Hidden in the Enemy's Sight: Resisting the Third Reich from Within

Bonnie J. White is a Ph.D. candidate in History Department at McMaster
University.

Hidden in the Enemy’s Sight makes it clear that resistance to the Third Reich came in many forms. Not unlike other resistance groups, the Polish resistance movement was loosely organized, highly secretive, and active for most of the war. This is not, however, a typical story of wartime resistance. Rather, the story of the Polish resistance movement is intertwined with, and mostly consigned to the background of, a larger story that details Jan Kamienski’s experiences in Poland and Germany during the Second World War.

Kamienski’s touching memoir begins with the invasion of Poland and his family’s attempt to flee the advancing German army. After suffering a shrapnel wound early in their escape, Kamienski and his family were forced to return to their home in Poznan. Kamienski provides a brief but informative family history, emphasizing the complexity of this family’s roots. Born to a German mother and a Polish father, Kamienski, who identifies himself as a Polack, straddles dangerous territory between these two identities. After learning to speak passable German, he joins the Polish resistance movement and is given a dangerous assignment. He is asked to relocate to Germany, live among the enemy, and provide information about the progress of the war, gleaned from listening to foreign radio broadcasts, to the men and women living in the Polish work camps. He was also instructed to provide shelter to travelling ‘visitors’ who were a part of the Polish resistance.

Kamienski had to pass for a German and become fully immersed into German society in order to complete his tasks. He rented a small apartment, found a job at a local film studio, attended art classes, and befriended a German family. His friendship with the Ulichs, who knew his true identity, is one of the central stories of the book. Kamienski explains that the decision to become involved with this family was difficult. His association with the family not only put them in danger, but also brought considerable risk to his own life and to his mission. Despite the dangers, his relationship with the Ulich’s brought him comfort and allowed him to separate ordinary Germans from his enemy the German state. This aspect of Kamienski’s memoir provides a unique perspective on wartime Germany and enriches our understanding of the intricacies of the Polish resistance movement.

Although Jan Kamienski’s story is brilliantly articulated in this book, his attitude toward the resistance movement and what he believed it accomplished is strangely absent. On several occasions his resistance efforts are reintroduced into the main narrative, but are never fully incorporated into the central story and are rarely the primary focus. While he pays ample attention to the dangers and fears he faced while ‘hidden in the enemy’s sight,’ the book concludes with his departure to Canada, and never gives the reader a final conclusion regarding his brave efforts as a member of the Polish resistance.