Uniforms and Shoes

Upon arrival at the concentration camps, Jews and other prisoners had their clothing taken away. Men were given a striped jacket, trousers and cap. Women were given a jacket, dress, and cap. On their feet, prisoners wore wooden or leather clogs. Taking away the original clothing of the prisoners also took away any remaining feelings of human value. The prisoner’s clothing and personal items were sold by the Nazis for extra cash. Furthermore, with only striped prison uniforms to wear, any prisoners who tried to escape would be easily identified. Uniforms were marked with the type of prisoner, noted by different colored symbols. The uniforms of criminals were marked with a green triangle, political prisoners with a red triangle, homosexuals with a pink triangle. Jehovah’s Witnesses wore a purple triangle and Roma wore a black or brown triangle. Jews wore two yellow triangles to form a Jewish star.