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The revolt was led by Jewish prisoners known as the Sonderkommando, who were forced to work in the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz-Birkenau. They were aided by members of the Polish Underground resistance and Jewish women working in nearby armaments factories. On October 7, 1944, the Sonderkommando staged an armed uprising, destroying Crematorium IV and attacking SS guards. They used explosives smuggled by resistance members to set fire to the crematorium and kill several SS officers. Approximately 250 prisoners died during the revolt, and about 200 were executed after the war. The revolt occurred on October 7, 1944, during World War II. The uprising took place at Auschwitz II-Birkenau, a Nazi concentration and extermination camp located in German-occupied Poland. The National WWII Museum. “Sonderkommando Uprising at Auschwitz-Birkenau.” The National WWII Museum, https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/sonderkommando-uprising-auschwitz-birkenau. Accessed 12 May 2025.

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Jozef Deresiński, hailing from Luny near Grodno, was a central figure in the 1944 Sonderkommando revolt at Auschwitz-Birkenau. As one of the leaders of the underground resistance within the Sonderkommando, he played a pivotal role in organizing the uprising against the Nazis. The revolt, which occurred on October 7, 1944, involved the acquisition of explosives and the construction of primitive grenades to destroy the crematoria and facilitate an escape. Unfortunately, Deresiński was killed during the suppression of the revolt, and his efforts remain a testament to the courage and resistance of the prisoners under unimaginable conditions.

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Zalman Gradowski, born in 1910 in Suwałki, Poland, was a member of the Sonderkommando at Auschwitz-Birkenau. He is renowned for his secret Yiddish diary, which he buried near Crematorium III to document the atrocities he witnessed. The diary provides a haunting firsthand account of the extermination process and the daily horrors faced by the prisoners. Gradowski was actively involved in the planning of the October 7 revolt and perished during the uprising. His writings were recovered after the war and have been published, offering invaluable insights into the Holocaust. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/October-7/sonderkommando-prisoner-revolt-auschwitz-birkenau-1944

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The Sonderkommando were groups of mostly Jewish prisoners forced to work in the crematoria, disposing of bodies after mass gassings.

Learning that they were soon to be executed to cover up Nazi crimes, the Sonderkommando decided to resist.

The uprising was meticulously planned and secretly coordinated over several months.

Female prisoners, including Roza Robota, Ella Gartner, Estusia Wajcblum, and Regina Safirsztajn, smuggled gunpowder from the Union munitions factory into the camp and passed it to the Sonderkommando. Jewish Virtual Library. “The Revolt at Auschwitz-Birkenau.” Jewish Virtual Library, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-revolt-at-auschwitz-birkenau. Accessed 13 May 2025.

On October 7, 1944, the Sonderkommando blew up Crematorium IV, using the smuggled explosives.

Armed with makeshift weapons, they attacked SS guards. Several guards were killed, and others were injured.

While the crematorium was successfully destroyed, the revolt was quickly stopped by SS forces.

About 250 prisoners were killed during the revolt. Another 200 were executed later in retaliation.

The four women involved in the smuggling were tortured and publicly hanged on January 6, 1945, just weeks before the camp’s liberation.

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Jankiel Handelsman, originating from Radom, Poland, was another key leader in the Sonderkommando revolt. He was among the conspirators who planned the uprising, aiming to destroy the crematoria and escape the camp. Handelsman was arrested and imprisoned in Block 11's bunker following the revolt's suppression. Details of his fate post-arrest are less documented, but his involvement in the resistance underscores the collective courage of the Sonderkommando members.

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Ajzyk Kalniak, from Łomża, Poland, was also a participant in the Sonderkommando revolt. While specific details about his actions during the uprising are limited, his inclusion in the group of leaders highlights his role in the resistance efforts within the camp. Like many others, Kalniak's contributions remain part of the collective memory of those who resisted the Nazi regime under dire circumstances.

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Although the Sonderkommando Revolt was swiftly crushed, it marked one of the few armed uprisings inside a Nazi extermination camp. Crematorium IV was destroyed, and several SS guards were killed, temporarily disrupting the killing process at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The Nazis retaliated by executing around 200 Sonderkommando prisoners after the revolt. Four women who smuggled the explosives were brutally tortured and publicly hanged in January 1945

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After the war, survivor accounts of the uprising became a symbol of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust.

The revolt has been documented in testimonies, films, and memorials, reminding future generations of the extreme conditions under which resistance occurred.

It played a role in post-war justice, as Nazi officials were later prosecuted with reference to resistance movements like the Sonderkommando.

The event also contributed to a deeper understanding of camp resistance and the moral complexities faced by the Sonderkommando, who were often misunderstood or stigmatized.

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Shlomo Venezia, a member of the Sonderkommando, emphasized the forced nature of their role.

“Others held us partly responsible for what happened in the Crematorium. But that’s completely wrong: only the Germans killed. We were forced, whereas collaborators, in general, are volunteers. It’s important to write that we had no choice. Those who refused were immediately killed with a bullet through the back of the neck.”

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YouTube. “The Sonderkommando Revolt – Auschwitz.” YouTube, uploaded by Auschwitz Memorial, "On Auschwitz" (21): The Revolt of Sonderkommando Prisoners Accessed 13 May 2025.