Witold Pilecki (born 1901-10-13 in Olonets Governorate, Russian Empire - died 1948-05-25 in Krakow, People's Republic of Poland) was a Polish soldier and volunteer. Pilecki served in the Polish Army during WWI, and in the newly-formed Polish Military during the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-20. In 1939 he formed a unit of the Union of Armed Struggle, smuggled himself into Auschwitz concentration camp to gather intelligence on the conditions there, and wrote the first secret report about the camp. He later organized a secret resistance movement within the camp, and escaped in 1943. After the war, he served in the new communist regime as a lieutenant, but was arrested and secretly executed in 1948. He will be remembered for his courage and commitment to his country.