26/27 April 1943 | Three Poles escaped #Auschwitz: Edward Ciesielski (12969), Witold Pilecki (4859) & Jan Redzej (5430). #Pilecki was one of the co-founders of military resistance inside the camp. After the escape, he wrote an elaborate report about German crimes in Auschwitz. twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Telegrams sent by the camp Gestapo (Politische Abteilung - Political Department) in #Auschwitz informing about the escape. One mentions "Thomas Serafinski" (false identity of Witold Pilecki) and "Johann Retko" (Jan Redzej). The other, Edward Ciesielski.
This is how Witold Pilecki described his escape in his report.
Fragment of memoirs of Edward Ciesielski about the escape.
"I've been trying to live my life so that in the hour of my death I would rather feel joy, than fear."
(Witold Pilecki)
Learn more about Witold Pilecki and Polish military resistance movement at KL Auschwitz.
The lesson describes the geographical location of the #Auschwitz camp, its security system, repressions faced by captured escapees, the collective revolts and finally tells the stories of 25 escapes.
16 April 1947 | SS-Obersturmbannführer Rudolf Höss, the first commandant of the German #Auschwitz camp was hanged after he was sentenced to death by the Supreme National Tribunal in Warsaw.
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Rudolf Höss was born in Baden-Baden on 25 November 1901. He joined the Nazi Party in 1922 and the SS in 1934. He started his career in Dachau in December 1934, then he worked in KL Sachsenhausen. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_H%…
In May 1940 Rudolf Höss was appointed by Heinrich Himmler as the commandant of a new concentration camp created in occupied Polish territory annexed to the Third Reich - #Auschwitz.
Jozef & Wiktoria Ulma risked their lives to help Jews during the #Holocaust. On 24 March 1944 the German police discovered the Jews in hiding.
The Jewish family was shot, as was the entire Ulma family - parents & 6 children. Wiktoria was 7 months pregnant.
March 24 - the anniversary of the murder of the Ulma family - is today in Poland the National Day of Remembrance of Poles who saved Jews during German occupiation. See this thread to learn about #Righteous linked with #Auschwitz.
22 March 1943 | The Zentralbauleitung of the #Auschwitz camp (Central Construction office) completed the construction of gas chamber and crematorium IV at Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp. The undressing rooms, gas chamber and crematorium were located on the ground level. 1/5
The gas chamber space was divided into three smaller rooms and had a total of 236.78 square meters. The exterior walls had holes with gas proof trapdoors for inserting Zyklon B. 2/5
The crematorium was equipped with one eight-oven furnace. According to the calculations made German manufacturer Topf & Soehne, 768 corpses could be burned in this crematorium every 24 hours. 3/5
#Auschwitz survivors Zofia Kossak-Szczucka and Władysław Bartoszewski were honoured for their work in "Żegota" - the Polish Council to Aid Jews en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BBego…
5 March 1888 | A German Jew, Eugen Salomon, was born in Wörrstadt. His family moved to Mainz, where he became one of the founders and chairman of today’s football club @1FSVMainz05 at the age of only 17.
He was initially a successful textile manufacturer and later worked as a salesman. Throughout his life, he supported Mainz 05 together with a circle of companions through his work and with financial means.
In 1933, Eugen Salomon was forced to leave Mainz and emigrate to France. In 1942 he was deported from Drancy to Auschwitz, where he was murdered on 14 Nov. of that year. Until today Mainz 05 takes a great interest in Eugen Salomon‘s fate.
Witold Zacharewicz and his family were involved in the production of false documents for Jews hiding in Warsaw. The Gestapo managed to discover their activity. He was arrested on 1 October 1942 and deported to Auschwitz the next month.
The mother of Witold Zacharewicz was also deported to #Auschwitz. Wanda Zacharewicz was registered on 27 November 1942 (camp no. 26017). She perished in the camp on 4 January 1943.