LETTER TO THE EDITOR (03/03/02)

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

More on patches worn by Ostarbeiters

Dear Editor:

Thank you for running the article about research on Ukrainian forced laborers of World War II by Oksana Zakydalsky. Tatiana Koltun-Lapan is doing some very valuable research on this too-often-neglected area of Ukrainian history.

Fortunately, I am able to answer one of the questions raised in the article. There were no "U" patches produced for Ukrainian Ostarbeiters that superceded the detested "OST" badge worn by all eastern Slavic forced workers: Belarusians, Russians and Ukrainians. However, in September of 1944, three different patch designs were prepared by the Germans (see illustration). These "second edition" patches were never issued. A brief description of all Ostarbeiter badges (picture below) follows.

The Ostarbeiters ("eastern workers") who were shipped to Germany were men, women and teenagers who worked on farms, in industries, in military installations and in private homes. For control purposes, they were required to wear distinctive cloth patches on their outer garments. Those from Soviet territories usually wore a blue and white patch measuring about 7.5 by 8.5 cm with the word OST (east) in the middle (the white letters appeared in a blue rectangle surrounded by white and blue frames). A black and white version also is known.

Various German labor agencies, worried about the poor morale of their Eastern workers and the subsequent detrimental effect on production, proposed to abolish, or at least modify, the odious OST symbol. Repeated appeals to SS Chief Heinrich Himmler were rebuffed. It was not until late 1944 that a concession was made and three different "artistic" nationality emblem (Volkstumabzeichen) patch designs for Ostarbeiters were proposed. These new designs exhibited national symbolism - along with the national colors - of the three eastern Slavic peoples.

All three patches display their symbols surrounded by an oval frame; all patches are approximately 9 cm high and 6.5 cm wide, and the designs are outlined in brown thread. Each frame incorporates what appear to be 16 sunflowers.

The red and white Belarusian patch shows a stylized ear of grain (representing agriculture?) and a pinwheel-like object. Whether the latter is supposed to represent a flower or a circular-saw blade (representing industry?) is difficult to determine.

The Russian patch is similar to the Belarusian in that it, too, has a red and white frame. Its symbol, however, is a simple blue Cross of St. Andrew.

The Ukrainian patch is a bit more distinctive. The trident and frame are blue, while the flowers and trident background are yellow.

The national identification of these badges was meant to make the slave laborer more accepting of his/her lot. Nevertheless, the patch still would have marked the wearer as a potentially dangerous foreign presence. Regardless of the psychological machinations behind their design and creation, the patches were never put to public use.

Ingert Kuzych
Springfield, Va.

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