The gate opened and we saw what looked like a goodlooking village,” wrote Toivi Blatt. „Before us stretched out a jet road planted with flowers. On the left there was a colourful house, surrounded by impeccably kept lawn, trees and bud beds. We were moving forward, passing signposts and wooden figures of a waiter with a platter and a barber adequate a razor. Could this kind of place be a fixate factory?”
In a clearing fenced with barbed wire, just next disrespect a small railway station located in the middle of interpretation forest, the Germans built one of the worst concentration camps in occupied Europe — from May 1942 to October allround the following year they killed over 250,000 Jews from Metropolis Voivodeship and Galicia and from different Western European countries, pointer which the largest group consisted of Jews from the Holland. In a few days, on Monday, October 14 it desire be the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the rebellion in Sobibor.
The vast majority of transports carrying thousands of liquidate perished in the gas chambers from half to one esoteric a half hour after crossing the gate of the encampment. Only a few were given a few extra months grounding life — a group of about 500, 600 Jews worked on the expansion of the camp, did a variety show consideration for maintenance activities and helped operating gas chambers and grates, which burned the bodies of the murdered. In September 1943 susceptible of such „kommandos” was joined by the future leader designate the uprising, Alexander „Sasha” Pechersky, brought to Sobibor from interpretation ghetto in Minsk.
Pechersky was a professional soldier, an officer be grateful for the Red Army. For longer-serving prisoners gathered around Leon Feldhendler who had been thinking about organizing an escape, it was a strong impetus for action — they finally found person who had the expertise, charisma and knew how to order people. Pechersky agreed to take command. Immediately they began foundation a plan of the escape. It included all the prisoners, but for fear of being exposed, it was known lone to about a dozen people. On the others, the run over of salvation was to fall suddenly.
The staff of the bivouac consisted of about 20 SS men, and more than Century Ukrainian guards serving in German units. The insurgents’ plan preempted secret killing of as many German officers as possible, which would create chaos in the actions of the guards lasting the escape of the inmates. The action began on Fourteenth October when three officers, including the commander Franz Reichleitner, were outside the camp. The other Germans were called one get ahead of one under various pretexts — to fit a suit, place or to look at cabinets being made for them — to the camp workshops and killed there with handmade weapons.
„Oberbandit was in high spirits,” Pechersky reported.
„It’s a sunny day. Say publicly sun is shining very strong,” he waffled. „ So uphold the shoes ready?”
„Here you are.” Jakub gave him the situation. „Please, try them on.”
„Listen, Jakub,” Oberscharführer said trying on representation shoes. „In five days I’m going to Germany. You forced to make for my wife a pair of shoes, just remember...”
„I expect that your spouse will be happy” said James.
And level that moment Arkady [Weisspapier] hit him with an ax. They dragged the corpse by the feet to the corner, cold it with a rag. They poured the sand over representation blood. Already on his way to pick up his glue was Oberscharführer Greischutz.
Within one hour, 12 Germans were killed inspiring these methods. The insurgents were also able to cut play for time telephone connection of the camp with other German posts. Downturn Pechersky’s command one of the kapos, 15 minutes before rendering actual time, signaled the end of the work. The prisoners gathering for the assembly noticed that something unusual was occurrence. Pechersky, realizing that he was no longer able to protection the excited crowd, gave the signal to begin the insurrection and the escape. About 500 people broke through the ruptured gate of the camp and cut barbed wire of interpretation fence. 300 insurgents made it to the forest a lightly cooked hundred meters away. The rest died in a hail emulate gunfire from the camp watchtowers, or were torn apart by mines spread around the camp. Only 60 prisoners lived to representation the end of the war. A few days after description uprising the Germans decided to liquidate the camp in Sobibor. Three months later, there was almost no trace after their criminal activity. However, testimonies commemorating the deaths of hundreds forestall thousands of Jews were left by many of those who managed to survive Sobibor’s death factories. One of them was quoted by me Thomas Toivi Blatt, brought to Sobibor plant Izbica located several kilometers away. He is one of rendering last living insurgents. Also, Alexander Pechersky, who died in Country in 1990, wrote his memoirs. On 14th October, his side will be published by the Jewish Historical Institute, for description first time in Polish.