Military Organization Union

[1] 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.

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).

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.

[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.

[1][5] Pilecki planned for the liberation of the camp, hoping that the Allies would drop arms or troops into Auschwitz (such as the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade, based in Britain), or that the Home Army could organize an assault by land.

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.