History's Secret Heroes: Series 3: Witold Pilecki: The Infiltrator

History's Heroes

BBC

Documentary, History, Society & Culture

4.8 • 704 Ratings

🗓️ 18 March 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

An undercover Polish operative deliberately sets out to be arrested and sent to Auschwitz. His mission is to tell the world what’s happening inside the walls of the camp. Will he make it out alive?

Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage.

A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Producer: Lorna Reader Executive Producer: Paul Smith Written by Alex von Tunzelmann Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts

Transcript

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0:00.0	He tells her that she will be sent to France as a secret agent, and if she's caught, she's going to be shot.
0:09.3	I'm Helen Obalam Carter, and this is history's secret heroes, where I shine a light on extraordinary stories from World War II.
0:17.6	What they wanted was someone to get themselves arrested and sent to Auschwitz.
0:22.0	Tales of deception, an incredible acts of resistance and courage.
0:26.3	She was a born soldier.
0:27.4	She's a freedom fighter in its widest sense.
0:29.9	The brand new series of History's secret heroes.
0:32.8	Listen first on BBC Sounds.
0:36.2	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:40.2	You're about to listen to a brand new series of History's Secret Heroes.
0:46.0	Episodes will be released on Tuesdays, wherever you get your podcasts.
0:50.6	But if you're in the UK and can't wait, you can hear the full series right now before anywhere else.
0:57.4	First on BBC Sounds.
1:00.8	Vitold Poletsky heard shouting in the cool autumn air outside the window of his small apartment.
1:07.9	Trucks drove down the streets of Nazi occupied Warsaw.
1:11.8	It was the 19th of September, 1940.
1:15.2	There's a knock on the door.
1:16.6	It's the building's caretaker who says,
1:20.0	you've got to run.
1:21.6	The Germans are coming.
1:22.8	They've just sealed off the streets.
1:24.5	Poletsky thanked the caretaker.
	...

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