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'''Łapanka''' (pronounced wa-PAN-ka) was the Polish name for a Nazi practice in World War II occupied Poland, whereby the SS, Wehrmacht and Gestapo rounded up random civilians on the streets of Polish cities. The term "''łapanka''" carried a sardonic connotation from the word's earlier use for the children's game known in English as "tag."
Most of these prisoners were taken to labour camps (''Arbeitslager'') in Germany. Some, particularly those without proper documents or carrying contraband, were transported to concentration and death camps; sometimes shot on the spot. Some women ended up in brothels to service Nazi troops. The term was also used for the cordoning off of streets at night and the systematic searching of houses. Possession of an identity card (''Ausweis'') certifying that the holder was employed by a German company or government agency (for example the city utilities or the railways) was the only reliable defense for young men in their 20s and 30s against being taken. As an example many of those taken from cafes and restaurants in Warsaw on 5 December 1940, were subsequently released after checking documentation.^[1] According to various estimates, between 1942 and 1944 there were approximately 400 victims of this practice daily in Warsaw alone, with numbers on some days reaching several thousand. For example, on 19 September 1942 close to 3000 men and women were transported by train to Germany, they had been caught in the massive round-ups all over Warsaw the previous two days.^[2]
The same practice was carried out by the Nazis in other occupied countries, in particular in northern France, although not as extensively as in Poland. The French language term was ''rafle'', used primarily for rounding up Jews. The Soviets used the same tactics for rounding up middle class Poles in the area occupied by them following the invasion of Poland. Men, women and children were transported to labor camps in remote regions of the Soviet Union.^[3]

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References

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References

1. "1859 Dni Warszawy" by Władysław Bartoszewski, Cracow 1974, page 167
2. "1859 Dni Warszawy" by Władysław Bartoszewski, Cracow 1974, pages 303-304
3. "Europe" by Norman Davies, ISBN 019520912-5, see pp.1002-1003

See also

★ Anti-Polonism

★ German camps in occupied Poland during World War II

★ Treatment of Polish citizens by occupiers

★ World War II atrocities in Poland