Forced labor badge, yellow with a purple P, to identify a Polish forced laborer
Archival History
The forced labor badge was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2001.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection
Scope and Content
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.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Square white cotton badge printed on the front with a yellow square with a purple border and the letter P in the center, to be worn in a diamond orientation.
Subjects
- Poland--History--Occupation, 1939--1945.
- Foreign workers--Germany--History--20th century.
- World War, 1939-1945--Conscript labor--Germany.
- Forced labor--Germany--History--20th century.
- Polish people--Germany--History--20th century.
Genre
- Object
- Identifying Artifacts