Escape from Auschwitz (a documentary movie)

1jola:

Escape was extremely rare at Auschwitz, but was not unknown.
The most famous case was that of Mala Zimetbaum and her Polish lover, Edek Galinski. She was a Lauferin, or runner, in the camp, able to move about on errands and carrying messages. Both had been members of anti-Nazi undergrounds, he in Poland, she in Belgium. He obtained an SS uniform, she "organized" a pass, and they left the camp together in the guise of an SS man transporting a prisoner. Many Auschwitz survivors remember them, for they inspired everyone with tremendous hope, but the accounts differ on details as to the distance they got before being arrested and returned to the camp. Some survivors remember them getting as far as Krakow. Back in Auschwitz, both were tortured and then led to the gallows for public execution. Mala slashed her wrist with a razor blade she had concealed, was beaten to the ground and loaded onto the crematorium truck without ever being hanged. Across the camp, Edek leaped into the noose and kicked away the bench before the death sentence was read; the SS rescued and re-hanged him.

There were six hundred other cases of escape from Auschwitz. Almost four hundred were captured. When an escape was detected, all prisoners in the camp stood at attention for hours on end, while the fugitive was hunted outside the camp; once captured, the escapee wass tortured, then paraded around the camp with a sign saying "Hurrah, I'm back," and then was hanged in front of the rest of the camp. Friedrich, pp. 58-60.

1jolaThreads: 33 Posts: 2,739 Joined: Sep 23, 08	Jun 30, 09, 12:22 / #
A documentary film: The Escapee. 56 min. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8833004586259980268

sjamThreads: 5 Posts: 1,016 Joined: Jan 13, 09	Edited by: sjam Jun 30, 09, 16:40 / #
So how many prisoners have actually managed to escape from Auschwitz?

1jolaThreads: 33 Posts: 2,739 Joined: Sep 23, 08	Jun 30, 09, 18:07 / #
From memory I want to say around 600, but I'll check. Escape almost always brought about reprisals on the inmates and family. This is what they feared the most. This film version with subtitles ends 14 min. short and the ending is not so happy. I'll summarise the end tomorrow when I have time.

1jolaThreads: 33 Posts: 2,739 Joined: Sep 23, 08	Edited by: Moderator Jun 30, 09, 20:33 / #
Escape was extremely rare at Auschwitz, but was not unknown. The most famous case was that of Mala Zimetbaum and her Polish lover, Edek Galinski. She was a Lauferin, or runner, in the camp, able to move about on errands and carrying messages. Both had been members of anti-Nazi undergrounds, he in Poland, she in Belgium. He obtained an SS uniform, she "organized" a pass, and they left the camp together in the guise of an SS man transporting a prisoner. Many Auschwitz survivors remember them, for they inspired everyone with tremendous hope, but the accounts differ on details as to the distance they got before being arrested and returned to the camp. Some survivors remember them getting as far as Krakow. Back in Auschwitz, both were tortured and then led to the gallows for public execution. Mala slashed her wrist with a razor blade she had concealed, was beaten to the ground and loaded onto the crematorium truck without ever being hanged. Across the camp, Edek leaped into the noose and kicked away the bench before the death sentence was read; the SS rescued and re-hanged him. There were six hundred other cases of escape from Auschwitz. Almost four hundred were captured. When an escape was detected, all prisoners in the camp stood at attention for hours on end, while the fugitive was hunted outside the camp; once captured, the escapee wass tortured, then paraded around the camp with a sign saying "Hurrah, I'm back," and then was hanged in front of the rest of the camp. Friedrich, pp. 58-60. Provide a link please as this is not your work.

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,410 Joined: Aug 29, 07	Jun 30, 09, 20:43 / #
my gramps got the hell out of there but it was early 1940.

tornado2007Threads: 20 Posts: 3,497 Joined: Jul 11, 07	Jun 30, 09, 21:06 / #
Thanks for posting the video, it was an interesting watch to say the least :) good thread

sjamThreads: 5 Posts: 1,016 Joined: Jan 13, 09	Jul 3, 09, 12:58 / #
Unpublished extract from forthcoming new book Cichociemni:The Unseen and Silent— Special Force Paratroops of the Polish Underground Army 1941-1945 "The idea arose in AK High Command to form Operational Group ‘Odra’ during the Operation ‘Tempest’ period. Its task was to strike in the direction of Silesia with the thought of taking over Auschwitz with the following forces: ‘Zworny’s’ Rzeszów group (3 divisions) ‘Garda’s’ Cracow group (2 divisions and a cavalry brigade) as well as Silesian detachments of the Home Army. General Stanisław Rostworowski ‘Odra’ was named commander of this planned operational group and as chief of staff, Major Jan Górski psc cc ‘Chomik’, hitherto Chief of Staff of Białystok Region. During the final days of July just before the outbreak of the Warsaw Rising ‘Odra’ together with ‘Chomik’ left for Cracow. At the same time Second Lieutenant Stefan Jasieński cc ‘Urban’ who had been entrusted with making contact with the camp’s war council and making a reconnaissance before the planned operation was heading for Auschwitz. The operation was taken very seriously and assumed that the withdrawing Germans would murder all the prisoners. Hardly had ‘Odra’ and ‘Chomik’ started to set things up when they were arrested. The General was murdered in Cracow and his chief of staff was sent deep into Germany to the Flossenbürg concentration camp. ‘Urban’, however, settled in Malec (now Kęty), made some essential contacts and began to complete his assigned task. Some documents from that time have survived. Here is one of them: In reply to Urban’s additional question as to whether we are able to blow up the crematorium and gas chambers we reply yes and that at some moment it even will be essential. We shall need some explosives ahead of time. Stakło, Rot.4 21 VIII 44.5 Late in the evening of the 29th of September ‘Urban’ who was walking with K. Paw to an agreed underground rendezvous with K. Petkowski was shot by a German patrol lying in ambush. Seriously wounded he reached with difficulty the grounds of the Hempel estate in Malec and hid in the bushes. Following the trail of blood the Germans discovered the parachutist. That same night he was brought to Auschwitz and put in the hospital block (no.21). He was later moved to cell no. 21 in block 11, or the block of death, where he remained until January 1945. The drawings on the cell door which depict his whole life, and especially his wartime exploits are worthy of attention. ‘Urban’ survived the camp. In May 1945 he appeared in London and later left. Then the trail goes cold."

szkotja2007Threads: 38 Posts: 2,543 Joined: Dec 29, 06	Nov 29, 09, 20:12 / #
"The Man who smuggled himself into Auschwitz" From todays BBC News

jonniThreads: 26 Posts: 4,189 Joined: Nov 27, 07	Nov 30, 09, 01:43 / #
This is amazing. It deserves its own thread.

sjamThreads: 5 Posts: 1,016 Joined: Jan 13, 09	Dec 2, 09, 11:39 / #
The Man who volunteered to go into Auschwitz

FUZZYWICKETSThreads: 12 Posts: 1,821 Joined: Nov 3, 09	Dec 2, 09, 11:54 / #
So how many prisoners have actually managed to escape from Auschwitz? Sorry to bother you, but this should be in past simple. As an English teacher, I couldn't resist.

mateinoneThreads: 10 Posts: 78 Joined: Mar 15, 09	Dec 2, 09, 20:19 / #
1jola: Escape was extremely rare at Auschwitz, but was not unknown. The most famous case was that of Mala Zimetbaum and her Polish lover, Edek Galinski. She was a Lauferin, or runner, in the camp, able to move about on errands and carrying messages. Both had been members of anti-Nazi undergrounds, he in Poland, she in Belgium. He obtained an SS uniform, she "organized" a pass, and they left the camp together in the guise of an SS man transporting a prisoner. Many Auschwitz survivors remember them, for they inspired everyone with tremendous hope, but the accounts differ on details as to the distance they got before being arrested and returned to the camp. Some survivors remember them getting as far as Krakow. Back in Auschwitz, both were tortured and then led to the gallows for public execution. Mala slashed her wrist with a razor blade she had concealed, was beaten to the ground and loaded onto the crematorium truck without ever being hanged. Across the camp, Edek leaped into the noose and kicked away the bench before the death sentence was read; the SS rescued and re-hanged him. There were six hundred other cases of escape from Auschwitz. Almost four hundred were captured. When an escape was detected, all prisoners in the camp stood at attention for hours on end, while the fugitive was hunted outside the camp; once captured, the escapee wass tortured, then paraded around the camp with a sign saying "Hurrah, I'm back," and then was hanged in front of the rest of the camp. Friedrich, pp. 58-60. This was a very touching story that I read about only this week. The words were a little different, so it was obviously from a different source, but it was certainly this story. The story I read was that they had made a pact to not give the guards the satisfaction of hanging them and that is the reason Edek jumped into the noose himself and Mala slit her wrists, to take away the satisfaction the guards would get in a public hanging.