TOP SECRET
The Reichsfuehrer-SS Field Command Post.
Personal Staff 10 March 1944
Diary No. '
Siibject: Use of Prisoners in the air craft industry-M.
To the SS-Brigadefuehrer FEGELEIN Fuehrer Headquarters
Dear Hermann!
Enclosed I am sending you copy of a letter for your information. It was given to the Reich marshal on 9 March 1944 by the Reichsfuehrer-SS.
Heil Hitler!
(initialled) DR
1 enclosure
' 9 March 1944
.1879/44 secret Field-command office
Subject: Employment of prisoners in the aviation industry. Reference: Teletype of 14 February 1944.
Top Reich Secret
Most honored Reichsmarshal
Following my teletype letter of the 18 Feb. 44 I herewith transmit a survey on the employment of prisoners in the aviation industry.
This survey indicates that at the present time about 36000 prisoners are employed for the purposes of the air force. An increase to a total of 90,000 prisoners is contemplated.
The production is being discussed, established and executed between the Reich ministry of aviation and the chief of my economic-administrative main office, SS-Obergruppenfuehrer and General of the Waffen-SS, Pohl respectively.
We assist with all forces at our disposal.
The task of my economic-administrative main office, however, is not solely fulfilled with the delivery of the prisoners to the aviation industry as SS-Obergruppenfuehrer Pohl and his assistants take care of the required working speed thru constant control and supervision of the workgroups [Kommandos] and therefore have some influence on the results of production. In this respect I may suggest consideration of the fact that in enlarging our responsibility thru a speeding up of the total work, better results' can definitelv be expected.
118
(5R4-IiI_PS
We also have for some time adjusted our own stone-quarries to production for the airforce. For instance in Flossenbuerg near Weiden the prisoners employed previously in the quarry are working now in the fighter plane program for the Messerschmitt corporation, Regensburg, which saw in the availability of our stone-mason shops and labor forces after the attack on Regensburg at that time a favorable opportunity for the immediate partial transfer of their production. Altogether 4000 prisoners will work there after the expansion. We produce now with 2000 men 900 sets of engine cowlings and radiator covers as well as 120,000 single parts of various kinds for the fighter ME 109.
In Oranienburg we are employing 6000 prisoners at the Heinkel works now for construction of the HE 177. With that we have supplied 60% of the total crew of the nlant.
The prisoners are working without fault. Up till now 200 suggestions regarding the improvement of work have been handed in at Heinkel from the ranks of the prisoners, which were used and were rewarded with premiums. We are increasing this employment to 8000 prisoners.
We also have employed female prisoners in the aviation industry. For instance at the mechanical workshops in Neubrandenburg 2500 women are working now in the manufacture of devices for dropping bombs and rudder control. The plant has adjusted the total serial production to employ prisoners. In the month of January 30,000 devices as well as 500 rudder controls and altitude regulators have been manufactured. We are increasing employment to 4000 women. The performance of the women is excellent. -In our own plant in Butschowitz near Bruenn [Brno] we produce also for the air force, there however with civilian workers. This plant supplies 14,000 wooden-built rear control apparatus for ME 109 to the Messerschmitt corporation, Augsburg.
The movement of manufacturing plants of the aviation industry to subterranean locations requires further employment of about 100,000 prisoners. The plans for this employment on the basis of your letter of 14 Feb 1944 are already under way.
I shall keep you, most honored Reichsmarshal, currently informed on this subject.
Heil Hitler (initialed) HH
119
120
Use of Prisoners for the Aircraft Industry.
Camp & Plant
Auschwitz:
AA fortification staff, Auschwitz Ost-Maschinenbau GmbH, (Factory), Schwientochlowitz
Siemens & Schuckert, Auschwitz
Buchenwald:
Erla-Maschinenwerk GmbH., Leipzig
Junker s-Flug-& Motorenwerke AG.;
Schoenebeck Polte, Arnstadt
Leichtmetallwerke Kautenbach Wernigerode
Number of Prisoners
planned
Dachau:
High frequency research BMW, Munich-Allach
Dornier Works GmbH., Neuaubing
Engineer Kimmel, Munich
Air force research institute, Munich
M Messerschmitt AG., Augsburg—
" Haunstetten
" Gablingen
" Dachau
" Kottern
Air force planning office, Sudelfeld
Praezifix, Dachau
H. Sachse KG. Kempten.
used
Man-Hrs
January
Production
250 191 48,788 C
1,500 730 196,067 1
1,500 90 1 19,240 i : <
2,800 1,550 176,105
2,000 100 1,310 87 362,619 24,112
1,200 772 189,832
15 15 3,290
12,000 3,434 908,606
3,000 60 9,527
25 23 7,925
400 40 -
3,400 2,695 740,640
600 352 -
600 192 35,766
1,000 341 57,050
25 25 4,660
400 356 94,067
1,000 374 91,630
Construction of AA positions.
gun production: prod, re 105 guns.
öbU wmgs j-ui ^
290 fuselages BF 109 B04 tail assemblies
finishing of AA cartridge cases; prod, result Jan: 181,000 AA cartridge cases.
production of cylinder blocks for airplane motors
high frequency development'
air plane motor production—construction & subterranean building
at first construction of workers' camp, later plane part production.
building of radio measuring instruments prod, result Jan: 35 RC-generators.
building of air force research institute Ottobrunn
air plane production Me
air plane production Me
manufacture of plane parts
first building of factory, then plant parts production
building of experimental station for high frequency
production of standard plane parts and screws
first building of factory/start production of propeller control instruments.
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1584-1li-PS
122
Number of Prisoners Man-Hrs
Camp & Plant planned used January Production
Flossenbuerg : Dt. Erd- & Steinwerke GmbH, Floss. 4,000 1,911 422,158 plane parts production for Me prod, result Jan: 900 noses & radiator covering; 120,000 parts.
Erla-Maschinenwerk GmbH, Johanngeorgenstadt Milsen 600 500 564 30 117,524 air plane parts production, air plane parts production.
Geramic Works Bohemia, Neurohlau 100 100 10,764 plane parts production.
Luftfahrtgeraetewerk, Zwodau Herzogeribusch: 1,500 199 28,314 instrument prod, for air force.
Dt. Erd- & Steinwerke GmbH. Herzogenbusch 600 411 35,248 air plane disassembling plant prod, result Jan: 12 planes disassembled 35 motors " 120 wings "
Air force field construction office 3 Mauthausen: 1,000 265 64,800 runway construction for airport.
Dt. Erd- & Steinwerke GmbH., Mauthausen 500 423 82,632 plane parts construction for Me prod, results January: 25 plane fuselages
Flugmotoren GmbH., Wiener-Neudorf 3,000 1,983 417,328 first building, later plane parts prod.
. Heinkel-Werke AG, Schwechat 3,200 2,065 486,206 air plane parts production
Natziveiler:
Dt Erd- & Steinwerke GmbH, Natzweiler 400 261 63,221 disassembling of Ju motors & welding of air torpedoes.
Neuengamme:
Jastram, Hamburg-Bergedorf 80 80 21,554 air plane parts production
Messap GmbH., Hamburg-Langenhorn M to w 120 110 31,422 production of fuse mechanisms prod, result Jan: 16 800 balance wheels S30 53 900 balance wheels S60 15 600 time fuses S30 46 700 time fuses S60
Ravensbrueck: Air ministry testing ground,
Peenamuende-W 600 598 125,000 building
Geraetewerk Pommern GmbH, Stargard 550 283 81,129 production of aerial torpedoes
Heinkel-Werke AG, Barth. 2,000 1,721 435,155 air plane production
Mechan.Werkstaetten GmbH.
Neubran denb urg 4,000 1,981 529,126 production of bomb release mechanism and Fz.G.76 ; prod. Jan. 23,000 lock 50/X 1,500 lock 2000 150 PVC 1006 500 rudder machines 400 ER 4 L-"2"
1584—III—PS
693257—46—9
Number of Prisoners Man-Hrs Production
Camp & Plant P lanned| used
Siemens & Halske, Berlin, work 1 Ravensbrueck Silva-Metallwerke GmbH, Genthin 2,400 600 872 ' 596 242,867 154,224 communication equipment product. (e.g. throat microphones) production of AA ammunition prod, result Jan.: 518 200 2-cm shells F 927 500 2-cm shells (various styles) 965 000 13-mm shells
Veltener-Maschinenbau GmbH., Volten 600 596 146,873 production of plane parts.
Sachsenhausen: Heinkel-Werke AG, Oranienburg 6,500« 5,939 1,699,978 plane mass production. Prod, result 15 plane bodies He 177
Luftschiffbau Zepplin GmbH, Oranienburg 300 221 54,006 production and repair of balloons prod, result Jan: 120 balloons repaired and part work for 40 new balloons.
Ostland Concentration Camp: Air force field building direction. Spilve Field building direction 3/1, Kauen 1,000 1,000 1,000 829 280,776 222,186 building of airport, building of airport.
. AA booty repair shop, Kauen 200 162 4,920 re-building of booty AA
1 Kopperschmidt & Soehne, Riga to CJ1 It was recently agreed to use further: 20 20 6,160 production of plane turrets.
T Buchenwald: to
' Anhydrit 10,000 - - plane production of Ju underground
Ago, Oschersleben 1,500 - - plane production Focke-Wulf fighters.
Gross-Rosen: Famo, Bunzlau 1,500 servicing of FW night fighters, Ta 154.
-M Mauthausen:
Esche II 10,000 - - kind of production to be decided by air Ministry.
Natzweiler:
Geraetewerk Pommern GmbH., branch Diedenhofen 600 production of aerial torpedoes.
90,785 35,839 8,733,495
The Chief of the .
SS Economics Administration Main Office Berlin, 21 February 1944 (signed) Pohl I. [?]
SS Obergruppenfuehrer and General of Armed Forces SS.
584-11 l-PS
1584—Il I—PS
The Reich Minister for Armament and War Production TAE-No. 475/44 top secret (Signed) Pohl I Initialled] HH
Berlin, Pariser Platz 3, 17 April 1944.
Phone: 11 00 52 Pohl
TOP SECRET
Fighter staff, attention : Field Marshal MILCH Fighter staff, attention: Chief of office SWR
For Information
Reichsfuehrer-SS and chief of the German Police, Reich-leader HIMMLER
Head of armament office Lt Gen Dr Ing. h. c. Waeger Plenipotentiary-General for Construction, Director Stobbe-Dethleffsen
1. Using tables and drawings 'as an illustration I have in conjunction with Field Marshal Milch informed the Fuehrer on the work of the fighter staff in pointing to the extraordinarily pleasing and successful cooperation of the newly created organization with all offices and works. He is cognizant of the fact that the greatest part of the transfer has been fixed according to plan and that as the first step the decentralization above the ground can be concluded by approximately August and that the second step aiming at the total subterranean security of the most sensitive works will be concluded by the end of the year.
2. Field Marshal Milch has reported as a result of the meeting on construction of the "central planning" to the Fuehrer, that of the amount of construction demanded, because of the extraordinary aggravation of the all-over situation, only the most important part of the construction work could be accomplished. The Fuehrer demands that in spite of that both the large plants, each of at least 600,000 qm, which he demanded should be constructed with all energy. He consents that one of these works will not be built in concrete but in accordance with the proposal as an enlargement and in the immediate vicinity of the present central works as the so-called central construction and will come under the management of the Junkers works.
The Fuehrer agrees to the suggestion that the second large building project will, because of lack in labor and material, not be carried out on German territory, but on suitable ground (first of all gravel foundation and possibilities for transportation) in the immediate proximity of the border, on French, Belgian or
1584—111—PS
Dutch territory, as long as the plant is constructed behind a fortified zone. The suggestion to build on French territory is favored by the fact that it will then be much easier to make the necessary labor available. In spite of that the Fuehrer asks to try, to construct this second works in an essentially secure territory, namely in the Protectorate. If the labor can not be supplied there either, the Fuehrer wants to get in touch in person with the Reichsfuehrer SS and will cause him to provide the approximately 100,000 men required, thru the securing of corresponding Jewish contingents from Hungary. The Fuehrer demands that a meeting take place with him shortly in order to discuss the details in the presence of the men concerned.
3. An immediate task for the central construction besides assuring the supply of the bottleneck products of the Junkers works which is to be executed step by step, is the planning and securing of ME 262 at the rate of 1000 a month and of an additional fighterpl'ane at the rate of 2000 a month.
Heil Hitler signed: SPEER Certified: Capt. Stein