Military Organization Union

Związek Organizacji Wojskowej (Polish: [ˈzvjɔ̃zɛk ɔrɡaɲiˈzat͡sji vɔj'skɔvɛj], Military Organization Union), abbreviated ZOW, was an underground resistance organization formed by Witold Pilecki at Auschwitz concentration camp in 1940.

In 1940,

In the camp Pilecki was known as Tomasz Serafiński (Prison Number 4859) and began the work of organising the Związek Organizacji Wojskowej (ZOW).[1] ZOW would become the Auschwitz branch of Armia Krajowa^[2] and its aims were to improve inmate morale, provide news from outside, distribute extra food and clothing, and set up intelligence networks.^[1]

ZOW was organized in a cell network of "Fives", whereby all five agents knew nothing about their comrades. The first "Five" was formed out of Pilecki's TAP members, various captured soldiers of the

By 1941 ZOW had grown substantially[1] with "High Five" creating numerous sub-groups. Despite being an arm of the Polish resistance, membership was not limited to Poles, though Jewish members had a much lower life expectancy since the Germans prioritized exterminating Jews over Polish prisoners.^[1][2] Notable members of ZOW included the famous Polish sculptor Xawery Dunikowski^[1] and ski champion Bronisław Czech.^[1]

ZOW members worked in the camp's SS administration office (Mrs. Rachwalowa, Capt. Rodziewicz, Mr. Olszowka, Mr. Jakubski, Mr. Miciukiewicz), the [magazines]^{[definition needed]} (Mr. Czardybun), and the Sonderkommando, which burned human corpses (Mr. Szloma Dragon and Mr. Henryk Mendelbaum). The organisation had its own system of enforcing order (with a secret criminal court), as well as supply lines to the outside. Thanks to civilians living nearby, the organisation regularly received medical supplies. Inmates even constructed a radio receiver and hid it in the camp hospital.^[1]

Many smaller and non-Polish underground organisations at Auschwitz eventually merged with ZOW. In the autumn of 1941, Colonel Jan Karcz was transferred to the newly created Birkenau death camp, where he proceeded to organise more ZOW structures. By the spring of 1942, the organization had over 1,000 members, including women and people of other nationalities, at most sub-camps.^[1]

Meanwhile, the Gestapo redoubled its efforts to ferret out ZOW members, and from late 1942 succeeded in killing many of them.^[1]

From October 1940, ZOW sent numerous reports about the camp and its means of genocide to the Polish resistance's Home Army Headquarters in Warsaw. ZOW's first report reached the Polish resistance in November 1940.

Nevertheless, by 1943 Pilecki had realized no possibility of rescue existed from outside the camp. Deciding to break out of the camp, and hoping to personally convince the Home Army that a rescue attempt was a valid option,[1] when he was assigned to a night shift at a camp bakery outside the fence, he and two comrades overpowered a guard, cut the phone line and escaped on the night of 26–27 April 1943, taking along documents stolen from the Germans.^[1] In the event of capture, they were prepared to swallow cyanide. After several days, with the help of local civilians, they contacted a Home Army unit. Pilecki submitted another detailed report on conditions at Auschwitz which was forwarded to London, but the British authorities refused air support for an operation to help the inmates escape.^[1] The British considered air raids to be too risky, and Home Army reports on Nazi atrocities at Auschwitz were deemed to be gross exaggerations.^[1] In turn, the Home Army decided that it was not able to storm the camp by itself.^[1]

In October 1944, ZOW aided the Jewish Sonderkommando revolt at the camp (7 October 1944), providing the explosives for the uprising.^[2]

On 8 May 1947, Pilecki was arrested by the Polish Ministry of Public Security. He was accused of illegal border crossing, use of forged documents, not enlisting with the military, carrying illegal arms, espionage and working for "foreign imperialism," and preparing the assassination of several officials. On 25 May 1948, Pilecki was executed at the Warsaw Mokotów Prison. Until 1989, information on his exploits and fate was suppressed by the Polish communist regime.