Failed Escape From Auschwitz-Birkenau
A Pole, Edward "Edek" Galiński, who was in love with Mala, planned to escape from the camp with his friend Wieslaw Kielar, (Auschwitz survivor and author of autobiographical novel 5 Years in Auschwitz). The plan fell through when Kielar lost a pair of SS guard's uniform pants needed as a disguise for their escape. Edek told his friend that he would escape with Mala instead, and would later find a way to send the uniform back to Kielar for his subsequent escape.
Mala wanted to escape so that she could inform the Allies of what was going on at Auschwitz and thus save lives. She is said by some sources to have been the head of a resistance group.
The plan was as follows: Edek would dress up as the SS guard and escort Mala through the perimeter gate, pretending that he was escorting a prisoner to install a washbasin. Mala would be carrying a large porcelain washbasin in a way that hid her hair, so that the guards they passed would not know it was a woman he was escorting. Edek would show them a forged pass and they would be let out. Mala would be wearing a pair of overalls over a dress that could pass for a men's shirt when inside the overalls. When they got far enough away, Mala would dump the washbasin, remove the overalls and wear the dress, and they would pretend to be an SS guard and his girlfriend on a walk.
The plan was put into action in June 1944, and the couple succeeded in escaping to a nearby town. After their escape, Edek hid nearby as Mala went into a store to try to buy some bread with gold she and Edek had stolen from the camp. The passing German patrol became suspicious and arrested Mala. Edek watched from a distance as Mala was arrested.
Knowing she would be killed for the escape, he turned himself in to the German patrol since they had promised not to separate.
Mala and Edek were taken to Block 11 in the main camp at Auschwitz, a punishment barracks known as "the Bunker", where they were placed in separate cells. Edek was eventually put in a group cell with another man. Edek scratched his and Mala's names and camp numbers into the cell wall. A friendly guard passed notes to them through a hole in the wall between the cell they were in and an empty one. Sometimes Edek and Mala would whistle to each other down the hall. When outside for exercise, Edek would stand near the window he thought was Mala's cell window and sing an Italian aria.
Read more about this topic: Mala Zimetbaum
Famous quotes containing the words failed and/or escape:
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—Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 B.C.)
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—Gus Van Sant, U.S. screenwriter and director, and Dan Yost. Father Tom Murphy (William S. Burroughs)