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Identification of inmates in Nazi concentration camps (operated byNazi Germany in its own territory and in parts ofGerman-occupied Europe) was performed mostly withidentification numbers marked on clothing, or later, tattooed on the skin at Auschwitz. More specialized identification inNazi concentration camps was done with badges on clothing andarmbands.
A practice was established totattoo the inmates with identification numbers. Prisoners sent directly to the gas chambers were not tattooed. Initially, inAuschwitz, the camp numbers were sewn on the clothes; with the increased death rate, it became difficult to identify corpses, since clothes were removed from corpses. Therefore, the medical personnel started to write the numbers on the corpses' chests withindelible ink. Difficulties increased in 1941 whenSovietprisoners of war came in masses, and the first few thousand tattoos were applied to them. This was done with a special stamp with the numbers to be tattooed composed of needles. The tattoo was applied to the upper left part of the breast. In March 1942, the same method was used inBirkenau.[citation needed]
The common belief that all concentration camps put tattoos on inmates is not true. The misconception is because Auschwitz inmates were often sent to other camps and liberated from there. They would show a number, but it came from their time at Auschwitz.[1]Metal stamps turned out to be impractical, and later numbers were tattooed with a single needle on the left forearm.
The tattoo was the prisoner's camp entry number, sometimes with a special symbol added: someJews had a triangle, andRomani had the letter "Z" (fromGermanZigeuner for "Gypsy"). In May 1944, the Jewish men received the letters "A" or "B" to indicate particular series of numbers. For unknown reasons, this number series for women never began again with the "B" series after they had reached the number limit of 20,000 for the "A" series.[2]
Colored inverted triangles were used in theconcentration camps in the German-occupied countries to identify the reason the prisoners had been placed there. The triangles were made of fabric and were sewn on jackets and shirts of the prisoners. These mandatory badges had specific meanings indicated by their color and shape. The system of badges varied somewhat between the camps. Such emblems helped guards assign tasks to the detainees: for example, a guard at a glance could see if someone were a convicted criminal (green patch) and thus likely of a "tough" temperament suitable forkapo duty. Someone with an "escape suspect" mark usually would not be assigned to work squads operating outside the camp fence. Someone wearing anF could be called upon to help translate guards' spoken instructions to a trainload of new arrivals from France.
Detainees wearing civilian clothing (more common later in the war) instead of the striped uniforms were often marked with a prominentX on the back.[3] This made for anersatz prisoner uniform. For permanence, suchXs were made with white oil paint, with sewn-on cloth strips, or were cut (with underlying jacket-liner fabric providing the contrasting color). Detainees would be compelled to sew their number and (if applicable) a triangle emblem onto the fronts of suchX-ed clothing.[3]
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![German concentration camp badge for Polish (non-Jewish) political prisoner in Stutthof. ID 29659 - Lidia Główczewska [pl]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aNumer_obozowy_KL_Stutthof_29659.JPG)
Armbands were used within the camps to identifykapos, camp "police" (detainees assigned to keep order among their fellow detainees), and certain work crew leaders. Armbands were also in use among detainees sent to perform forced labor in factories outside the camps.
