Despite the horrible conditions in the camp, the Soviet prisoners of war did not lose their ability for resistance. In March 1942, they created an underground organization. Connections with other underground organizations were maintained among others by two Soviet officers, Alexander Lebedev (prisoner 88349) and Fyodor Skiba (prisoner number unknown). The main objectives of the Resistance movement in the camp were to help the sick, to provide moral support to starved prisoners, women and children, to gather and then pass on information, and to find ways of avoiding extermination. The spirit of resistance was most clearly shown by arranging escapes.
On 6 November 1942 several dozen Soviet prisoners of war escaped.
The archives of Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum contain 12 telegrams about individual escapes of 27 Soviet POWs (26 in 1944 and 1 in 1943). Yet, the number of escapees was considerably greater. Some surviving POW cards also have notes about escape attempts.
It is estimated that from the end of 1943 to the summer of 1944 42 prisoners attempted escape and 29 of them were successful.
((Jacek Lachendro. Los Jencow sowieckich w KL Auschwitz. Nowe spojrzenie||Miedzy Wehrmachtem a SS. Jency wojenni w niemieckich obozach koncentracyjnych. Opole. 2010. p. 67)According to the memoirs of the survived prisoners, Soviet officers also participated in the only uprising of the crematorium sonderkommando. The uprising took place on October 7th and 8th in crematoriums № 4 and 2. There is information pointing out that A. Shenkarenko — a sonderkommando member — managed to escape during this uprising.
