Katy Carr’s Kommander’s Car Song inspiration
At 12 noon , midday on 20th June 1942 on a blistering summer’s day 75 years ago, Polish boy scout Kazik Piechowski escaped from Auschwitz concentration camp with three of his fellow political prisoners. They ‘borrowed’ and drove away in the camp commandant’s car. When Rudolf Hoss, the camp commander found out two hours later he was furious and ordered a ban on all road in the Auschwitz area. He ordered an immediate enquiry into the reasons how the escape could have been successful and ordered to send those (guards, capos of the camp and any others) who had helped to facilitate the escape by not paying attention to their duties to the gas chambers, SS court or further a field to the Eastern Russian front. A detailed poster of Kazik and his fellow prisoners was instantly issued and search warrants were sent to SS depots across the region to find the missing prisoners.
After the escape a sense of elation, excitement and hope ran through the camp. Was is possible that an escape from Auschwitz could have really happened – and more unlikely in the commandant’s car?
The last 80m of Kazik’s escape were so dramatical. The escapees had no documents, they were starving prisoners and they had to quickly make haste to leave the hell of Auschwitz behind.
I wrote my song Kommander’s Car which was inspired by the last 80m of Kazik’s escape. Watch my song below
If you want to view the film I made about Kazik
Kazik and the Kommander’s Car please view it here