Ostarbeiter
In 1941, Germany faced a severe labor shortage as millions of men were mobilized into its massive armies. Hermann Göring issued a decree to bring in people from territories seized during Operation Barbarossa. These workers became known as Ostarbeiter, or Eastern workers. The Germans began deporting civilians at unprecedented levels following the invasion of the Soviet Union. They apprehended individuals from Reichskommissariat Ukraine and Reichskommissariat Ostland. Estimates suggest that between three million and 5.5 million people were taken to Germany as forced laborers. By 1944, most new workers were under the age of 16 because older individuals had been conscripted for service in Germany. Thirty percent of these children were only 12 to 14 years old when taken from their homes. The age limit was reduced to 10 in November 1943. A crisis developed by the end of 1941, leading to mass abductions to fulfill labor needs for projects like Organisation Todt. Forty thousand to 50,000 Polish children aged 10 to 14 were kidnapped and transported to Germany proper. These children were handed over to the Reich Labour Service or aircraft works like Junkers.
A multi-layered class system existed among foreign workers brought to Germany. Guest workers from Germanic countries, Scandinavia, Romania, and Italy held the highest status. Forced workers included military internees, prisoners of war, and civilian workers primarily from Poland. They received reduced wages and food rations while working longer hours than guest workers. Eastern workers, marked with a badge reading OST, faced even harsher conditions than other groups. They were forced to live in special camps fenced with barbed wire and under guard. These camps exposed them to the arbitrariness of the Gestapo and commercial industrial plant guards. At the end of the war, 5.5 million Ostarbeiter were returned to the USSR. Nationality badges were legally introduced on the 19th of June 1944 as replacements for earlier OST badges. The badges featured colors corresponding to national flags: blue Saint Andrew's cross on white within a red oval for Russia, yellow within blue for Ukraine, and white-red-white for Belarus. Practical implementation of these new badges occurred seemingly only after February 1945. By late summer 1944, official records listed 7.6 million foreign civilian workers and prisoners of war in Greater Germany.
Ostarbeiter lived either in private camps owned by large companies or in special camps guarded by privately paid police services known as Schutzpolizei. They worked an average of 12 hours a day, six days a week. Payment was approximately 30 percent of German workers' wages, though most money went toward food, clothing, and board. Labor authorities complained that many firms viewed former Soviet civilian workers as civilian prisoners and paid no wages at all. Those who received pay got specially printed paper money usable only for limited items in camp stores. Starvation rations and primitive accommodation were given to these unfortunates in Germany. Being ethnically Slavic, they were classified as sub-humans who could be beaten, terrorized, and killed for transgressions. Escape or leaving without authorization was punished by death. Many died when Allied bombing raids targeted factories where they worked because German authorities refused to allow them into bomb shelters. The Nazis ordered that they should be worked to death. Hundreds of Polish and Russian men were executed for sexual relations with German women despite the main offenders being French and Italian civilian workers.
Rape of female Ostarbeiter was extremely common and led to tens of thousands of pregnancies caused by rape. A staggering 80 percent of rapes occurred on farms where Polish girls worked. The victims began giving so many unwanted births that hundreds of special Nazi birthing centers had to be created to dispose of their infants. At Arbeitslagers, infants were killed on site. Western factory workers had brothels, but Easterners did not. They were supposed to be recruited in equal numbers of men and women so brothels would not be needed. Female laborers were always housed in separate barracks. Nevertheless, they were suspected by the SS of cheating their way out of work by conceiving. The earlier policy of sending them home to give birth was replaced by a special abortion decree in 1943. Contrary to Nazi law against German abortions, these women were usually forced to abort. Occasionally, when the female worker and baby's father were of good blood, the child might prove racially valuable. If parents passed testing, the woman could give birth, and the child was removed for Germanization. When born children did not pass, up to 90 percent died a torturous death due to calculated abandonment.
As a result of abusive treatment, Ostarbeiter suffered from high levels of psychological trauma. Those admitted to psychiatric hospitals often became victims of abuse and murder. On the 6th of September 1944, the Reichsminister of the Interior ordered establishment of special units for Ostarbeiter in several psychiatric hospitals. The reason given was that admission into German psychiatric hospitals as mentally ill patients had become more frequent. With shortage of space in German hospitals, it was irresponsible to treat these people who would not be fit for work for prolonged periods. The exact number of Ostarbeiter killed in these institutions is unknown. One hundred eighty-nine were admitted to the unit at Heil- und Pflegeanstalt Kaufbeuren. Forty-nine died as a result of starvation diet or deadly injections. The Nazi regime sanctioned use of Ostarbeiter in medical experiments. Many died when Allied bombing raids targeted factories where they worked because authorities refused to allow them into bomb shelters. They perished because German authorities ordered that they should be worked to death.
After the war, many Ostarbeiter were initially placed in displaced person camps before being moved to Kempten for processing and returned to their country of origin, primarily the USSR. Soviets used special Agit brigades to convince many to return. Many were still children or young teenagers when taken away and wanted to return home to parents. Others declined to return due to understanding postwar political reality. Those in Soviet occupational zones were returned automatically. Those in French and British zones were forced to return under terms of the Yalta Agreement stating citizens of Soviet Union and Yugoslavia were to be handed over regardless of consent. In October 1945, General Eisenhower banned use of force in repatriation in American Zone. As a result, many began escaping to American Zone. Some chose to commit suicide when faced with return to Soviet reality. Upon return to Soviet Union, Ostarbeiter were often treated as traitors. Many were transported to remote locations and denied basic rights and chance to get further education. Former slave laborers suffered state-sanctioned stigmatization with special references in passports mentioning time in Germany during war. Many jobs were off-limits to anyone carrying such status. During periods of repression, former slave laborers were ostracized by wider Soviet community.
In 2000, Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future was established as project of German Federal Government and 6,500 companies of German Industry Foundation Initiative. It disbursed 10 billion Deutsche Mark or 5.1 billion euros to former forced laborers. This is roughly one-off payment of 2,000 euros per worker, much less than inflation-adjusted value of their work. Of over 2 million Ostarbeiter in Ukraine, 467,000 received total amount of 867 million euros. Each worker was assigned one-time payment of 4,300 marks. Last payments were made in 2007. Published eyewitness accounts of Ukrainian experience are virtually non-existent in Ukraine although there were 2,244,000 from Ukraine according to historian Yuriy Kondufor. State Archival Service of Ukraine now has collection of documents online showing official notices published by German government of occupation in Ukraine. Total of 3,000,000 were taken to Germany, and it is estimated that Ukrainians constituted about 75 percent of total. Some survived war and were forced to emigrate to countries outside Europe, primarily United States, though handful also made it to Argentina, Australia, Canada, and Brazil.
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Common questions
What does the term Ostarbeiter mean in Nazi Germany?
Ostarbeiter was a Nazi Germany term for foreign slave workers from territories seized during Operation Barbarossa. These Eastern workers were marked with an OST badge and faced harsher conditions than other groups of forced laborers.
When did the age limit for Ostarbeiter drop to 10 years old?
The age limit for Ostarbeiter was reduced to 10 on the 1st of November 1943. By 1944, most new workers were under the age of 16 because older individuals had been conscripted for service in Germany.
How many Ostarbeiter were taken to Germany as forced laborers?
Estimates suggest that between three million and 5.5 million people were taken to Germany as forced laborers. By late summer 1944, official records listed 7.6 million foreign civilian workers and prisoners of war in Greater Germany.
Why were female Ostarbeiter subjected to forced abortions or death of their children?
Female Ostarbeiter were subjected to forced abortions or death of their children due to Nazi racial policies and suspicion that they were conceiving to cheat work requirements. When born children did not pass racial testing, up to 90 percent died a torturous death due to calculated abandonment.
What happened to Ostarbeiter after World War II ended?
After the war, many Ostarbeiter were initially placed in displaced person camps before being moved to Kempten for processing and returned to their country of origin, primarily the USSR. Those in Soviet occupational zones were returned automatically while others faced state-sanctioned stigmatization upon return.