William is a third generation Polish American, born on August 11 (or 15), 1911, in the United States. He is the grandson of a Polish immigrant, and the son of Rip Blazkowicz, an ambitious, but crooked and racist Polish-American con-artist and businessman; and Zofia, a young Polish Jew. He grew up on a farm called the Blazkowicz Estate in Mesquite, Texas, near Forney Lake, in the 1900s. His childhood was abusive, with his father venting his anger on him, his mother, and their dog Bessie for his failing business. He would also lock B.J. in the closet when he was bad, where he would lose track of time
At a young age, B.J. started to have nightmares, often waking his father in the middle of the night. This ended when his father took him in the basement to fight the monsters with weapons, curing B.J. of his nightmares. His father later gave him his pocketknife; it was later taken by bullies Andy and Howie, with B.J forced by his father to get it back himself if he wanted to ever enter the house again. B.J. was also forced by his father to get his pocket watch from the well, something that is recollected in his memories upon his return to the well in 1961. Despite the abuse he suffered from his father, his mother showed him unyielding compassion, and she trusted him with her engagement ring, a family heirloom for B.J. to give to his spouse one day Around the age of nine or ten, B.J. met and befriended an African American girl named Billie, whom he developed a mutual crush on. She would have a great impact on his morality, as he saved a rat he put into a bucket full of water due to her pleas. However, they were caught by his father under the poplar tree, enraging him. His mother hid him and Bessie in the closet while she dealt with Rip. Rip and Zofia argued until he slapped her unconscious, leading B.J. to come out of the closet and unsuccessfully throw vases at his father until B.J. was strangled unconscious. Later that day, B.J was strapped to the sawhorse in the basement, and forced to shoot his dog Bessie, much to his father's glee; however, depending on the player's actions, Bessie is shot by Rip when B.J. misses her. Afterward, B.J. and Zofia buried Bessie in the front yard, while B.J. was consoled by his mother, who told him it would end better than it began. He was then taken into his room, where his mother noted that Rip hurt him badly, asking him whether he wanted soup or porridge
