Germany - Third Reich: Second World War period Polish Forced Labourer Patch, known as a Polenabzeichen, featuring a purple letter ‘P’ on a yellow background with a purple border. Printed on ‘bevo’ machine woven fabric, cut-form. A very good example of type. Scarce.
Condition: clean unused condition, overall Good Condition.
This served as a badge of shame, public segregation, and systematic racial classification. It explicitly marked non-Jewish Polish civilian labourers (Zivilarbeiter) forced to work in German agriculture and wartime manufacturing. Every Polish worker was strictly required by law to sew this patch onto the right breast of every outer garment they wore. Violations were met with severe beatings, heavy fines, prison detention, or deportation to concentration camps.
