Used forced labor badge, yellow with a purple P, sewn to gray felt backing for use by a Polish forced laborer
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 2.125 inches (5.398 cm) | Width: 2.250 inches (5.715 cm)
Archival History
The forced labor badge was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2005.
Acquisition
Forms part of the Claims Conference International Holocaust Documentation Archive at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This archive consists of documentation whose reproduction and/or acquisition was made possible with funding from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
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.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Square white cotton cloth badge screen printed on the front with an upper case purple letter P within a yellow square that is outlined in purple. The badge would be worn in diamond orientation. The white edges are folded over and hand sewn with light brown thread to dark gray felt backing. The badge is worn and stained.
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Conscript labor--Germany.
- Forced labor--Germany--History--20th century.
- Foreign workers--Germany--History--20th century.
- Poland--History--Occupation, 1939--1945.
- Polish people--Germany--History--20th century.
Genre
- Object
- Identifying Artifacts