Baudienst
Encyclopedia
Baudienst full name Polnischer Baudienst im Generalgouvernement (Polish Service of Construction in the General Government), was the labour battalion
created in Nazi-occupied Poland (General Government
). Baudienst was subordinate to the Reichsarbeitsdienst
(RAD, lit. "Reich Labour Service").
of the General Government, but it eventually expanded to all districts of that region, excepting the Warsaw District. The goal of Baudienst was to provide the Third Reich with a large pool of labour force.
Baudienst laborers were entitled to housing, food rations, working clothes, medical care and a wage of 1 złoty per day (a wage thas was never changed, despite increasing inflation
). Over time, conditions of work deteriorated, as laborers inhabited poor quality barracks (never a priority), and food and clothing rations were slashed.
Baudienst was to build and maintain infrastructure (construction and repair of roads and canals), and aid with agricultural tasks. The overall objective was not to build infrastructure for the Poles, but for the Germans (with the aim of increasing West-East transport capacity in preparation for German invasion of Russia, and later, to improve the efficiency of German logistics). In some infamous cases, members of Baudienst were used to prepare graves for victims of German mass executions (of Poles, Jews and other victims of the Third Reich).
In the General Government, working was obligatory for any male Pole from 18 to 60 years old; later in the occupation this range extended to children from 14 years old. Baudienst service itself was an obligatory service for Poles aged 21 – 22. Germans were aiming to have as may as 150,000 Baudienst members, in fact due to constant lack of volunteers and increasing desertions, Baudienst at its height reached less than a third of that number (about 45,000 people).
Baudienst workers (some volunteers, but most were conscripted) were under a contract to work at least initially 3 months, increased up to 6–7 months of work during the spring-summer period and eventually a minimum of a year.
In addition to the Polish Baudienst, Germans created similar Heimatdienst (lit. "homeland service", Ukrains'ka Sluzhba Bat'kivschyni, USB) for the Ukrainians
, and a similar one for the Goralenvolk
. Volksdeutsche
were immune from the service (but could volunteer, and some did for the higher-ranking positions such as foreman), and Polish Jews were already forced to labor in the ghettos and labor-concentration camps.
Labour battalion
Labour battalions have been a form of alternative service or unfree labour in various countries in lieu of or resembling regular military service...
created in Nazi-occupied Poland (General Government
General Government
The General Government was an area of Second Republic of Poland under Nazi German rule during World War II; designated as a separate region of the Third Reich between 1939–1945...
). Baudienst was subordinate to the Reichsarbeitsdienst
Reichsarbeitsdienst
The Reichsarbeitsdienst was an institution established by Nazi Germany as an agency to reduce unemployment, similar to the relief programs in other countries. During the Second World War it was an auxiliary formation which provided support for the Wehrmacht.The RAD was formed during July 1934 as...
(RAD, lit. "Reich Labour Service").
Formation and activities
The Baudienst service was formed 1 December 1940, originally in the Kraków DistrictKraków District
Kraków District was an administrative unit of the General Government from 1939 to 1945....
of the General Government, but it eventually expanded to all districts of that region, excepting the Warsaw District. The goal of Baudienst was to provide the Third Reich with a large pool of labour force.
Baudienst laborers were entitled to housing, food rations, working clothes, medical care and a wage of 1 złoty per day (a wage thas was never changed, despite increasing inflation
Inflation
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
). Over time, conditions of work deteriorated, as laborers inhabited poor quality barracks (never a priority), and food and clothing rations were slashed.
Baudienst was to build and maintain infrastructure (construction and repair of roads and canals), and aid with agricultural tasks. The overall objective was not to build infrastructure for the Poles, but for the Germans (with the aim of increasing West-East transport capacity in preparation for German invasion of Russia, and later, to improve the efficiency of German logistics). In some infamous cases, members of Baudienst were used to prepare graves for victims of German mass executions (of Poles, Jews and other victims of the Third Reich).
In the General Government, working was obligatory for any male Pole from 18 to 60 years old; later in the occupation this range extended to children from 14 years old. Baudienst service itself was an obligatory service for Poles aged 21 – 22. Germans were aiming to have as may as 150,000 Baudienst members, in fact due to constant lack of volunteers and increasing desertions, Baudienst at its height reached less than a third of that number (about 45,000 people).
Baudienst workers (some volunteers, but most were conscripted) were under a contract to work at least initially 3 months, increased up to 6–7 months of work during the spring-summer period and eventually a minimum of a year.
In addition to the Polish Baudienst, Germans created similar Heimatdienst (lit. "homeland service", Ukrains'ka Sluzhba Bat'kivschyni, USB) for the Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
, and a similar one for the Goralenvolk
Goralenvolk
Goralenvolk was the name given by the German Nazis in World War II during their occupation of Poland to the population of Podhale in the south near the Slovakian border. They postulated a different ethnicity for that population, in an effort to divide the Polish people. The word was derived from...
. Volksdeutsche
Volksdeutsche
Volksdeutsche - "German in terms of people/folk" -, defined ethnically, is a historical term from the 20th century. The words volk and volkische conveyed in Nazi thinking the meanings of "folk" and "race" while adding the sense of superior civilization and blood...
were immune from the service (but could volunteer, and some did for the higher-ranking positions such as foreman), and Polish Jews were already forced to labor in the ghettos and labor-concentration camps.
See also
- Forced labor in Germany during World War IIForced labor in Germany during World War IIThe use of forced labour in Nazi Germany and throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II took place on an unprecedented scale. It was a vital part of the German economic exploitation of conquered territories. It also contributed to the mass extermination of populations in German-occupied...
- Organisation TodtOrganisation TodtThe Todt Organisation, was a Third Reich civil and military engineering group in Germany named after its founder, Fritz Todt, an engineer and senior Nazi figure...
- Sonderdienst
External links
- Axis Forum Elżbieta Laska, Praca przymusowa Polaków na rzecz III Rzeszy Okupacja niemiecka, cz.4 Bezkarni oprawcy z Baudienst, gazeta.pl, 2007-07-20
- Racial research
Further reading
- Mścisław Wróblewski, Służba Budowlana (Baudienst) w Generalnym Gubernatorstwie, 1940–1945, 1984, Państwowe Wydawn. Nauk. (Warszawa), ISBN 8301049863