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- [00:00]
Raza Jaffrey
Wondery plus 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 includes descriptions of violence, antisemitism, torture and discrimination. September 1940 Warsaw, Nazi occupied Poland Witold Pilecki sits at a desk in a sparsely decorated apartment. Dawn is breaking and outside the birds are beginning to sing. In his hands are identity papers bearing the name Tomasz Serafinsky. Pilecki almost smiles as he mouths the unfamiliar alias, trying to get used to what will become his new identity. Pilecki is 39 years old, with high cheekbones and piercing pale blue eyes. He carries himself with an upright posture and a serious, thoughtful military reserve. He hears trucks pulling up outside the apartment block. His sister in law, Eleonora, enters the room with a grim but determined expression on her face. They're coming. Eleonora looks in control, but the tremble of the cigarette in her hand betrays her nervousness. Pilecki pockets the identity documents and follows her into the kitchen, where her young son Marek is playing with a teddy bear. The apartment block's caretaker bursts through the unlocked door, breathless, in panic. Mr. Petky, the Germans are here. They're rounding up all the young men. You can escape through the basement. There's a back door. I know. Thank you. Petky nods at the caretaker but doesn't move to escape. The caretaker looks confused, then races off down the hall to warn others. Pilecki and Eleonora exchange a glance as the sound of advancing soldiers echoes up the central stairwell. Marek drops his teddy bear and begins to cry in fear. Pilecki bends down, picks up the bear, hands it back and gently strokes the boy's hair. Don't worry, little one. It'll be all right. A German soldier storms through the door with his rifle raised. Up. Up. An officer from the Nazi party's paramilitary wing. The SS follows the soldier through the doorway. Holding a clipboard. He marches straight up to Beletsky. Name? Serafinsky. Tomasz Serafinsky. Beletsky and Eleonora share a glance as the SS officer scribbles down the name, then signals at the soldier. Take him away.
- [03:17]
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- [04:22]
Raza Jaffrey
From Wondery I'm Raza Jaffrey and this is the spy who Beneath the veneer of the everyday lurks the realm of the spy. It's a dark, dangerous world full of shadowy corners, sinister motives and corrupted morals. A place of paranoia and infiltration, sabotage and manipulation. Eighty years ago, on January 27, 1945, Soviet soldiers liberated the prisoners at Auschwitz Birkenau. Initially created as a labor camp for Polish political prisoners, Auschwitz would evolve into the largest of the Nazi death camps. Of the 1.3 million people sent there, 1.1 million were killed, 90% of them Jews. The Nazis spent the war trying to hide Auschwitz's existence from the world. But unknown to those running the camp, there was a spy among the prisoners in their secret slaughterhouse. His name was Witold Pilecki and he volunteered to go into Auschwitz to expose the truth. What you're about to hear are dramatized reconstructions based on Pilecki's own accounts and what is now known about the death camp. This is the spy who infiltrated Auschwitz. Episode 1 the Volunteer August 26, 1939 the eve of World War II 13 months before Poletsky's arrest. A manor house near the village of Krupa, eastern Poland. Pilecki stands in his stable in full Polish cavalry uniform and finishes brushing down his favorite horse, Baika. He lifts down his cavalry saber from its hook on the wall and solemnly attaches it to his saber belt around his waist. The responsibility towards the troops he commands now weighs heavy upon him. He turns and sees his seven year old daughter Zofje peeking shyly through the stable door. He smiles at her. Don't worry, Vaika is the bravest horse in the world. She'll keep me safe from the Germans. Zofia smiles back at her father, then runs off. Pilecki heaves himself into the saddle and walks the horse out into the bustling courtyard. Frantic military preparations are underway, soldiers cleaning their rifles and loading supplies onto Wagons. Hundreds of thousands of German troops are massing on the border. And everyone knows, knows war is coming. And as a cavalry officer in the Polish army, Pilecki is about to lead his unit into battle. As he maneuvers biker across the courtyard of his ancestral manor house, the 90 men in his company snap to attention. Dominus Forbisco Valetsky brings his horse to a halt in front of a Catholic priest who sprinkles him with holy water before moving off to do the same with the rest of the soldiers. Pilecki sees his wife Maria, standing in the crowd that's gathered to see off the troops. By her side are Zofia and their son Anze, both children dressed in their Sunday best. He gives Zofia a smile, nods seriously at Anzej, then turns to his men. There's a mixture of fear and exhilaration in his troops eyes. They are about to face Europe's most advanced and powerful military. He needs to instill in them a sense of courage and patriotic fervor. Poland only regained independence 20 years ago, but if they can hold out long enough for their allies, Britain and France, to join the fight, their nation may still survive. Pilecki draws his sabre and raises it above his head. Men, today we march to defend our Poland, our fatherland. We will drive out these German dogs, then the Soviets and anyone else who threatens our nation now march for our freedom and yours. One month later near Lubatof, eastern Poland, Poletsky stands in a forest clearing with what is left of his company. The tanks and machine guns of the German war machine tore through the Polish forces. Of the 90 men who set out with him, only about a dozen are left. And they are hungry, exhausted and terrified. Pilecki's horse, Baika, was shot out from under him. On the first day of battle, Pilecki approaches the edge of the large pit his troops have been digging. Men, gather round. The soldiers put down their shovels and form a small semicircle. This is a sad day for Poland. Germany has occupied us from the west and the Soviets have taken the east once more. Our people live under oppression, but you all fought bravely and with honor. I know you gave the last ounce of your strength. And remember, our country has been invaded before and it has always managed to rise again. The men are too exhausted to cheer, but he does see a few nods of defiance. But now is the time for you to go home and take care of your families. We will wrap our weapons and bury them here. But I promise you all, there will be a time when we will use them again, one by one. The defeated soldiers toss their rifles down into the hole and begin to drift away. As they do, Pilecki is approached by his superior officer, Major Jan Wodakievich. Will you also head home, Lieutenant Pilecki? Pilecki pauses, his eyes downcast, before answering. I swore to defend Poland. We may have lost this battle, but I'll keep my oath. Good man. The resistance will be gathering in Warsaw. We should head there. There are plenty left who can continue the fight from within. Pilecki nods, his eyes scanning the forest. Did you see in the villages around here? They're rounding up the Jews. Those who are left could fight with us. Voldakevich spits on the ground. This isn't about the Jews. It's about Poland. Let the Germans round them up. What we need is a Christian army of true patriotic Poles. Vodakiewicz tosses Pilecki a bundle of civilian clothes. Here we have to lose our uniforms. The Germans will be watching the road to Warsaw. Pilecki nods and starts stripping off his uniform, sure of only one thing. That he will do whatever it takes to defend Poland from its invaders. Eleven months later September 1940. Nazi occupied Warsaw. Pilecki moves through the ruined streets of the Polish capital. He keeps his head down, trying not to attract attention. Signs of war and occupation are everywhere. Bombed out buildings, military checkpoints, shops with signs in German saying no Poles or Jews. Pilecki reaches an apartment building and ducks inside. He walks up several flights of stairs and stops in front of a door. He checks no one's around, makes the secret knock that lets the resistance members inside know it's him. The door swings open and Major Wodakiewicz ushers Pilecki through to an inner room. Cigarette smoke hangs heavy in the air. Three other men sit at a table. This is a meeting of the Inner Council of Tyna Amia Polska, the secret resistance army that Pilecki and WI Co founded. On reaching Warsaw, Wich takes Pilecki's shoulder. Witold, the Germans have made another round of arrests. They got Dr. Dering and about 40 others. Pilecki grimaces at the news. He served alongside Dr. Dering early in his military career. Vodakiewicz continues. They're hitting us hard. Every able bodied man is a suspect. So I have decided to take your advice and combine our forces with the Union of Armed Struggle. Every resistance group needs to cooperate now. Pilecki is surprised. He spent months urging Wodakiewicz to merge their group into the larger Polish underground movement. But Wodakiewicz seemed wedded to his vision for a nationalist Christian army and uneasy about the wider movement's willingness to work with Jews. I'm glad you came round to this. It's the right decision, sir. I'm glad you approve. Because as part of this, a great honor has befallen you. A new mission. Come. Sit. Leads Pilecki to the table where they both pull up chairs before he continues. You've heard of the prison camp that the Germans have set up at Oshvianchim? The one they call Auschwitz? Only vaguely. We've learned that that's where the Germans are sending all our people. It's where they took Dr. Dering. But this camp, we know nothing about it. People go in and never come out. Not even in coffins. We need someone to infiltrate the camp to tell us what's happening in there and organize resistance from within. I recommended you as the only officer capable of carrying this off. Pilecki narrows his eyes. He gets the logic of this mission, but wonders if Wich's recommendation is punishment for pushing for a merger with the rest of the resistance. Pilecki folds his arms thoughtfully. How am I supposed to get into this prison camp? By getting yourself arrested. We have a source who can tell us when and where the Germans next roundup will come. You want me to get myself arrested? Vodakiewicz leans forward. This camp is the locus of the German occupation, but we are completely in the dark. This is the most important mission we have right now. It's an honor. Of course it's risky. If the Germans suspect you are with the resistance, you will be shot immediately. We will have to get you a new identity. Look, Vitold, I can't command you to do this. It's something you have to volunteer to do for your country. But I understand if you need a day to think. Pilecki nods. He will take the opportunity to think it over. But in his heart he feels the decision is already made. After the defeat of the Polish army, instead of going home to his family, he went to Warsaw to join the resistance. And after pressing for a merger of the resistance armies, how can he refuse the first order he gets from the combined force? Three weeks later Eleonora's sparse apartment in Warsaw. Pilecki sits across the kitchen table from his sister in law and fellow resistance member Eleonora. The room is lit only by a dimmed lamp and the atmosphere is tense. Pilecki holds the identity papers of his new alias in his hands. Is that your new identity for tomorrow? Yes. Domash. Serafinsky. I found his papers in a safe house. I wonder who he was. Eleonora leans across the table and grasps Pilecki's hand. Well, now he's you be told. I need to know. What have you told Maria about your mission? Petsky almost winces at the sound of his wife's name. I've told her nothing. Only that I've been chosen for an important mission. Good. That ignorance might just save her. And your children if you're caught. As long as the Germans believe your Thomas, they should be safe. Now, once more, what do you do once you make it to the camp? If I make it. Eleonora glances away. They both know the Germans shoot those they suspect of being part of Polish resistance. There is a chance that Pilecki won't even survive long enough to reach Auschwitz. Eleonora takes a deep breath and refocuses. When you reach the camp, what do you do? I find Dr. Dering. Then together we organize a resistance within the camp. The priority is to get information about the camp back to the movement. After that, I organize the prisoners to stage an uprising and break out. Good. We know some prisoners send letters out. Censored, of course. But if you want to make contact, you can write to me here. If the Germans ask, tell them I'm a friend. Pilecki nods as Eleonora takes hold of his shoulder. Witold, we may not have time to say goodbye in the morning. These raids are fast. I want you to know that what you are doing is very brave. You will be a hero of Free Poland. Now go get some sleep. It might be a while before you get a comfortable bed to sleep in again. I'll keep watch. The next morning, just after dawn. Up. Up. Beletsky stands slowly with his hands raised as the SS officer with a clipboard walks into the apartment. Name? Seraphinsky. Tomasz Seraphinsky. Take him away. Pilecki steps forward to follow the soldier out of the apartment, but as he passes Eleonora, he leans over and whispers into her ear. Report back that the order is done.
- [20:30]
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- [20:51]
Raza Jaffrey
21, 1940 Two days after Pilecki's arrest, Pilecki stands in a packed boxcar train garage. He's surrounded by other prisoners, crammed together and shivering with cold as the train rattles through the Polish night. The train halts Valetsky and the other prisoners. Prisoners look at each other, then the boxcar's huge wooden doors Slide open. Go. The prisoners surge forward, tumbling out and spilling onto the steep sideways. Pilecki jumps down, but stumbles on the wet gravel. A truncheon whistles by his head. He scrambles onto his feet. The glare of floodlights stings his eyes. Rain pelts his face. All around him, prisoners are being beaten into lines by German guards, lines that are being funneled towards the floodlights up ahead. The guard roughly pulls a prisoner out of the line. You run towards that fence post. The guard points towards a fence post perhaps 20 meters away. The prisoner looks confused. What are you waiting for? Run to the post, little Pole. The guard gives the prisoner a rough shove with the butt of his rifle. The prisoner gives one last terrified look down the line, then begins to run. Then he gets about halfway to defense. The German guards raise their weapons. The prisoner is cut down in a hail of gunfire. The procession of prisoners stops. The soldiers pull 10 prisoners at random from the line. The guard who told the man to run, gestures to the bleeding body that now lies face down in the mud. You see that man? You see how he tried to escape? Well, this is what happens when anyone tries to escape. Soldiers shoot the 10 prisoners pulled from the line, point blank in the head. The bodies slump at their feet. This is your first lesson. If anyone tries to escape, 10 will be shot. You are now prisoners in our shadow. It you will obey every order or you will be shot. If you disobey, if you deviate, if you commit any infraction, you will be shot. Now move. Fety begins moving with the rest of the line, still numb with shock at what he's just witnessed. Then the guard shouts out again, what are you all doing? This isn't our rubbish. It's your rubbish. You carry it. The guard kicks one of the bodies of the executed. The nearest prisoners, shaking in terror, bend down and lift the corpses of the men who were just standing next to them just seconds ago. Then the line resumes its march. Shuffling forward, Palette approaches a huge, huge set of metal gates illuminated in the floodlights. He sees the words Arbeit Macht Fry wrought in the ironwork. Pilecki translates the German in his head. Work sets you free. He feels a surge of dread closing in as he passes beneath the sign and enters the prison camp he volunteered to infiltrate the following morning. Pilecki stands lined up with the several thousand prisoners in Auschwitz's main courtyard for a role corps. Yeah. The camp consists of barracks like buildings surrounded by tall fences. In the watchtowers there are German guards with machine guns. As he looks at the other Prisoners. It's easy to differentiate the new arrivals from those who have been here for weeks. The older prisoners are rail thin, with a distant, terrified look in their eyes. Each prisoner now wears a blue and white striped prison uniform and has had their head and body hair shaved. Before the assembled prisoners lies a pile of dead bodies, the bodies of those who didn't make it through the night, stacked like carcasses in a butcher's shop. 4856. Here. Pilecki reminds himself of his own number, 4859, preparing himself to shout out the required response. Overnight, he has seen a little of how the camp operates. It's ruled by the German ss, who parade around with clean uniforms and rifles. But most of the discipline is meted out by capos, specially selected inmates who are armed with truncheons. These capos seem so terrified of the SS that they savagely beat other prisoners in order to be treated slightly better themselves. It's a ploy that sows division and turns one prisoner against another. 4857. Here. Each prisoner has a triangle stitched into their uniform that identifies why they're in Auschwitz. Pilecki, like many of the other Poles, wears a red triangle, the symbol for a political subversive. Criminals get a green triangle. Gypsies and others deemed asocial wear black. Jehovah's Witnesses get purple and homosexuals pink. He has been told that Jews wear a yellow star of David. But despite there being Jews on the train the previous night, none of them seem to be here now. 4000, 858. Here. Pilecki steels himself as his number approaches, fixing his eyes straight ahead. Four, eight, five, nine. Here. The guard moves down the line. But Pilecki has already realized something important. The numbers given to each prisoner are based on the order they arrived. And if he's prisoner 4,000, 859, that means around 5,000 people have been sent to Auschwitz since it opened four months ago. But it's also clear that the Germans are planning for many more, as large parts of the camp are still under construction. The guard finishes the roll call and a senior SS officer steps forward to address the prisoners. Pilecki notices. The older inmates, fix their eyes to the ground at his approach. Your Poland is dead forever. Now you will pay for your crimes through work. Let me be clear. You will not survive here long. Look over there. You see that chimney? The officer points at a large industrial chimney rising from a low brick building spewing black smoke. That building is the crematory. 3,000 degrees of heat. That chimney is your only way to freedom. With that, the officer gives a nod and several capos spring forward and seize a prisoner, seemingly at random, from down the line. The other prisoners stay in line as the capos savagely pummel their victim with their clubs. The man curls up to protect himself. The capos keep raining down blows until he falls still. Petsky boils with anger. His instinct is to break ranks, rush to protect the man. But he already knows enough about this place to know that would only make him the next victim. So he fixes his eyes on the ground and wonders how he will stay alive, let alone how he might organize the broken, terrified, starved souls around him into every any sort of resistance. But if he's going to do it, the first thing he needs to do is to find his friend, Dr. Dering. Two days later, Pety gags as he makes his way through the camp's hospital block. All around him are rooms full of sick and withered prisoners packed together like sardines. The stench of urine, vomit and excrement is overpowering. For two days he's been frantically searching for Dr. Dering. His latest hunch is that as a physician, Dering may have been assigned to medical duties. So, at the risk of being shot for trying to avoid work, Petky faked a limp to get himself admitted to the hospital. He checks room after room with no luck. Then, finally, there he spots Dering across a crowded room. He is only just recognizable as the confident, energetic doctor that Pilecki knew in Warsaw. He now looks thin, pasty and haunted, with an air of desperate anxiety. Their eyes meet and Dering's face slowly registers recognition. Pilecki jerks his head to indicate that they need to talk privately. Dering nods and walks out of the room. Pilecki follows. They head down a hallway and into an empty office. Dering motions for Pilecki to sit and bends over him as if performing a medical examination. What are you doing here? Did you get arrested? Yes, but on purpose. I volunteered to be arrested. The Resistance sent me here to uncover what's going on in this camp. Dering steps back in horror. You volunteered for this? Are you insane? I was meant to report back to Warsaw, then organize resistance from inside. We thought this was just a prison camp, but it sits, is how. Dering shakes his head in disbelief. You shouldn't have come here. No one survives on my first day. They told us straight. You will not survive more than six weeks. We've calculated the rations so that you'll starve to death within that time. I'm only alive because I got assigned to medical duty. But look at me. Dering motions to his battered rake thin body before continuing. The guards are murderous. They'll shoot you for nothing. The capos will beat you to steal a crust of bread. The real killer here is hunger. Get yourself on a work group that involves as little physical labor as possible. That way you might last a little longer. And whatever happens, you must not get assigned to the penal company. That's where they send the Jews and the priests. People don't last more than a few days there. At that moment, an SS guard walks down the hall with a rifle nestled in his arms. Dering immediately bends down over Pilecki. Say ah. Ah. The guard glances in, then walks on down the corridor. The second he's gone, Pilecki restarts their hushed conversation. Why is there even a hospital here? They seem to want us all dead. This place wouldn't be much of a slave labor camp if the slaves all die too quickly. They need this hospital to keep disease contained and so basic medical care can be used as an incentive for the Kappos. Is there any chance of resistance here? Can we escape? Davil? The fences are high, and for anyone who escapes or even tries to, they shoot 10 more. Then we forget escape attempts for now. The consequences for those left behind are too awful. Can we resist in some other way? Resistance? I don't know. There are some capable prisoners, but most get broken very quickly. Pilecki feels desperate. He can't bring himself to accept the hopelessness of his situation. We have to try. At the very least, we have to get word out. We have to let Warsaw know what is happening here so they can tell the world. Dering stops in his tracks. The idea catching something within him. Yes, maybe that could work. If we are going to die, at the very least we can tell the world what is happening here. If that's even possible. We'll need to form cells. No more than five people per cell, so that if one is exposed, they can't inform on the others. For now, our priority should be simply to find ways to keep each other alive. Even if it's just finding a little more food for those most in need. Then we can think about getting information out. Agreed. I could form a cell within the hospital. We could give our network priority treatment and steal medical supplies. We could also admit people so they can rest. Pilecki looks up at Dering, and for the first time since the shock of arriving at the camp, he feels a flicker of hope. If he can hold onto one thing thing, it is his mission. If he can build a resistance and get a message to the underground in Warsaw, maybe they can even attack AITZ and free them from this hell. Ten days later, Pety heaves a wheelbarrow full of gravel along a narrow wooden track. The track is slick with rain and Pilecki's muscles strain with the effort of not letting the overloaded cart tip over. This is his second day on the Penal company and Bering's warning is hitting home. The Penal Company is where those the Nazis hate most, mainly Jews and Catholic priests, are sent to be worked to death. And Pilecki's been added to its number as a punishment for refusing to obey a capo's order to beat other prisoners. The work is relentless and back breaking and on starvation rations. The prisoners are weak, but those who pause for rest are savagely beaten. Those who drop their cargo are shot. The company has been put to work constructing a second oven at the crematorium as prisoners are dying faster than their bodies can be burned. But Letsky has already seen several of his fellow workers simply drop. Now he feels his own muscles weakening as he desperately tries to cling on and push his wheelbarrow up the track. The next morning, Pesky Strike struggles to stay on his feet during roll call. His body feels shattered and he shudders at the thought of another day in the penal company. The unemotional, almost numb thought enters his mind. He will probably die today. He is too exhausted to even react to this realization. 4859. Pilecki starts back to reality as his number is called. But just as his work group is about to move off, a capo comes running towards them. Pilecki instinctively cringes, expecting a beating. But the capo simply grabs his arm. You. Are you a stove fitter? A stove fitter is needed. Pilecki doesn't even think before answering. Yes, yes, I'm a stove fitter. Then come with me now. Pilecki has no idea how to fit a stove, and if this lie is discovered, he will be shot. But he also knows that if he goes back to working the gravel pits, he will die. He just needs to fool this capo long enough to find a way to maneuver himself onto another work group before his con is uncovered. A few weeks later, Pilecki plunges a shovel into the soil, then heaves it up. His new work group is laboring in the personal gardens of Rudolf Purse, the commandant of Auschwitz, whose large residence lies just over the wall from the camp. Pilecki toils in the lashing rain, soaked to the bone and constantly whipped by the Freezing wind. But anything is better than being on the penal company. Pilecki got onto this workgroup by pleading with its foreman, a prisoner called Michal Romanovic. The two hadn't talked before, but Romanovic took Pilecki on without asking why he needed to leave stove fitting duty. It was a big risk for Romanovic. It any implication that he was helping other prisoners evade work could lead to severe punishment. But Pilecki's convinced that decision saved his life, for otherwise he's sure he would have been shot or beaten to death for claiming he knew how to fit stoves. Over the past few days of work, Pilecki and Romanovic have formed a furtive friendship, snatching moments of conversation when the capos on. Looking now as the two work side by side, Pilecki decides this is the moment to try and recruit Michal into his network. Miho, when I asked to join this work group, why did you take the risk? Romanovich thinks, then shrugs. This place destroys people. So many people here are just broken. But I could see that you weren't one of the broken ones. At least not yet. And when someone asked for a favor in this place, it's almost certainly a matter of life and death. Valetsky pauses to check if they are being watched. Listen, I'm going to tell you something that could get me shot. But I'm going to trust you. I've been sent here by the underground. In war, swords try and form some kind of resistance here. Will you join us? Romanovich maintains an expressionless cool, then plunges his shovel into the soil to look as if he's still working. You came here by choice. I got myself arrested to get inside. We thought it was just a prison camp. Will you help? What you're doing could get you get us both killed. We face death every day here anyway. True. But how can you build a resistance here? In this place, people will sell their brother for a crust of bread. Will you agree to put me on this work group? You've saved my life, even though you had nothing to gain from it. That's how we find people. We look for small acts of altruism. If we see someone helping another for no gain, they're not yet broken. Maybe they can be trusted. For now, maybe all resistance means is reminding people they are still human. Both men fall silent and work their shovels hard as a capo walks by the moment he's out of earshot. Romanovic pauses shoveling and gives Beletsky a concerned look. We won't be able to help everyone. You know the Jews in the penal Company will never get to them. I know. Nor can we help those who've lost all hope. All those who collaborate and become capos. They'll burn in hell. But by organizing with others like us, we can increase the chances of survival. What we must also do is let the underground in Warsaw know what's happening here. We must find a way to get a message out. Romanovich leans in closer to Poletsky. There's a man being released next week. He could carry a message for us. Almost reels in shock. Released? I thought the only way out was through the crematorium chimney. Some wealthy families are able to bribe the right people. I wish mine had the money. The prisoner's name is Alexander. I think we can trust him. Mihal, you have to get me to this man. If he can get a message to Warsaw, the resistance will help us. Beleski keeps gripping his shovel as if he's working. But inside he's alive with newfound hope. He has to seize this fleeting chance to alert the Warsaw underground to what's happening in Auschwitz. But if he misses this opportunity, or Micha's trust in Alexander is misplaced. This could be their final act. Three weeks later October 28, 1940. In the courtyard of Aitz, Peti stands in the rain, lined up with the rest of the prisoners. They shiver with cold as the morning roll call drags on. 3,000, 957. Here. Three nine, six, two, three, nine, six, two. Three, nine, six, two. There's a ripple of unease among the prisoners. If one of them is missing, it will bring the risk of brutal reprisals. Pilecki watches as the SS officer overseeing RollCorp gives an order to another soldier, who runs off. Moments later, the camp siren sounds to warn of a potential escape. The SS officer turns to the prisoners standing before him. One of you is missing. Roll call only ends when they are found. Until then, you will remain at attention. Pilecki steals a glance down the ranks. The prisoners are soaked from the rain and weak with hunger. Many are already struggling to stay upright. As they stand to attention, German guards hunt the perimeter fence with dogs, and Polish capos scurry from building to building, searching every corner. An hour passes. Then another. Letsky feels the cold seeping into his bones. A prisoner drops to the floor. The cold is starting to kill. Pilecki frantically tenses and untenses his muscles, over and over, desperately trying to maintain his body temperature. Another prisoner falls, then several more. Looking down the line, Pilecki sees his recruit, Michal Roman Romanovich, shivering and coughing. Pilecki feels a surge of Panic. If Romanovic dies, he won't just lose one of his first recruits. He will be unable to locate Alexander, the prisoner who's about to be freed. And that will mean he will miss the chance to send a message back to the Resistance in Warsaw. A capo runs over and whispers in the SS officer's ear. The officer smirks, then turns to the prisoners. The missing inmate has been found dead behind the logs in the workyard. Roll call dismissed. Pilecki feels rage rise within him. Dozens of men have been killed from the cold simply because one of them died. Out of sight, Pilecki trudges to his work group, determined not just to stay alive alive and to get a message to Warsaw that will bring fire and fury raining down on this place. The next day, Petky crouches behind a dormitory block with Romanovich and Alexander, the prisoner who is about to be released. They know they only have a few minutes to brief Alexander. Pilecky leans in urgently. You cannot write anything down in case the Germans discover it. You must memorize everything. Can you do that? Alexander nods. Good. You need to tell the Resistance about what's happening here. The torture, the murder. Tell them there are supposed to be 6,000 inmates here, but only 5,000 are at roll call, so 1,000 have already died. You have to tell them what's being done to any member of the Resistance who ends up here. These are our people. Pilecki and Alexander both look around at Romanovic. He's shivering and coughing. With a deep rasp, Romanovic shakes his head. It's nothing. Gone. Poleski turns back to Alexander. Tell the Resistance that an uprising here is impossible. They must get the British to bomb the camp. There are munitions stores here. If the British Air Force can hit those stores, they will explode. Alexander's face freezes in shock. If they bomb the camp, you and other prisoners might die. Hundreds might die, yes, but anything is better than the torture of this place. In the chaos, some might be able to escape. And no one will die in vain if this hell is obliterated. Alexander nods. Incomprehension. Then both men's heads snap round. Romanovich's body shakes in a coughing fit as he withdraws his hands from his mouth. They are stained with blood. Pilecki realizes that Romanovich must have caught pneumonia in the forced roll call of the day before. But there are no antibiotics in the hospital with which to treat him. Romanovich looks directly at Alexander. Don't worry about me. All that matters is that that message gets out. Three months later, in his grim, overcrowded dormitory block, Pilecky eyes up a new arrival to the camp. The man slumps down on the bunk where Romanovich used to sleep and begins shuddering with tears. Piledzky walks over and gives the new prisoner a little nudge. Hey, hey. You can't let this place defeat you so easily. The man fixes Beletsky with a desperate stare. But this is Auschwitz. If you come here, you're a dead man. Paladsky's heart races. He grabs the man's shoulders and looks him dead in the eye. But you just got here. How do you know this? Had you heard of Auschwitz before you got here? The whole of Warsaw is talking about this place. It was reported in the undergrad's newspaper. They said the Germans had already murdered a thousand people here. To the new prisoner's astonishment, a smile spreads across Pilecki's face. Alexander must have made contact with the resistance and delivered his message. Pilecki clenches his fist in triumph, an unfamiliar sense of hope welling within him for the first time since he arrived. Now it can only be a matter of time before the Polish government in exile convinces Britain to bomb the camp. One month later January 1941 London, England Charles Portal, Chief of the Air Staff, sits at his desk at the Air Ministry with one of his aides. He draws a single page memo from the large pile in front of him. And what's this request? The aide leans over, glancing at the documents heading. Oh, that's from the polls, sir. A report on a German prison camp near Auschwianchim. The camp apparently has an unusually high death rate. They want us to bomb it, even though most of the prisoners seem to be Polish resistance members. Portal skim reads the memo. It claims a thousand Polish political prisoners have died there, but there's not much detail about. Why? Is this all that's known? I believe so. I could double check if you like. See if any details have been lost along the way. No need. I'm sure all the salient points are in here. Porter looks up at the large map of Europe hanging on the wall. Could our bombers even reach there? It's at the very outer edge of their range, sir. But with a reduced payload of bombs, they could probably just make it there and back. But all that way just to try and bomb a camp full of Allied prisoners? No, no, it won't do it all. We must concentrate our fire on German military production. With a dismissive sigh, Portal discards the memo and picks up the next one from the pile. One month later Auschwitz Beletsky lies in a bed in the hospital block. He's not sick, but resting. He and Dr. Dering have a system where members of their resistance network can get admitted for a day or two. It's enough time for people to rest, but not long enough to attract unwanted attention from the capos. It's also turned the hospital block into a place where Pilecki's network can exchange information, organize getting extra food to those who need it, or arrange for members to be moved to less demanding and more useful work groups. Dering appears in the doorway and beckons Pilecki over. Pilecki slips off his bed and follows Dering to an empty office. Dering places his finger to his lips, then swings open the door. Inside, sitting on the desk, is a radio. Pilecki gasps at the sight of its varnished wood chassis and elegant design. It's the first beautiful thing he's seen in months. How did you get this? A member of my cell. You stole it from the electrical workshop. We might be able to pick up the BBC. Beletsky and Dering crouched down, switching on the radio at its lowest possible volume and searching the frequencies for the BBC's Polish language stationing. This is London. Swansea has come under renewed bombing as the Luftwaffe inflict terrible damage on the port city in North Africa. British troops have retreated along the Libyan front. Pilecki leans in closer as the presenter reels off information about the pressure on British forces in Egypt and how the USA is maintaining its neutrality in the war. There is not a word about Auschwitz. With Britain on the back foot and fighting alone, Pilecki realizes that the bombs he prays for will not come anytime soon. The prisoners of Auschwitz are for now, on their own, and that means it's down to Pilecki to maintain his network's marine morale. But he's got to do more than keeping their spirits up. He must find ways for them to survive, endure and start fighting back from within. Wondery plus subscribers can binge full seasons of the Spy who early and ad free on Apple podcasts or the Wondery app.
- [53:37]
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Raza Jaffrey
Have you got a spy story you'd like us to tell? Email your ideas to the spy whoanderey.com from Wondery this is the first 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 have been 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 from Auschwitz by Witold Pilecki. To find trusted information about Auschwitz, including survivors testimonies, you can visit Auschwitz.org the Spy who is hosted by me, Raza Jaffrey. Our show is produced by Vespucci with writing and story editing by Yellowant for Wandering for Yellow Ant. This episode was written by J.S. raffaelli and researched by Luigi Louise Byrne with special thanks to Jakub Chachrudka. Our managing producer is Jay Priest. For Vespucci. Our senior producers are Ashley Clevery and Philippa Gearing. Our sound designer is Ivor Manley. Rachel Byrne is the supervising producer. Music supervisor is Scott Velasquez from Prison Sync. Executive producers for Vespucci are joined 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 Newey. SA.