History

Organisation Todt, abbreviated OT, was a paramilitary construction organisation named after its founder, Fritz Todt. It was founded in 1938 and became well-known for its construction projects in Germany and German-occupied areas during the war, including the Siegfried Line (Westwall) and the Atlantic Wall. Only a comparatively small number of OT labourers were uniformed and salaried German nationals, while large numbers during the war years were made up of forced labourers, including Jews and other “undesirables”, as well as prisoners of war.

Members of OT were to wear uniforms distinct from other Third Reich paramilitary organisations. However, due to problems with availability, they de facto often wore a mixture of different uniform patterns, including uniform parts from other organisations.

Similar to the members of the German Army, OT members wore a national eagle emblem above a tri-colour cockade. The cloth backing of the insignia is brown. The eagle is gold-coloured for General equivalent ranks, silver-coloured for Officer ranks, and off-white for lower ranks. Similar to the Army one, the insignia was produced on both a trapezoid-shaped and in a T-shaped patch.