22 Facts About Tadeusz Pietrzykowski

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski was part of the first mass transport to Auschwitz in June 1940, and was transferred to Neuengamme in 1943.

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski is remembered as the boxing champion of Auschwitz.

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski received a number of positive write-ups in the interwar Polish sports press, and was nicknamed "Teddy" or "Teddi".

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski was at the height of his sports career in the years 1936 and 1937; in 1935 his boxing section advanced to the A-rank in Warsaw, and in 1937 he qualified for the finals in the Polish Boxing Championships and became the Warsaw Champion in the bantamweight class.

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski was arrested in Hungary, and deported back to Poland, where he was interrogated and tortured by the Gestapo.

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski arrived there with the first mass transport to Auschwitz concentration camp, receiving the camp prisoner number 77.

In March 1941, Tadeusz Pietrzykowski joined the Auschwitz resistance movement, Zwiazek Organizacji Wojskowej, working directly under Witold Pilecki.

Later, Tadeusz Pietrzykowski killed Hoss' dog, which had been trained to attack Jewish prisoners and had killed at least one of them.

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski was involved in other resistance activities, such as passing information and sabotaging labor activities.

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski took part in his first unofficial boxing fight in the camp in March 1941, motivated by the promise of additional food rations.

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski tried to adjust his style to his opponents, avoiding injuring them and prolonging the fights for the amusement of the onlookers.

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski was victorious against German professional boxers such as Wilhelm Maier and Harry Stein.

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski was transferred to Neuengamme on 14 March 1943.

One of his most notable opponents was German-American heavyweight boxer, Schally Hottenbach, nicknamed "Hammerschlag", whom Tadeusz Pietrzykowski defeated in August 1943.

However, Tadeusz Pietrzykowski was able to arrange a transfer for himself to another camp in Salzgitter, where he became ill, but recovered.

In March 1945, as the Eastern Front was approaching, Tadeusz Pietrzykowski was transferred to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski survived there until the camp was liberated a month later, on 15 April 1945.

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski sparred with other soldiers, winning his Division lightweight boxing championship in 1946.

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski tried to restart his sport career, but developed illnesses and his official post-war match record is 15 victories and two ties.

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski's life is the subject of two in-depth biographies.

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski's story was featured in a movie about famous Polish boxers, Ring Wolny.

Tadeusz Pietrzykowski's story is featured in Andrzej Fedorowicz's 2020 historical book Gladiatorzy obozow smierci.