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Young Soviet woman engaged in forced labour at a Siemens factory in Germany, 1943/'44. Her status as an Eastern worker is identified by the "Ost" patch. A major object of the great sweeps conducted by German security troops and locally-recruited auxiliaries in the occupied areas of the Soviet Union from 1942 through to early 1944 was to "harvest" useful agricultural products - ranging from grain and livestock to humans suitable for forced labour. Many of the latter were (in alternative to local labour camps, or similar facilities located in Poland) transported to Germany, where they were employed in a wide range of functions ranging from domestic service to factory work. Humans caught up in this process not deemed suitable for forced labour stood a very good chance of being murdered. All of this marked a German policy decided early in the invasion of the Soviet Union of adopting a predatory policy towards exploiting local populations, rather than a more progressive policy of "husbanding" local resources. As with most of History's "roads not taken" it is impossible to be certain, but many argue that this may have been a major mistake. Best regards, JR.