11 Facts About Ostarbeiter

Ostarbeiter often received starvation rations and were forced to live in guarded labor camps.

The Ostarbeiter were the Eastern workers, primarily from Reichskommissariat Ukraine.

Ostarbeiter were restricted to their compounds, in some cases labor camps.

Many Ostarbeiter died when Allied bombing raids targeted the factories where they worked and the German authorities refused to allow them into bomb shelters.

Ostarbeiter were initially sent to intermediate camps, where laborers were picked out for their assignments directly by representatives of labor-starved companies.

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Some Ostarbeiter worked for private firms, although many were employed in the factories making armaments.

The Ostarbeiter were considered to be quite productive and efficient.

Many Ostarbeiter were still children or young teenagers when they were taken away and wanted to return home to their parents.

Ostarbeiter suffered from state-sanctioned stigmatisation, with special references in their passports mentioning their time in Germany during the war.

Some Ostarbeiter survived the war and were forced to emigrate to the countries outside Europe, primarily to the United States, although a handful made it to Argentina, Australia, Canada, and Brazil.

Ostarbeiter who found themselves in the British or French zones were automatically repatriated.