Published: 2021-11-171

Looting raids organized by north Mazovians in Szczytno county between 1945 and 1946 based on the documents of the Ministry of Recovered Territories

Radosław Gross
Echa Przeszłości
Section: DOCUMENTS AND MATERIALS
https://doi.org/10.31648/ep.7219

Abstract

In 1945 and 1946, very dangerous and menacing events were observed in Szczytno county in the southern part of Mazury District (which became a part of Olsztyn voivodeship in the following years). Szczytno county became the destination of looting raids organized by the residents of northern counties in Warsaw voivodeship. The raids targeted mainly the local population who were forcibly removed from their homes and farms, as well as the new settlers who had been relocated to the area. Violence and robbery became the daily reality in Szczytno. The Citizens’ Militia and the employees of the Department of Security often joined the pillagers, which provided the gangs with a sense of impunity. The local authorities were unable to effectively handle the crisis. The raids jeopardized the settlement process and the region’s economic development, and the Ministry of Recovered Territories and the Ministry of Public Security intervened in the fall of 1946. These operations were documented in several reports generated by the Ministry of Recovered Territories. The threat was largely averted after 1946, but the social and economic consequences of these events continued to be felt for many years.

Keywords:

Szczytno county, violence, looting, settlement, illegal settlem

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Citation rules

Gross, R. (2021). Looting raids organized by north Mazovians in Szczytno county between 1945 and 1946 based on the documents of the Ministry of Recovered Territories. Echa Przeszłości, (XXII/2), 325–342. https://doi.org/10.31648/ep.7219

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