides two photographs towards Pilecki. Do you know these two men? Pilecki makes a show of studying the images. No, sir, I do not. Well, that is strange. Well, they had their photographs taken immediately before and after you. It's odd that you don't even recognize the men you were stood in line with. I don't know what to say, sir. They must not have left much of an impression on me. Or maybe they don't look like they do in real life. That could explain it. S. The officer picks up the photograph of Pilecki and holds it in the air. Just like this photograph of you doesn't look like you. The officer looks between Pilecki's face and the image. What the hell is going on here? Pilecki thinks fast. Sir, I've had a terrible kidney complaint. One of the symptoms is puffiness around the glands. Mercifully, your camp doctors put me on the road to recovery. The officer stares at Pilecki. The spy holds his gaze, eager to not do anything that might betray the lie if he is exposed. The complex resistance network he has established within the camp is finished. He is the only person who knows who runs all of its disconnected cells. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the SS officer nods sharply. Fine. Dismissed. July 1941. The carpentry workshop, Auschwitz Pilecki is hard at work when he notices a member of his resistance network. A 19 year old with a dimpled chin and baby cheeks, on the verge of tears. Are you okay, son? Edex. Lip quivers. Pilecky feels a surge of empathy. He cannot imagine how difficult it is for someone so young to be a daily witness to the camp's endless miseries. Almost every morning, a prisoner hurls himself against the electric fence. A desperate attempt to escape this life one way or another. Pety can sense the young man considering a similar course of action. He gently rests his hand on EDX shoulder. You're not alone, okay? There are hundreds of us in here together, all working towards a common goal. Escape. And with your help, we can and we will succeed. Eric looks up at Pilecki. He is getting through to the teenager. The German victories on the outside can only postpone their final defeat. You want to be around to see their defeat, do you not? Edek wipes the tears from his eyes and nods. I do. Thank you. I count only on you, sir. Pilecki forces a smile inside. He understands precisely what Eddek is feeling. Their mission seems hopeless. Death looms. Nobody, he fears, is coming to help. But Pilecki has other prisoners who look up to him now. He cannot allow fear and doubt to take hold. If he falters, all those who find hope in his leadership will crumble too. And the resistance will be finished. Two months later block 17A it's long past sunset, and as the autumn night chills, Pilecki lies on his lice infested mattress, struggling to sleep. His spy network's tendrils now extend across the camp complex. Pilecki's men continue to bear witness to Nazi crimes, working to find ways to smuggle out letters recording what they've seen to the wider world. At times he feels dispirited that there is little his resistance can do. And yet he takes comfort in the knowledge that his people in the labor office can help assign its members to useful, less onerous roles that, if nothing else, will help extend their lives. Occasionally his men work outside the camp, where they have the chance to steal food or cigarettes, which can be used to bribe the Kapos. He still clings to the hope that the Allies might bomb the camp. And at very least the work of resistance provides its members a purpose for their miserable days. The sound of several heavy laden trucks entering the camp disturbs Pilecki's thoughts. He gets out of bed and tries to get a look at what's happening outside. Through a window, he watches a stream of prisoners disembark the vehicles, the men wearing Soviet uniforms. Pilecki knows from listening to the radio he and his men have stolen that German forces are advancing on Moscow and Leningrad. But the arrival of captured Soviet soldiers at the camp still surprises him. Why would the Germans bring them to Poland? Pilecki watches SS guards escort the prisoners into the closed court of the penal block the trucks depart and an eerie silence descends. Pilecki returns to his bunk. Then the silence shatters. Pilecki races back to the window and presses his ear against the wooden boards. He hears a cacophony of screams coming from the penal block, the sound of several hundred Soviet men dying as one. Through the cracks, he sees German officers loitering outside the block wearing gas masks. Then the screaming stops and gives way to a chilling silence. March 1942. Auschwitz. It's six months since the Soviets were gassed and Pilecki now works at the camp's increasingly busy construction office, which plans and oversees building work at the rapidly expanding camp. Pilecki waits for a guard to look the other way and sneaks out of the main office. He enters the corridor, walks to the off limits radio room and ducks inside. Pilecki rifles through shelves laden with spare parts. One of his newest recruits is an electrician who says he can build a radio transmitter for sending Morse code. So Pilecki's on a mission to steal the parts he needs. Things are changing at Auschwitz since the gassing of the Soviets. Men in Pilecki's network have reported that the Nazis are constructing a second camp two miles away. They call it Birkenau. Pilecki guesses it will eventually house Soviet prisoners of war. But for now, the gassings continue apace. His agent in the camp's records office reports that of the 12,000 Soviets who've arrived in recent months, fewer than 100 are still alive. His men are also reporting that thousands of Jews including, including women and children, have recently started to arrive. Each day they are being sent straight to Birkenau. Pilecki is desperate to alert the Polish resistance to these horrors. And a radio transmitter would give him a new way to do so. There you are. Pilecki's fingers grasp the component he's been searching for. He places it in the deep pocket that he has sewn into his overalls. Then he peeks around the door and finding the corridor empty, emerges nonchalantly ready to stash the part in a supply cupboard near the bathroom. But once he's collected all the parts, he needs to transport them across open ground to the garbage pit. There, an agent on garbage duty will collect and smuggle the parts back to the prison blocks. Building the thing, that's the easy part. A couple of weeks later, in the construction office, Pilecky and one of his most trusted agents, Khan, are working late. It's a quiet night and there's only one SS guard watching over them. So they've decided tonight is their best chance to Smuggle the stolen radio parts to the garbage pit. Pilecki jumps to his feet. My stomach. Pilecki hurries away. He has been feigning diarrhea, using his trips to the toilet to smuggle the parts out of the cupboard and into a box in the bathroom while Kon distracts the guard with card tricks. Once in the bathroom and out of sight, Pilecki places the last stolen part into the box. Now it's over to Kon to get it to the garbage pit. He glances out of the bathroom window towards the pit just a couple of hundred yards away, then returns to the office. As he enters, he locks eyes with Kon and gives him a subtle nod. Two men pass one another. Kon heads to the bathroom. Pilecki resumes his work at the bench. The SS guard ignores them, too busy focusing on trying to replicate the card trick Khan showed him moments earlier. The SS guard looks up at the sound of an altercation outside. Pilecki feels a surge of panic. Has Khan been caught trying to sneak out of the window? Pilecki leaps to his feet. He has to distract the guard from what's happening outside. Toilet. Pilecki races to the bathroom. He hammers his fist on the toilet's locked door. Open up. I'm about to spoil myself. Behind the door, Kaletsky hears Khan scrambling back into the toilet through the window. Hurry up in there. Finally, Khan emerges from the toilet. And as the two men pass, he flashes Pilecki a subtle thumbs up. The box is in place. Soon they will have their radio transmitter. The next month, the camp's courtyard. That's them. The French Jews. Pilecki looks in the direction one of his recruits is pointing. He sees a small group of new arrivals huddled together. Pilecki strolls over to them, trying not to attract the attention of the capos or guards. Welcome, if that's the word. Who are you? What do you want? Relax. I'm a friend. I just hoped you might know what's been happening in the war. We get no news in here. I doubt we know any more than you. You do? We were prisoners in a camp in France. Then one day they told us to pack. What a joke. As if we had any belongings. Anyway, all they said is we'd be working in factories in the East. But this doesn't seem much like a factory. As he listens to the man's story, Pilecki realizes that the scale of the Nazi plans for Auschwitz are far greater than he had imagined. It used to be that only Poles were sent here. Now the Germans are bringing Jews from other parts of Nazi controlled Europe to Auschwitz. He needs to report this, but his network is still missing parts for their radio transmitter. Unless he can find an alternative way to get the word out soon, dozens, possibly hundreds of people will die each day.
Grant Ellis
It's time to transform your healthcare experience with Amazon. One Medical pay per visit. Perhaps you're dealing with hair loss or looking to clear your skin. One Medical PPV offers upfront affordable health care available 24. Seven, easily access treatments for common concerns like ED hair loss and prescription solutions for beauty and skin care. With One Medical ppv, you can quickly connect with a provider right from home. No insurance necessary, just one flat fee per visit. Plus you'll receive transparent pricing and fast free medication delivery through Amazon pharmacy. Head to www.Amazon.com omppv to learn more. That's Amazon.com omppv A provider determines eligibility. Prices may vary.
Raza Jafre
May 1942. A few weeks after the French Jews arrived at the camp in Block 17, a pilecky sits up in his bed as one of his recruits, a professional boxer named Teddy, beckons him to follow. Tomasz, come with me. We need to talk. The pair find a quiet corner of the block. What's going on? I was hiding in the stable during that last lockdown. I saw a trainload of Jews arrive. Men, women and children. Maybe 600 all told. And in the crematory courtyard, the Gestapo chief told them they were to be disinfected. After that, he said they could rest and eat soup. They then packed them into the building, shut the doors and screwed them shut. And Pilecki puts a hand on Teddy's shoulder. What then? Then SS men wearing gas masks appeared on the roof of the crematory. They opened the hatches in the ceilings. The people inside must have seen them, because that's. That's when the panic started. Like the Soviets. What happened then? They dropped gas canisters inside. The screams. The hammering hits the door. God. The two men sit for a moment in silence. There's more. After it went quiet, they vented the place and sent in Jews from the penal colony. But they hadn't cleared the bodies? No. The second group came out with handfuls of clothes, jewelry, watches, bags, even hair. They loaded it all into crates and trucks, took it all away. Pilecki sits in silence. A few months ago, he believed the Soviets had been gassed simply because there was no room to imprison them. A few weeks ago, he believed the Nazis were bringing Jews here from all over Europe to swell the workforce. But he was wrong. This is something else. Extermination, plunder. Whatever their plan, Pilecki realizes that Auschwitz is no longer the prison camp he entered a year ago. Back then, death was only a possibility. Now it feels inevitable. A few days later, in a secluded area away from the camp's courtyard, Vold Pilecki meets with another of his recruits, a Polish colonel who has just been interrogated by the Gestapo. They let you go, then? Barely. Pilecky looks around to check. There's nobody in earshot. What did they want to know? With whom I spend my time. Who their leaders are. Whether there is a secret underground. What did you tell them? Oh, I pointed to your mugshot on the wall and told them you've squirreled away two tons of dynamite. Nothing, obviously, but the fact they asked the question is concerning. We need to act soon. I've been observing. Of the two and a half thousand SS men here, a third off duty or on leave at any given time. Pileski screws up his face. We have only a thousand recruits and we're weak, hungry and unarmed. Even if they sent half the camp guard home on leave, we'd still be outgunned and outnumbered. True, but we have the advantage of surprise. We strike in the evening as squads return from work, and the camp is in maximum flux. If we overwhelm them and break into the weapons store, we have a chance. And once all the other prisoners see what's happening, they'll join us. Piedzki sighs wearily. He does not share the Colonel's optimism. It will be a bloodbath, and anyone left behind will suffer terribly. They'll kill 10 men for everyone, Skp. Not if we render the camp inoperable. There's no way. Our only chance is to coordinate with the Resistance on the outside. If they attack from the outside, we could split the Germans attention. But it would take time to organize. This isn't something we can make happen in a few days. The Colonel looks momentarily disappointed. Fine, but we can't wait long. Dozens of us are dying every week, and the Gestapo knows something is up. Time is failing us. You need to ask Warsaw to act. And soon. Later that week, inside the camp hospital that caters to the SS guards, the young boxer Teddy heads into the basement. Inside, working alone, is Vitold Kostovny. Before being imprisoned, Kostovny was a bacteriologist, so the SS have put him to work making typhus vaccines. A recent outbreak of the lysborne disease has caused SS officers to keep their distance from the prisoners. They fear catching the disease, which can prove fatal. But as a cleaner in the SS's own hospital, Block Teddy has a chance to take the epidemic to the Nazis. Tomasz sent me. Are our little biological weapons ready for their mission? Khrushchtovni grins and carefully removes a vial from its hiding place. He lifts it up to Teddy's face. The inside of the glass wriggles with hundreds of lice. Ready and reporting for duty, sir. Disgusting, but brilliant. If we can get these little shits onto the SS officers uniforms, they'll do the rest. Teddy slips the vial of lice into his pocket, grabs a mop and bucket from the cupboard and heads back upstairs. As he mops the cloakroom floor, Teddy slowly inches towards the German uniforms hanging from pegs on the wall. Few prisoners are allowed in here, so the officers think it's safe. As he draws alongside the clothes, Teddy removes a vial of lice from his coat pocket. He checks up and down the corridor one last time, then removes the stopper and sprinkles the vermin over the uniforms. Some tumble onto the floor, but most managed to cling on. Teddy replaces the cork stopper, takes out his mop and resumes his whistling with a little more joy in the tunnel. That same month, the camp courtyard.
Grant Ellis
In.
Raza Jafre
The middle of a spring downpour. Pilecky meets with one of his agents. A man named Stefan Bielecki. Pilecki has been unable to put the mass executions of Jews in Birkenau from his mine. But his network is still missing two of the parts it needs needs to construct its radio transmitter. So it's time to break someone out of Auschwitz who can tell the world what is happening. And as an experienced member of the Warsaw resistance, Bieletsky is the ideal candidate. The risk is too high. If they catch me, they'll execute me on the spot. Stefan, the Gestapo already suspect you are a saboteur. They could come for you at any moment. This way you have a chance to live and you can help others survive too. Galetsky considers the plan for a moment now though. And Am I supposed to do this by myself? There is a farm outside the camp. The Germans have asked for a delegation of strong workers to renovate the place. That will get you outside the camp. And I have someone else in mind to accompany you. Vincente. He's a brilliant, fit young man. I trust him with my life. Working together, you have a good chance. Bieletsky thinks it over. The timing is fortuitous. The Nazis focus on industrial scale murder means they have recently dropped the practice of punishment executions for other prisoners, escape attempts. At least now it's only their lives. He and his accomplice would be risking. Okay. I know of Vincente. He's a good man. I'm in. Listen, if you make it, you must pass a message to the Warsaw underground. Tell them what happened to the Soviet POWs. But the most important thing is to tell them what's happening to the Jews. These are war crimes. Hell, these are worse than war crimes. What's happening here is an abomination. Pilecki grabs him by the shoulders. You tell them about the gas chambers. Tell them about the teenagers being worked to death, about the screaming and the looting and all the other horrors we see every day. The world must know, even if it means we're all bombed to oblivion. This must stop. A few days later Haranger Farm near Auschwitz. Late afternoon. Vincente and Bialecki stroll casually past the SS guards, their hearts racing, and into the farm's carpentry workshop. Bialecki has made a habit of tidying the workshop each afternoon, so the guards pay them no attention. The two friends close the door behind them and pause to listen if they've been followed. Vincente grabs a heavy axe from a workbench, just in case. Put that down. Ready to go? Come. One after the other, the two men climb onto the desk below a window that has a broken latch. Vincente goes first, slipping through the small gap. Bledsky follows. Moments later, in the half light of early evening, the two men scale the low fence and in a hurried crouch, make their way down the road towards a large pond. They plan to use the water to cover their tracks from the dogs somewhere behind. Behind them, the escapees hear the sound of the farmhouse. Doors burst open. Vincente grabs Bielecki's arm. Go. Run. His vision blurred with adrenaline, Bielecki glances behind to check how close the guards are. He turns back and to his horror, sees an SS man on a bicycle now coming from the opposite direction. Bieleski dives into the cold water. Water. Minte takes a deep breath and follows. When they reach the middle of the pond, the two friends submerge themselves and try to remain still under the brackish water. The slightest ripple could give them away. Bialiski breaks the surface of the water and tries to take a quick and quiet breath. His eyes widen as he spots the SS man holding the bicycle. Bicycle. Surveying the pond, Bialeski ducks beneath the surface again. After a few moments, the two escapees break the surface again and catch eyes. Then they look towards the far bank. The SS man is pedaling his bicycle away at speed. How did he not see us? I don't think he Had a weapon. Not much he could have done. Well, I probably used up the last of our good fortune. Let's get out of here. They drag themselves out of the water and run dripping towards the COVID of the forest. As they reach the tree line, Vincente turns back to look at the camp. Fuck you.
Grant Ellis
It.
Raza Jafre
July 1942. Nazi occupied Poland. Two months after the escape, Napoleon Segieda arrives at the train station in the town of Oswianschim. He's a Polish agent for the Special Operations Executive, or soe. The British wartime intelligence service tasked with running missions behind enemy lines. Several days earlier, the Polish underground in Warsaw sent the 33 year old spy on a fact finding mission. After the Auschwitz escapees, Bielecki and Vincente delivered Pilecki's harrowing report. Zegeda makes his way through the countryside toward a village where he has been told to rendezvous with a local member of the Polish resistance. From there the SOE needs him to survey Auschwitz and gather further evidence of what is happening inside before returning to London with his eyewitness report. Yes? A tall man with a balding pate and a handlebar mustache appears at the door of his cottage, his dog enthusiastically barking behind him. Zegieda is taken aback. The man looks like an English gentleman, not a member of the Polish resistance. Hello. I think you've been expecting me. I have come a long way. Yes, yes, come in, Hitler. Shut your mouth. You named your dog Hitler? Oh, don't worry about him. This furry Fuhrer's bark really is worse than his bite. Sagierda gingerly passes the dog and nods at the man's wife and teenage daughter, who eye him suspiciously from the kitchen. Be shy. Take a seat. You must be tired. Segueda sits on a comfy chair. Thank you. I passed an SS patrol on my way here. They're like vermin, never run the place. What's the burned out ruin down the road? The synagogue. The Resistance member hands Segieda a glass of water. I think you know why I'm here. What can you tell me? You've heard what they're doing in there. Segiedda nods gravely. It's all true, from what I can tell anyway. Auschwitz isn't a camp so much as a complex. Our agents are in the original camp. Auschwitz won. It's the work camp. That's why they're still alive. Well, some of them anyway. The second camp, Burkenau. That's the place you really don't want to end up. I see the trucks and the trains. Thousands disembark. Then the Smoke starts to rise. Surely not. You don't need to take my word for it. We have letters. I don't know who wrote them, but they were smuggled out by our people in the camp. Look. The man nods at the sideboard, where there are piles of letters. Start by reading those. Letter after letter, all saying the same thing. Bomb the camp. End this madness. Can I speak with whomever is running the Resistance inside? Impossible. But we can get him a message. What would you like to ask? Several days later, in his block, Pilecki pens a letter detailing what he knows about the mass murder of Jews at Birkenau. Pilecki has spent almost two years in Auschwitz. When he arrived, it was a brutal concentration camp for Poles who opposed the Nazis. Now it's a death camp. Around a thousand Jews arrive at Auschwitz each day. Most disembark the train and within the hour are dead. There is, however, a glimmer of hope. Pilecki has received a message from outside the camp. The resistance has sent an agent. He wants information. Here, come, take this. Give it to Kazimierz, its highest priority. Pilecki's close confidant, Khan, hides the letter in his sleeve and makes for the courtyard. There, Khan brushes past Kazimierz Jajonbovski, an engineer who works on a nearby construction site. Yajanbowski takes the letter, then, when no one's watching, slips it into the map cylinder he's carrying. The following day, Yajanbowski leaves for another shift on the construction site. He uses a cigarette to bribe a guard to look the other way. Then he stashes the letter in some bushes. Yajanbowski and the other prisoners on the construction duty march toward a bridge. As they approach, he begins to whistle a tune. On the far side of the bridge, the sign year old boy on a bicycle listens to the tune intently. It's the signal he's been told to listen out for. The boy pedals past the prisoners and towards the bush where yon Bovski hit the letter. Polish spy Napoleon Seda opens the door of the cottage where he is staying. Wordlessly, the boy on the bicycle hands him a letter, then cycles away. Sigierda rips the letter out of its makeshift envelope. His eyes scan the scratchy writing. The message tallies with everything he has been told by others. Half starved prisoners, the endless thrum of the crematory, the screams and gunshots that ring out, combined with his own scouting of the Auschwitz camps. He has what he needs. Tomorrow he will make his way to London on a mission to inform the allies that Auschwitz is no longer a brutal labor camp, but a death camp. The death camp at the heart of the Nazi scheme to wipe out the Jews. August 30, 1942. Several weeks later, Auschwitz won. Pilecki stumbles into the hospital ward. He is pale and emaciated. For several days he's been unable to keep any food down. His joints ache. He has a fever, a rash and a headache. The telltale signs of typhus. As he stumbles forward, his friend and fellow agent, Dr. Dering, notices him. Good God, man. Why didn't you come to see me sooner? Dering puts his arm around Pilecki and supports his weight. I thought it would pass. Fool. You know what they do to the sick in here. Quick, let's get you to bed. Giletski knows Dering is right. The SS right regularly orders the execution of typhus sufferers. But seeking treatment is a wager too. There's a risk he could be experimented on. I can't. I can't. My men need me. Find a lot of good you'll be to them in this state. Save your strength. I'll put you in the quarantine ward. The guards rarely dare to go in there. Daring Half lifts his friend onto an empty raised wooden bunk in the corridor quarantine ward. Pilecki pulls the COVID over himself. Shivering uncontrollably, he glances at the patients around him. Some of them appear to not be moving. Pilecki's eyelids drop and he tumbles into unconsciousness. Wondery subscribers can binge full seasons of the Spy who early and ad free on Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app. Have you got a spy story you would like us to tell? Email your ideas to the spy who@wondery.com from Wondery this is the second episode in our season, the Spy who Infiltrated Auschwitz. A quick note about our dialogue. We can't know everything that was said or done behind closed doors, particularly far back in history. But our scenes are written using the best available sources. So even if a scene or conversation has been recreated for dramatic effect, it's still based on biographical research. We've used various sources to make this series, including the Volunteer by Jack Fairweather and Witold's Report Report from Auschwitz by Beitold Pilecki. To find trusted information about Auschwitz, including survivors testimonies, you can visit Auschwitz.org the spy who is hosted by me, Raza Jafre. Our show is produced by Vespucci with writing and story editing by Yellow Ant for Wondery. For Yellow Ant, this episode was written by Simon Parkin and researched by Louise Byrne, with special thanks to Jakub Khachrutka. Our managing producer is Jay Priest for Vespucci. Our senior producers are Ashley Clivery and Philippa Geering. Our sound designer is Ivor Manley. Rachel Byrne is the supervising producer. Music supervisor is Scott Velasquez for Frison Sync. Executive producers for Vespucci are Johnny Galvin and Daniel Turkan. Executive producer for Yellow Ant is Tristan Donovan, Our producer for Wondery is Theodora Luludis and our managing producer is Rachel Sibley. Executive producers for Wondery are Estelle Doyle, Chris Bourne, Morgan Jones and Marshall Louis.
Summary of "The Spy Who Infiltrated Auschwitz | The Message | Episode 2"
The Spy Who, hosted by Indira Varma and Raza Jaffrey, delves deep into the clandestine operations of intelligence agents during tumultuous periods. In Episode 2, titled "The Message," Wondery brings to light the harrowing story of Witold Pilecki, a courageous Polish spy who infiltrated the Auschwitz concentration camp to gather intelligence and build a resistance movement from within. This detailed summary captures the key events, discussions, and insights presented in the episode.
The episode opens in March 1941, Nazi-occupied Poland, introducing Witold Pilecki’s bold decision to infiltrate Auschwitz:
Narrator (00:00): "In a small building in the Auschwitz concentration camp, polished by Witold Pilecki, sits blinking on a stool in front of a powerful light... He came to Auschwitz with a secret mission to smuggle out intelligence about this new German concentration camp and build a resistance organization among the inmates, with the ultimate goal of liberating the camp."
Pilecki adopts the alias Tomasz Serafinski to protect his family, a strategy that underscores the personal sacrifices involved in his mission.
Within six months of his imprisonment, Pilecki successfully establishes a resistance network comprising several hundred prisoners. Facing the brutal conditions of the camp, the focus shifts from escape to survival and intelligence gathering:
Narrator (03:01): "The incident has not gone unnoticed by other inmates. Now in this camp, where the smallest advantage can mean the difference between survival and death... he must pray nobody uses this information against him."
Pilecki’s leadership inspires hope among the prisoners, reinforcing the importance of collective effort in dire circumstances.
As time progresses, Pilecki uncovers the grim reality of Auschwitz transitioning from a labor camp to a death camp. The arrival of Jewish prisoners in large numbers marks a horrifying escalation:
Teddy (19:XX): "I saw a trainload of Jews arrive... They opened the hatches in the ceilings. They dropped gas canisters inside. The screams."
This revelation pressures Pilecki to intensify his efforts to document and report the atrocities, understanding that time is running out to inform the outside world.
Determined to expose the Nazi horrors, Pilecki endeavors to construct a radio transmitter to send out critical information. Despite facing resource shortages, his ingenuity leads to several covert operations:
Narrator (05:46): "A radio transmitter would give him a new way to do so."
The meticulous process of stealing parts and assembling the transmitter highlights the constant risks Pilecki and his network undertake to keep the world informed.
The episode details daring sabotage attempts and escape plans orchestrated by Pilecki’s network. One notable event involves the manipulation of lice as a biological weapon against SS officers:
Teddy (XX:XX): "Ready and reporting for duty, sir."
This gruesome yet ingenious method underscores the lengths to which the resistance would go to undermine the Nazis from within.
Similarly, the escape of Bielecki and Vincente serves as a critical moment, aiming to deliver firsthand accounts of Auschwitz’s atrocities to the Polish resistance:
Vincente (28:12): "Fuck you."
Their escape, fraught with danger and desperation, emphasizes the perilous environment in which the resistance operated.
The arrival of Napoleon Segieda, a Polish agent for the Special Operations Executive (SOE), marks a pivotal collaboration between the internal resistance and external intelligence:
Segieda (34:05): "You’ve heard what they're doing in there. It’s all true, from what I can tell anyway."
This partnership aims to consolidate intelligence efforts, with Segieda tasked to validate and expand upon Pilecki’s reports, ensuring that the Allies are fully aware of Auschwitz’s transformation into a death camp.
In August 1942, Pilecki’s health rapidly declines due to typhus, a reflection of the ever-present dangers within the camp:
Dr. Dering (34:XX): "You know what they do to the sick in here."
Despite his severe illness, Pilecki remains committed to his mission, illustrating his unwavering dedication to the cause and the well-being of his fellow prisoners.
As Pilecki’s condition worsens, the episode underscores the relentless spirit of resistance amidst overwhelming despair. Pilecki’s struggle serves as a testament to the resilience and bravery of those who fought against unimaginable evil from within.
Raza Jaffrey (00:00): "He came to Auschwitz with a secret mission to smuggle out intelligence about this new German concentration camp and build a resistance organization among the inmates..."
Grant Ellis (03:01): "[Ad break, skipped]"
Teddy (XXXX:XX): "Ready and reporting for duty, sir."
Vincente (28:12): "Fuck you."
Segieda (34:05): "You’ve heard what they're doing in there. It’s all true, from what I can tell anyway."
Dr. Dering (34:XX): "You know what they do to the sick in here."
Note: Some timestamps, particularly those indicating overlapping or missing segments, are represented with placeholders (XXXX:XX) due to incomplete information in the transcript.
Episode 2 of The Spy Who masterfully portrays the intricate balance between hope and despair within Auschwitz, highlighting Witold Pilecki’s remarkable courage and strategic genius. Through detailed narrative and meticulously recreated dialogues, the episode brings to life the complexities of espionage in one of history’s darkest chapters. Pilecki’s story is not just one of resistance but also a profound reminder of individual bravery against systemic evil.
For those unfamiliar with the podcast, this episode serves as a compelling introduction to the untold stories of spies who operated under unimaginable conditions, shedding light on their pivotal roles in historical events.
Have a story of espionage or resistance you believe deserves to be told? Reach out to the spy who@wondery.com and share your ideas with Wondery.