Editing Nazi concentration camp badge (section)

{{short description|Cloth emblems; part of the system of identification in Nazi camps}}
{{use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}

[[File:Concentration Camp Badges.png|thumb|Schematic of the triangle-based badge system in use at most Nazi concentration camps.]]

'''Nazi concentration camp badges''', primarily triangles, were part of the system of [[Identification of inmates in German concentration camps|identification in German camps]]. They were used in the [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camps]] in the [[German-occupied Europe|German-occupied countries]] to identify the reason the prisoners had been placed there.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/holocaust/h-dach-early.htm|title=The History Place – Holocaust Timeline: Nazis Open Dachau Concentration Camp|website=historyplace.com|access-date=27 March 2018}}</ref> The triangles were made of fabric and were sewn on jackets and trousers of the prisoners. These mandatory [[badge of shame|badges of shame]] had specific meanings indicated by their colour and shape. Such emblems helped guards assign tasks to the detainees. For example, a guard at a glance could see if someone was a convicted criminal (green patch) and thus likely of a tough temperament suitable for ''[[Kapo (concentration camp)|kapo]]'' duty.

Someone with an escape suspect mark usually would not be assigned to work squads operating outside the camp fence. Someone wearing an F could be called upon to help translate guards' spoken instructions to a trainload of new arrivals from France. Some historical monuments quote the badge-imagery, with the use of a triangle being a sort of visual shorthand to symbolize all camp victims.

The modern-day use of a [[pink triangle]] emblem to symbolize gay rights is a response to the camp identification patches.