Free Resistance by Nechama Tec Page B

Aryan looks and relaxed manner offered invaluable protection to those whose underground duties required frequent relocations. In addition to transferring people, she also smuggled false documents, money, and arms.
    She considered herself fortunate that she happened to be in Warsaw during the ghetto uprising. As Lutek’s girlfriend, Hela stayed in the bunker, which served as the headquarters for the Å» OB underground. Lutek also brought to this bunker his mother, known to others as Mrs. Maria. Maria, a widow, was closely attached to her only son. Other underground leaders also brought those who were close to them to this bunker.
    By May 1943, the Germans had intensified their search for bunkers. They were particularly eager to locate the one that served as Å» OB’s headquarters. At one point, with many of its fighters engaged elsewhere, the Å» OB fighters left in the bunker sensed a nearby fire. This could spell the destruction of all those inside. After discovering a bunker, the Germans would pump gas into it, suffocating those who hid within. The Germans counted on burning the Jews out of their shelters. As those inside the Å» OB headquarters contemplated their next move, they suddenly realized that the German soldiers were getting ready to depart. The soldiers started singing, generally proof that they were done for the day. Finally, from their hiding place, the Jews could see the Germans leaving—yet they still smelled fire.
    Everyone at the Å» OB headquarters had agreed that the Germans should not take any of them alive, and that the last bullets in theirguns should be reserved for their own suicide. As they smelled the fire approaching, some concluded that the end was near. Lutek’s mother had poison in her hand. Hela, who was with her, urged her not to swallow it, insisting that the time was not yet come. They removed themselves to a part of their cellar where there were fewer fumes. As they were thinking over what to do next, Lutek and several underground fighters entered their bunker, bringing with them news: the entire Å» OB headquarter had been invited to relocate to the bunkers at Mila 18 street.
    As mentioned in chapter 2 , the Mila 18 address was a network of bunkers that had once belonged to a group of Jewish thieves. In preparation for the ghetto uprising, the Polish underground had collectively acquired a spacious area underneath the ghetto, extending over a number of cellars, which had been transformed into networks, divided, and reinforced, and was now being used for a variety of functions. Mila 18 was well-equipped and supplied with food, water, electricity, and arms. At the head of this syndicate was Shmuel Iser. Aware that the Å» OB headquarters were in danger of being burned or attacked, some members of the Polish underground wanted to help the Jewish fighters. Indeed, the accommodations that they offered to the Å» OB were luxurious in comparison to the spaces they had used previously. With time the generosity of these hosts extended further, including offers of food as well. The help given to Å» OB was critically important and greatly appreciated. The bunkers at Mila 18 attracted Å» OB fighters who were forced from their own bunkers by fires; they sought shelter there usually as a last resort.
    Jewish fighters and the Germans operated at different hours, as we have seen. Less familiar with the ghetto, the Germans and their collaborators limited their activities to the daytime. For the Jewish fighters most activities began in the evening. Some of the fighters went off in search of food and supplies in houses that the Germans had not yet destroyed. Others went to the Aryan side in search of help. Some groups were exploring the possibilities for moving the ghetto youths to forests, where they might join the partisans. But no positive responses had reached the ghetto from the forests—and no responses meant no options.
    The burning of the ghetto continued, reducing the