5 short WW2 Survival stories

1. The Pianist’s Secret Refuge

Władysław Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist, survived the Warsaw Ghetto and Nazi occupation by hiding in the ruins of Warsaw. After narrowly escaping deportation to Treblinka, Szpilman went underground with the help of Polish friends. For months, he lived in attics and abandoned buildings, scavenging food and water while avoiding patrols. In 1944, he was discovered by a German officer, Captain Wilm Hosenfeld. To Szpilman’s astonishment, Hosenfeld didn’t arrest him; instead, he provided food and kept his hiding spot secret. When the war ended, Szpilman returned to performing and became a symbol of resilience through music.

2. The Siberian Journey

After the Soviet invasion of eastern Poland in 1939, Krystyna Chiger’s family was deported to Siberia. Enduring brutal conditions in labor camps, they faced starvation and disease. When the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, they were allowed to leave Siberia, traveling thousands of miles southward to safety. The family eventually made their way to Uzbekistan, where they lived in a displaced persons camp. Despite harsh conditions, they survived and rebuilt their lives. Krystyna later wrote about the strength and courage that kept her family together through unimaginable adversity.

3. The Czech Paratrooper

In 1942, Jan Kubiš was part of Operation Anthropoid, tasked with assassinating Reinhard Heydrich, the high-ranking Nazi official overseeing the Czech Protectorate. After successfully attacking Heydrich’s convoy, Kubiš and his team went into hiding in Prague. Betrayed by an informant, they were discovered in the crypt of a church. Despite being surrounded by German forces, they held out for hours, running out of ammunition before taking their own lives to avoid capture. Their bravery inspired Czech resistance movements and demonstrated the cost of standing against tyranny.

4. The Japanese-American Internment Escape

Fred Korematsu, a Japanese-American, refused to comply with Executive Order 9066, which forced Japanese-Americans into internment camps during the war. Korematsu evaded arrest for several months, living under an alias while trying to protect his freedom. Eventually captured, he was sent to a camp but continued to fight against the injustice. After the war, his case reached the Supreme Court, where he lost. However, Korematsu’s persistence brought attention to the rights of interned citizens, and decades later, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

5. The Norwegian Resistance Fighter

Asbjørn Sunde, a member of the Norwegian resistance, specialized in sabotaging Nazi supply lines. Operating in rugged terrain, Sunde and his group cut communication lines, derailed trains, and smuggled refugees to Sweden. On one mission, he narrowly escaped capture after a firefight, swimming across a frigid river to evade German patrols. Despite immense danger, Sunde’s actions helped disrupt Nazi operations in Norway. His heroism is remembered as a key contribution to the liberation of Norway.