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RAD and USB
RAD (Reichsarbeitsdienst) was created in 1935 with Hitler comming to power. It became a paramitary organization, which recruited boys and girls ages 18-25 for labor works within the Reich. Besides working, RAD also provided exelent physical training, erosion of social classes and kameradenschaft. Following the German example, such organizations were created in Hungary and Croatia. Ukrainian section of RAD - Ukrainska Sluzhba Bat'kivschyni (USB, Ukrainischer Heimatdienst) was created as early as September 1941. The main tasks of USB were construction and repair of roads, drying out the marshes, preparing the wheat and helping out the farmers. The work in USB was for volunteers, which were supposed to rebuild the land after the war. The members were outfitted in RAD uniforms, feed, provided with medical care and payed 50 zl. a day. Workers were divided into groups of 150 people and were commanded by an German instructor with local traynees selected from the volunteers. After the work the kids engaged in various physical games, sports and cultural activities. After the service for 7 months, the volunteer was awarded a diploma which granted him secured job of his choosing. Besides serving in USB, a lot of Ukrainians actually choose to serve in Germany and joined RAD. Organisation Todt (OT) also had its officers in Ukraine, especially in Lviv. In March 1944 the organization was recruiting skilled technicians and workers to work on Dalmatian coast in Italy. Couple of hundreds Ukrainians volunteered, after they were outfitted with full OT uniforms and sent to Italy. They were stationed in Trieste, Fiume, Kralevitz and Tsrkvenitsy. Of interesting note is that UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) used this connection, to establish their coonections with the Italian royal partisans. |
Member of USB
USB sleeve patch
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