The activity of Polish statisticians during the German occupation of Poland

The aim of this article is to present the achievements of selected representatives of Polish statistics who developed the methodology of statistical research under full conspiracy during the German occupation (1939–1945). Those who engaged in such activities risked their lives or being sent to concentration camps. The statisticians carried out their work mainly at the secret Institute of Social Economics (ISE) in Warsaw and the Statistical Department of the Board of the Capital City of Warsaw. The article describes the activities of the ISE and the achievements of Polish statisticians working in Cracow and London. Additionally, it presents the short biographies of the ten most active statisticians cooperating with the Polish Government in Exile. These biographies open with Ludwik Landau, who devoted all his knowledge and skills to the study of the living conditions in occupied Poland. This statistical work, carried out in life-threatening circumstances, yielded results whose majority was transmitted to the authorities of the Home Army and the Government Delegation for Poland. This ensured the continuity of empirical research and provided reliable information about the country, which was later used in negotiations concerning the future of Poland.