Unused forced labor badge, yellow with a purple P, to identify a Polish forced laborer

Unused forced labor badge, blue field with OST in white letters, to identify a forced laborer from the Soviet Union

Object

Unused OST badge that would have been worn by a forced laborer to identify them as an Ostarbeiter [Worker from the East], usually Russian or Ukrainian, deported to work in Nazi Germany. The patch would have been sewn to the chest with the outer white border visible. After Germany attacked the Soviet Union in the spring of 1941, the need for forced labor to support the war effort became an urgent necessity. Beginning in 1942, millions of forced laborers were deported from the Soviet Union to work in factories and other civilian labor details. They were housed in so-called residence camps that often had barbed wire and SS guards. They were treated as second class citizens and kept separate from the general population. After the war ended in 1945, nearly 6 million eastern workers were repatriated to the Soviet Union where they often were discriminated against and accused of being traitors to their country.

Unused forced labor badge, blue field with OST in white letters, to identify a forced laborer from the Soviet Union

Object

Unused OST forced labor badge that would have been worn by a forced laborer to identify them as an Ostarbeiter [Worker from the East], usually Russian or Ukrainian, deported to work in Nazi Germany. The patch would have been sewn to the chest with the outer white border visible. After Germany attacked the Soviet Union in the spring of 1941, the need for forced labor to support the war effort became an urgent necessity. Beginning in 1942, millions of forced laborers were deported from the Soviet Union to work in factories and other civilian labor details. They were housed in so-called residence camps that often had barbed wire and SS guards. They were treated as second class citizens and kept separate from the general population. After the war ended in 1945, nearly 6 million eastern workers were repatriated to the Soviet Union where they often were discriminated against and accused of being traitors to their country.

Used forced labor badge, yellow with a purple P, sewn to gray felt backing for use by a Polish forced laborer

Object

Used Polish forced labor badge, yellow with a purple P and a purple border, sewn to gray felt backing, that would be worn to identify a Polish forced laborer in Nazi Germany. German regulations required the workers to wear the badge with the purple band visible around the P on the right chest to keep them separate from the German populace. During the German occupation of Poland, 1939-1945, many non-Jewish Polish people were sent to Germany as conscript labor for civilian labor details on farms and factories. Workers sometimes volunteered for the forced labor service, but the majority were forcibly recruited and conditions worsened as the war continued. The German work force was depleted by the war and unpaid foreign workers were needed to keep the economy functioning.

Ostarbeiter [Eastern worker] Sparmarke [savings stamp] block, 1 Reichsmark

Object

Savings stamp block of 50 stamps issued as wages in place of currency to some Ostarbeiters [Eastern workers], forced laborers, usually Russian or Ukrainian, forcibly recruited by the Germans to work in Nazi controlled territories. They could be exchanged for limited goods available in the work camps. Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in the spring of 1941, and the need for forced labor to support the war effort and to keep the German economy functioning was an urgent necessity. Millions of forced laborers were deported from the Soviet Union to work in factories. They were housed in so-called residence camps which were often surrounded by barbed wire and staffed by SS guards. They were required to wear OST badges to keep them separate from the general population and to mark them as second class citizens. After the war ended in 1945, nearly 6 million eastern workers were repatriated to the Soviet Union where they often were discriminated against and accused of being traitors to their country.

Ostarbeiter [Eastern worker] Sparmarke [savings stamp] block, 3 Reichsmark

Object

Savings stamp block of 50 stamps issued as wages in place of currency to some Ostarbeiters [Eastern workers], forced laborers, usually Russian or Ukrainian, forcibly recruited by the Germans to work in Nazi controlled territories. They could be exchanged for limited goods available in the work camps. Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in the spring of 1941, and the need for forced labor to support the war effort and to keep the German economy functioning was an urgent necessity. Millions of forced laborers were deported from the Soviet Union to work in factories. They were housed in so-called residence camps which were often surrounded by barbed wire and staffed by SS guards. They were required to wear OST badges to keep them separate from the general population and to mark them as second class citizens. After the war ended in 1945, nearly 6 million eastern workers were repatriated to the Soviet Union where they often were discriminated against and accused of being traitors to their country.

Ostarbeiter [Eastern worker] Sparmarke [savings stamp] block, 5 Reichsmark

Object

Savings stamp block of 50 stamps issued as wages in place of currency to some Ostarbeiters [Eastern workers], forced laborers, usually Russian or Ukrainian, forcibly recruited by the Germans to work in Nazi controlled territories. They could be exchanged for limited goods available in the work camps. Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in the spring of 1941, and the need for forced labor to support the war effort and to keep the German economy functioning was an urgent necessity. Millions of forced laborers were deported from the Soviet Union to work in factories. They were housed in so-called residence camps which were often surrounded by barbed wire and staffed by SS guards. They were required to wear OST badges to keep them separate from the general population and to mark them as second class citizens. After the war ended in 1945, nearly 6 million eastern workers were repatriated to the Soviet Union where they often were discriminated against and accused of being traitors to their country.

Ostarbeiter [Eastern worker] Sparmarke [savings stamp] block, 10 Reichsmark

Object

Savings stamp block of 50 stamps issued as wages in place of currency to some Ostarbeiters [Eastern workers], forced laborers, usually Russian or Ukrainian, forcibly recruited by the Germans to work in Nazi controlled territories. They could be exchanged for limited goods available in the work camps. Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in the spring of 1941, and the need for forced labor to support the war effort and to keep the German economy functioning was an urgent necessity. Millions of forced laborers were deported from the Soviet Union to work in factories. They were housed in so-called residence camps which were often surrounded by barbed wire and staffed by SS guards. They were required to wear OST badges to keep them separate from the general population and to mark them as second class citizens. After the war ended in 1945, nearly 6 million eastern workers were repatriated to the Soviet Union where they often were discriminated against and accused of being traitors to their country.

Forced labor book collection, 1938-1945

Document

Contains 801 forced labor work books of laborers from Western, Eastern, and Southern Europe stationed in Vienna, Austria.

Yellow cloth Star of David badge printed with Jude, German for Jew

Object

Used Star of David badge with the German word for Jew that Jews were required to wear in Germany and Austria. The patch made it easy to identify the person as Jewish and to mark him or her as an undesirable outcast from society. In September 1941, the Nazi government in Germany ordered all Jews over the age of 6 to wear a badge with a Judenstern [Jewish star] displayed on their clothing at all times. Jews were responsible for the manufacture and distribution of the badges. This type was printed on rolls of cloth and would be cut off singly or in strips depending on how many a person required. They were printed with dotted lines as aids for cutting one out neatly.

Unused yellow cloth Star of David badge printed with Jude, German for Jew

Object

Unused Star of David badge with the German word for Jew that Jews were required to wear in Germany and Austria. The patch made it easy to identify the person as Jewish and to mark him or her as an undesirable outcast from society. In September 1941, the Nazi government in Germany ordered all Jews over the age of 6 to wear a badge with a Judenstern [Jewish star] displayed on their clothing at all times. Jews were responsible for the manufacture and distribution of the badges. This type was printed on rolls of cloth and would be cut off singly or in strips depending on how many a person required. They were printed with dotted lines as aids for cutting one out neatly.

Object

Unused forced labor badge, yellow with a purple P and a purple border, that would be worn to identify a Polish forced laborer in Nazi Germany. German regulations required the workers to wear the badge with the purple band visible around the P on the right chest to keep them separate from the German populace. During the German occupation of Poland, 1939-1945, many non-Jewish Polish people were sent to Germany as conscript labor for civilian labor details on farms and factories. Workers sometimes volunteered for the forced labor service, but the majority were forcibly recruited and conditions worsened as the war continued. The German work force was depleted by the war and unpaid foreign workers were needed to keep the economy functioning.

Red metal badge with the letter P and the prisoner number of a Polish inmate of Dachau

Object

Metal badge stamped with the number 46998 worn by 23 year old Karol Malkiewicz, a Polish Roman Catholic prisoner in Dachau concentration camp. Karl was arrested on March 2, 1943, in Munich, Germany, and deported to Dachau on April 9, 1943. He was liberated by the United States Army on April 29, 1945.

Purple armband with a V to identify a prisoner from Flanders

Object

Purple armband with a V in fraktur font for Vlaamse [Flemish] to identify a prisoner from the Flanders region of Belgium. Nazi Germany had many systems using armbands or badges to identify a particular group of people, in this case, a Flemish person. These systems made it easier to separate the different types of prisoners from other groups. This was often done to indicate the different levels of privileges or restrictions that were allowed to the group or individual.

Unused forced labor badge, blue field with OST in white letters, to identify a forced laborer from the Soviet Union

Object

Unused OST badge that would have been worn by a forced laborer to identify them as an Ostarbeiter [Worker from the East], usually Russian or Ukrainian, deported to work in Nazi Germany. The patch would have been sewn to the chest with the outer white border visible. After Germany attacked the Soviet Union in the spring of 1941, the need for forced labor to support the war effort became an urgent necessity. Beginning in 1942, millions of forced laborers were deported from the Soviet Union to work in factories and other civilian labor details in Germany. They were housed in so-called residence camps that often had barbed wire and SS guards. They were treated as second class citizens and kept separate from the general population. After the war ended in 1945, nearly 6 million eastern workers were repatriated to the Soviet Union where they often were discriminated against and accused of being traitors to their country.

Unused trilingual paid reply postcards for use by forced laborers from eastern Europe

Object

Unused reply paid postcards with instructions in German, Russian, and Ukrainian created for use by Ostarbeiters [Eastern workers], forced laborers from eastern Europe, mostly Russians and Ukrainians, forcibly recruited by the Germans to work in Nazi controlled territories. They were allowed to send two postcards a month, subject to censorship. Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in the spring of 1941, and the need for forced labor to support the war effort and to keep the German economy functioning was an urgent necessity. Millions of forced laborers were deported from the Soviet Union to work in factories. They were housed in so-called residence camps which were often surrounded by barbed wire and staffed by SS guards. They were required to wear OST badges to keep them separate from the general population and to mark them as second class citizens. After the war ended in 1945, nearly 6 million eastern workers were repatriated to the Soviet Union where they often were discriminated against and accused of being traitors to their country.

Unused trilingual paid reply postcards for use by forced laborers from eastern Europe

Object

Unused reply paid postcards with instructions in German, Russian, and Ukrainian created for use by Ostarbeiters [Eastern workers], forced laborers from eastern Europe, mostly Russians and Ukrainians, forcibly recruited by the Germans to work in Nazi controlled territories. They were allowed to send two postcards a month, subject to censorship. Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in the spring of 1941, and the need for forced labor to support the war effort and to keep the German economy functioning was an urgent necessity. Millions of forced laborers were deported from the Soviet Union to work in factories. They were housed in so-called residence camps which were often surrounded by barbed wire and staffed by SS guards. They were required to wear OST badges to keep them separate from the general population and to mark them as second class citizens. After the war ended in 1945, nearly 6 million eastern workers were repatriated to the Soviet Union where they often were discriminated against and accused of being traitors to their country.

Learn About The Holocaust

My Saved Research

Unused forced labor badge, yellow with a purple P, to identify a Polish forced laborer

Also in Forced labor artifact and book collection

Availability

Learn About the Holocaust

Further Your Research

About the Museum's Collections

Plan a Research Visit

Ask a Research Question