The Volunteer

'Totally gripping' - Simon Sebag Montefiore 'Pilecki is perhaps one of the greatest unsung heroes of the second world war ... this insightful book is likely to be the definitive version of this extraordinary life' - Economist Would you be willing to risk your life to save thousands? In the summer of 1940, following the Nazi occupation of Poland, Witold Pilecki, a member of the underground resistance, undertook a daring mission. He volunteered to infiltrate a new concentration camp located near the Reich border, seeking to discover the fate of those being held there. Pilecki's objective was to document the brutalities committed by the Nazis and organize a clandestine force for a potential uprising. This camp came to be known as Auschwitz. Upon his entry, he gradually unraveled the horrifying extent of the Nazi's plans. Over the subsequent two and a half years, Witold developed an intricate underground network, which was crucial in smuggling evidence of Nazi heinous acts out of Auschwitz. His dispatches from inside the camp were pivotal in shaping the Allies' approach to the unfolding Holocaust. Despite this, Pilecki's remarkable story was largely buried in history for many years. This groundbreaking account, crafted from previously unpublished family documents, newly accessible archival material, and exclusive interviews with surviving resistance members, illuminates how Pilecki stood against the Nazis amidst their reign of terror. This narrative unfolds as an absorbing tale of defiance and valor in the bleakest of times, capturing one man's effort to alter the course of history.