Upfall

Both assault groups would sweep down the platform, eliminating SS men and Ukrainians along the way. Then they would turn, in echelon, into the camp itself. Once inside Shapira's men would seize the so-called Forward Camp, which contained barracks, offices and the camp armory, while Yatom would take Camp 2, consisting of assembly yards and storage sheds filled with looted goods. Yatom‘s men would also be responsible for taking out the camp's four watchtowers, and a tall forester's tower in the center of the installation. It was a relatively simple and sound plan, thought Shapira. Surprise and modern firepower would be on their side.

By throwing De Jong and his men at the Forward Camp Yatom hoped to reduce the risks to the sayeret. Feldhandler's map showed that the Forward Camp contained Sobibor‘s headquarters buildings and the home of the commandant, in addition to barracks for the SS and Ukrainians. Most of the enemy not immediately killed on the platform would probably rally in that area. By comparison, Yatom expected that Camp 2, with its administrative buildings and sorting sheds, and would be lightly defended. Another sub—carnp, designated Camp 1, was located directly behind the Forward Camp and contained the barracks of the Jewish prisoners—this Yatom intended to ignore.

The last area of importance was Camp 3, which held the gas chambers and burial pits. This area, the real business end of the death camp, was defended by a separate force of SS men and Ukrainians. Yatom hoped that these men would flee or surrender once they realized the fate of their comrades in the rest of the camp. If they stayed, Yatom would reduce Camp 3 with a deliberate assault. Surprise was the key. The train would proceed slowly past Sobibor camp to the station located a few hundred meters to the east.

There, Yatom and Mofaz would eliminate the German railroad crew whose job was to bring the train into the camp via a special siding. This time, the Polish engineers would back the train in. When the train halted, presumably with many if not most of the Germans and Ukrainians awaiting it along the platform, Yatom would initiate the action by fire from front of the train. At that point, Shapira would throw open the boxcar doors, hose down any Germans or Ukrainians within view, and send De J ong and his men on their way, with his team following and providing fire support. That at least was the intention.

Shapira reviewed the plan with his men and De Jong repeatedly on uncomfortable journey, there being little else to do. Finally, after chugging forward slowly but steadily for nearly an hour, the train came to a stop.

Roskovsky jumped down from the second-class carriage, where Yatom's group rode in relative comfort, and trotted over to one of the telephone poles along the railroad right-of-way. The engineer quickly scaled the pole and clipped the wires. It was a safe bet that all telephone communication from Sobibor ran along this line.

The train got under way again. In the fetid boxcar Shapira sat against the door which was opened a few inches to let in fresh air, and to keep the men oriented. They had only moved a couple of additional kilometers when Bolander, peering through the door, said excitedly "There it is!" Shapira craned his head around to look. A kilometer down the track was Sobibor. The train stopped again. The the engineers blew the whistle and waited a few minutes, before continuing toward the camp.

Sobibor looked innocuous enough to Shapira, which was intentional. The Germans had interlaced pine branches in double barbed-wire fences, which helped the death canrp to blend into the surrounding countryside. The camp itself consisted of clusters of small simple wooden buildings, which looked no more menacing than what you would see at a simple summer vacation retreat. It was easy to see how the camp's victims were misled as to Sobibor's true purpose and the fate that awaited them within.

As the train moved slowly past the camp Shapira slid the door shut except for a small crack to keep oriented as to their position. It was hard to get a clear perspective, but all along the platform, several dozen meters away, scores of men in a variety of uniforms scurried to positions in an obviously well choreographed drill designed to empty arriving trains quickly and efficiently.

In the front of the train the rest of the sayeret had a better view through the second-class coach windows, which were screened by partly opened blinds. The commandos kept their heads low, peering as best they could at the sight before them, both fantastic and prosaic at the same time.

Yatom and Mofaz rode separately from the rest of the commandos in the locomotive with the Polish crew. This allowed the Israeli officers to ensure the Poles did not deviate from the plan, and provided a position from which to jump the special German crew that would be waiting to drive the train into Sobibor camp itself.