Update on Pet'ko and Pegov

Nick has found a document which proves that Pet'ko and Pegov escaped on May 27, 1944 (the same day as Czeslaw Mordowicz and Arnost Rosin). That means that for unknown reason the date of escape given in the report is wrong. Well, that is not a big issue - we know that they did escape, after all.

According to this document they arrived in Auschwitz in April of 1943.

From this it follows that:

a) they could have witnessed the pits dug near the crematoria in May of 1944, or could have heard about these pits;

b) however, it also means that they couldn't have witnessed the crematoria construction.

The point (b) can be addressed as follows: Zentralsauna was being constructed throughout 1943, and was being finished in autumn. Probably, Pet'ko and Pegov mistook it, with its smoking chimneys and "[" shape, for two crematoria they write about. And especially since it was, basically, a "bath", this connotation probably led them to believe this was to be new homicidal installation(s).

This mistake is not so serious, and does not diminish the value of the report, which mostly correctly describes the operation of crematoria II and III (apparently, Pet'ko and Pegov did not know much about crematoria IV and V).

And now the document:

++ KL AUSCHWITZ NR. 5405 28.5.44 150 = SCHA
1. AN DAS RSHA ROEM 4 C BERLIN -
2. AN DAS RKPA POTSDAM -
3. AN DAS SS-WVHA. AMTSGRUPPE D, ORANIENBURG. -
4. AN ALLE OESTL. STAPO-LEIT- KRIPO-LEIT STELLEN
UND GREKO BESONDERS NUERNBEERG/FUEHRT [SIC]

DRINGEND SOFORT VORLEGEN.

BETR.; FLUCHT DER SCHUTZHAEFTLINGE

1. MORDOWICZ CZESLAUW ISRAEL, GEB. AM 2.9.1911 ZU MIELAU, EINGELIEFERT AM
17.12.42 VOM RSHA.
2. LEYSMAN ABRAM ISRAEL, GEB. A29.2.24 ZU MACKHEIM, EINGELIEFERT AM 10.12.42
VOM RSHA.
3. ROSIN ERNST ISRAEL, GEB. AM 20.3.13 ZU SNINA. - ZULETZT WOHNHAFT GEWESEN:
SNINA/SLOW. - EINGELIEFERT AM 18.4.42 VOM RSHA.
- DES RUSSISCHEN SCHUTZH. -
4. ZEMENKO BORIS, GEB. AM 24.6.07 ZU BOROWIEJTZE, EINGELIEFERT AM 13.5.43
VON DER STAPO NUERNBERG/FUERTH. ZUM AKTZ. NR. 581 KL. G/43 ROEM. 2 A
(62KGF.)
DER RUSSISCHEN KRIEGSGEFANGENEN
5. ASTACHOW, WASILIJ, GEB. AM 3.5.21 ZU OSORKI, EINGELIEFERT AM 1.11.43 VOM
STALAG 358. KENN-NR 28822
6. RADJONOWSKI, DMITRY, GEB AM 15.10.14 ZU NAGADA, EINGELIEFERT AM 7.10.41
VOM STALAG 308. KENN-NR 35008
7. ILJIN, IWAN, GEB. AM 1.5.23 ZU KIEW, EINGELIEFERT AM 12.11.43 VOM OFLAG
58, KENN-NR 9667
8. POPTSCHENO, MICHAEL, GEB. AM 29.4.19 ZU PYCHAU, EINGELIEFERT AM 12.11.43
VOM KR. GEF. L. ZEITHAIN, KENN-NR 4163
9. MASURENKO, WOLODYMYR, GEB. AM 14.11.20 ZU TSCHESNOPIL, EINGELIEFERT AM
8.10.43 VOM STALAG 318, KENN NR 65245
10. PJETKO, ANATOLY, GEB AM 19.4.18 ZU HORBARZOW, EINGELIEFERT AM 16.4.43
VOM STALAG 318, KENN-NR 36074
11. PJEGOW, WLADIMIR, GEB, AM 22.12.19 ZU RAZNIEZJE, EINGELIEFERT AM 14.4.43
VOM STALAG 318. KENN NR 38.- [SIC]

DIE UMSEITIG GENANNTEN SIND AM 27.5.44 VON VERSCHIEDENEN AUSSENKOMMANDOS AUS
DEM KL. AU. ROEM. 2 ENTFLOHEN. DIE SOFORT EINGELEITETE SUCHAKTION BLIEB
BISHER OHNE ERFOLG. ES WIRD GEBETEN, VON DORT AUR WEITERE
FAHNDUNGSMASSNAHMEN EINZULEITEN UND IN ERGREIFUNGSFALLE DAS KL. AUSCHWITZ
UMGEHEND ZU BENACHRICHTIGEN. DIE AUSSCHREIBUNG DER 7 KRIEGSGEFANGENEN WURDE
BEI DER ZUSTAENDIGEN KRIMINALPOLIZEI BEANTRAGT.

II/84216/ 28.5.44 SCHU.-BR.- KL .AU. AU. II
GEZ. KRAMER

From APMO microfilm no. 90/118, 119, published as facsimile in Henryk
Swiebocki (ed.), 'London Has Been Informed'. Reports By Auschwitz Escapees,
Oswiecim, 2002, pp. 50-51