The first prisoner of KL Auschwitz

[Somosierra]

As some people know, many others do not, and some others just do not want to know KL Auschwitz was created against Poles.

The idea of creating KL Auschwitz “was born” in last months of 1939, in Wroclaw (former Breslau). It was a proposal of Arpad Wigand (Security Police), because of German aware of still growing at that time “nets” of the Polish Resistance in Silesia and GG. That was also an explanation of the location of KL Auschwitz, in Polish very old town – Oswiecim.

So, did you ever wonder who the first was? Or just you were happy of explanation, for example Ted Turner?:-)

Numbers of 1-30 had common criminals from Germany who arrived to Auschwitz on May 20th 1940 from Sachsenhausen. They were there just to help SS-men “to prevent an order”…

That is why the first prisoner of KL Auschwitz had number not – 1, but… 31.

He is a Pole – Stanislaw Ryniak. Now he lives, in Wroclaw (justice of history…).



On May 5th and 6th of 1940 in Jaroslaw Gestapo arrested many young Poles (students and schoolboys), who were under suspicion of being a members of the Polish Resistance.

Some men from that group were able go home; others were took to the Gestapo prison in Tarnow. That group was in the first transport (728 Polish young men) to KL Auschwitz – it was on June 14th 1940. Among them was the first one in evidence - Stanislaw Ryniak (camp number: 31).

Stanislaw Ryniak survived in Auschwitz almost 60 months; among them in underground mines in Litomierzyce (Czechoslovakia) where he was (as punishment) transferred. His freedom he got back on May 9th 1945.

Of course, nowadays he attends many ceremonies as many other Poles – former prisoners, but that generation slowly departs from this World, to the better one…

[PolAntek]

Another interesting post Samosierra. Keep ‘em coming! The story of Stanislaw Ryniak is amazing – to survive 5 years in hell on earth is beyond comprehension. To clarify a couple of your points:

The 30 professional German criminals, who were brought to Auschwitz either in May (as you state) or other sources say the beginning of June 1940, were veterans of many years in other concentration camps within Germany. The SS men brought them in explicitly to fill the role of instructors in the camp's laws and regulations as well as various ‘management’ posts of the camp.

Initially they received special instruction on the treatment of Polish political prisoners. Essentially, they were to encouraged subject the Poles to the most brutal conditions including beatings, torture, starvation and any other form of maltreatment that they could conjure up. This was entirely in keeping with Hitler's decree to treat all Poles "without pity or mercy". There was no limit to their heinous excesses.

The first of many exclusively Polish transports in the initial period of the camp’s operation arrived on June 14, 1940. As you correctly state, it is often forgotten, or ignored, that many thousands of Poles were the first to witness the horror of this place. Nowadays, Auschwitz is synonymous with the Jewish holocaust. I recall a few years ago where, I believe, some local Polish Roman Catholic nuns were bitterly ostracized by Jewish groups for daring to attempt a memorial at the camp site for the countless Gentile Poles who were also murdered there. Very sad.

[Davey Boy]

Can't believe this guy survived. Must be a tough son of a gun. Good on him.

[The Desert Fox]

It certainly is an amazing story of survival. The old addage that it just wasnt his time to go rang true with him. I doubt any of us here who visit the forum could truelly imagine what hell he experienced. I hope he found some measure of peace in post war poland. Cannot imagine anyone more deserving.

regards
The Desert Fox

[Somosierra]

You can see here The Auschwitz Cross (this one is for another name) – created in 1989 to honor the former Polish prisoners of KL Auschwitz. The name “P” means it is a Polish prisoner.

Have you ever seen that sign on a Hollywood movie...?
--
Regards,
Somosierra

http://jazon.hist.uj.edu.pl/auj/medale/m7.html

[Redbaron1908]

wasnt auschwitz called kz in stead of kl just wandering

[Scott Smith]

Can't believe this guy survived. Must be a tough son of a gun. Good on him.

Yes, but if they had meant for him to be dead he would have been. Forced-laborers were sometimes expendable but not inexhaustible.

wasnt auschwitz called kz in stead of kl just wandering

No, they were all Konzentrationslagern. One sometimes encounters KZ instead of KL for an abbreviation, however.

[Redbaron1908]

thanks see im reading a book at school about auschwitz and the assistant of doctor mengele keppes refering to it as the kz

[Somosierra]

Official site:

http://www.auschwitz-muzeum.oswiecim.pl/

[Davey Boy]

Can't believe this guy survived. Must be a tough son of a gun. Good on him.

Yes, but if they had meant for him to be dead he would have been. Forced-laborers were sometimes expendable but not inexhaustible.

Scott,

I don't think it worked like that. It's not that the Nazis wanted him dead per se, but someone had to die. In fact, a large proportion of prisoners had to die. So my comment still stands. He only survived because he was a tough son of a gun.

[Somosierra]

I read with him an interview. He is a really tough guy. He is always smiling.

In Auschwitz (at the beginning) all Poles had to listened speech of Karl Fritsch who told them that they have no right to live longer than 3 months…

Stanislaw Ryniak said that he survived because of his great luck, psychical toughness, help of fellows in misery and the most important – he did believe some day he will be free!

In Auschwitz he always tried to look clean, even “elegant”, as his wife now says – even his camp uniform had to look excellent…

An old-fashioned Pole…

[Scott Smith]

Can't believe this guy survived. Must be a tough son of a gun. Good on him.

Yes, but if they had meant for him to be dead he would have been. Forced-laborers were sometimes expendable but not inexhaustible.

Scott,

I don't think it worked like that. It's not that the Nazis wanted him dead per se, but someone had to die. In fact, a large proportion of prisoners had to die. So my comment still stands. He only survived because he was a tough son of a gun.

David, I'm not saying that he was not tough or not lucky to have survived. But the Germans took increasingly desperate measures to try to win the war, such as the secret weapons projects, where they didn't care if they worked prisoners to death because the mission had to be accomplished by any means and they thought it would win the war. My point is that forced-labor was not an automatic death sentence, and was not intended to be, though it was cruel and harsh. It could have only happened in wartime, though. Also, I didn't catch why he was imprisoned in the first place; impressed-workers usually got better treatment than convicts and political prisoners.

[Stephan]

There is a debate how came this man Rybiak could survive 5years in KZ and hard labors camps.

Two possible ways had not been mentioned.

Some skilled workers had sometimes the possibility to work in their profession. A tailor could perhaps make suits for the germans; good as a best civilian tailor but for an promille of the cost.
Or a good mechanic repairing the germans halfprivate cars.
Such a man was valuable for the germans own welfare, a sort of mascot, and so he could live much longer then most others.

The second way was to become a capo himself. I did see hinted that quite many survivors were capos of some sort.

I dont say it is so badly as it sounds. If the only way to live is to be a capo or any such "helpworker" - who I am to be a judge?

Somebody tells about Rybiak he tried to always be clean, even elegant.
Sounds good, but I think this is a 100% proof he wasnt an ordinary prisoner, he must have been a privilegied of some sort; either a capo or such an skilled specialworker I mentioned.

[Somosierra]

The second way was to become a capo himself. I did see hinted that quite many survivors were capos of some sort.
(...)
Somebody tells about Rybiak he tried to always be clean, even elegant.
Sounds good, but I think this is a 100% proof he wasnt an ordinary prisoner, he must have been a privilegied of some sort; either a capo or such an skilled specialworker I mentioned.

Do you really think it is necessary to survive such a hell to be a Kapo or someone like that?

I do believe there is sufficient just to trust God.

--

He really was “clean and elegant”, but not in a context what you think.
It was something like a last walk in the best suit – just to meet firing squad…

Regards.

[Stephan]

Somosierra wrote:
"Do you really think it is necessary to survive such a hell to be a Kapo or someone like that?

I do believe there is sufficient just to trust God. "

I didnt wrote it was necessary, I did wrote it was one of the ways - and perhaps, perhaps more often used among survivors than we want to know.

But your example om trust God, or to have a feeling of a mission to witness as somebody mentioned, were also good survivor-makers.

Somosierra wrote also: "It was something like a last walk in the best suit – just to meet firing squad… " Pardon me. We are about an hard KZ / or hard labour camp during 5 years. Try to stay clean? Perhaps. It may even help a little, the sick or wounded were taken immediately away, so it helped to look healthy and bright. But elegant? No sir. I dont belive it would be healthy. They would round him up in dirt for fun, and to teach him a lesson. No, sir, I dont believe it.

.......................

Somosierra. Did you read "The 7 main sins of the Poles"?

The writer did prove the saying: "an attack mad as somosierra" is wrong.
The attack of Somosierra was bold and quite costly among the attacking squadron, but it was strategically and tactically 100% correct, - and succesfull. There was no madness at all.

But the partly similarly Charge of the light brigade at krim was mad, incorrect, incompetent - and very, very costly.

Greetings!


Somosierra