Minutes of a meeting on labor needs, including conscripting workers from France to replace German men sent to the Russian front, the use of POWs as workers, and a memo on the procedure to obtain 250,00 French wokers

SECRET
DBA II/l Hg/Bt. Br. B.N : 28/43 g ) Nr. 3 )
[in pencil]
Paris, 13 January 1943.
MEMORANDUM concerning the second Sauckel action, Meeting at the Military Commandant's in presence of Gauleiter Sauckel, 11 January 1943, 16.00
Present among others:
Military Administrative Bureau Chief [KVCh] Dr. Michel, Superior Military Administrative Councillor [OKVR] Dr. Kohl from the Military Commandant's Office, Gauleiter Sauckel, President Ritter, Dr. List, from the Office of the Commissioner-General for Labor Commitment, Major General [Lt. Gen.] Barckhausen, Lt. Col. Dr. Becker, Dr. Boesebeck, from the office of the Chief of the Armament Staff, Major General [Lt. Gen.] Weigand, Colonel Gerhard, Lt. Col. Dr. Doescher, from the armament industry, Major Ahlborn, Major Henning, from the DBA.
Colonel Keller, Central Armament Command and gentlemen from the Armament Commands East and West.
Military Administrative Bureau Chief [KVCh] Dr. Michel welcomes the persons who are present and states that the first Sauckel project has been fulfilled in its essential parts; not at the set time, though, but by the end of 1942. He promises active cooperation for 1943, too.
Gauleiter Sauckel: He, too, thanks everybody for the successful carrying out of the first project. He states that he has to announce further serious measures already now, right after the beginning of the new year. There is a new, large need for more men both for the "front" and for the armament industry in the Reich. Several sectors on the Eastern front would have to be replaced by German divisions or would have to be bolted off; their Allies did not lack bravery, but were not sufficiently well armed and helpless against the Russian heavy tanks. The new divisions would have to be armed first, and that with more and more strong tank-penetrating weapons. For that reason, in addition to the labor conscription of all childless women and eventually possibly all women with one child, it had been considered to draft all 15-year-old boys and 17-year-old girls for, the signal corps and antiaircraft units. The situation on the fronts requires the calling to the colors of 700,000 soldiers fit for front-line service; for this purpose, the armament industry would have to drop
200,000 key workers by the middle of March. He declared to he
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in possession of the Fuehrer's order to get for this purpose 200,000 good foreign skilled workers as replacements by that time and would need 150,000 French specialists for that while the remaining 50,000 would be extracted from Holland, Belgium, and other occupied territories. In addition he had to request another
100.000 unskilled French workers for the Reich. By the middle of March the second French project would have to transfer
150.000 skilled workers and 100,000 unskilled workers and women from all of France to Germany. He said he had the Fuehrer's order and the agreement of Reich Minister Speer for it.
[Remark at the end of page 1, written in pencil] : BDC-GOTHA-Enclosure No.'2 to the war diary of the DBA—first quarter of the year 1943.
Both Sauckel and Speer have admitted that the armament production in the Reich would decrease somewhat for a short time by the calling in of the essential workers and that, as a consequence of the removal of skilled workers, one has to be prepared for the same thing in France, too. But, as according to his estimate there are another 450,000 skilled metal workers left, the removal of 150,000 should be possible without closing down any production really important for the war. The Commissioner-General for Labor Commitment will see to it that the plants will have put two unskilled workers for training at their disposal for each removed French skilled worker.
Principle of propaganda towards the French: "The only life insurance for European men and women of nations not fighting on the front, is working for German armament".
The "relive" in the proportion of 1: 3 would continue. Furthermore, the Fuehrer intends to grant easier conditions to 250,000 French prisoners of war in Germany, if the second Sauckel action would be carried out in the time set; he also intends to give them the permission to receive visits by their wives or relatives, for two weeks yearly for each prisoner. The total number of 1,200,000 prisoners of 'war could not be relinquished, because the Fuehrer needs them as Hostages [Faustpfand]: a general leave of absence is not feasible either.
For the carrying-out of the project Screening Commissions [Auskaemm-kommissionen] are to be formed, consisting of representatives of the Commissioner-General for Labor Commitment and of the armament offices.
Military Administrative Bureau Chief [KVCh] Dr. Michel hopes that the negotiations agreed upon with Laval for the following day will lead to support of the project by the French government. In any case, all plants of Industrial economy will have
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to be combed out very much, in so far as they are not armament or V-plants.
Major General [Lt. Gen.] Barckhausen: The armament offices would have to take cognizance of the situation pictured by the Gauleiter and accept the task; they would have to cooperate that the removal of skilled workers would be carried out with minimum damage to the armament potential and that a crucial industrial [Schwerpunktfertigungen] production would be spared as much as possible. That is why he asks the Commissioner-General for Labor Commitment to exhaust all other sources fully, which means:
(1) The extensive exploitation of the newly occupied territory; after all, it must be possible to get a considerable number of workers out of it in two months.
(2) Strong shift [Umlage] to plants without armament production.
(3) Radical shut down of inefficient or not absolutely vital plants.
(4) Utilization of discharged French soldiers.
(5) Catching of fugitives from the first project.
Furthermore, he doubts the accuracy of the figure of 450,000 skilled workers allegedly still left.
Major General [Lt. Gen.] Weigand states to that point that there are only 180,000 skilled draftable workers at hand at the present time.
Gauleiter Sauckel: Of course, the armament production working for Germany must be protected as much as possible. But the denting of the armament production in the Reich is caused precisely by drafting of the 200,000 key workers, after all. And under no circumstances could more consideration be granted in France than in the Reich. Besides, the plants would be filled up again, anyhow, by replacing 1 skilled worker with 2 trainees.
It is regrettable that the whole process of change-over has not been carried out earlier. The French government consists of procrastinating artists. As the negotiations with the French government were started already last spring, the first 250,000 workers-could have arrived in Germany in the set time, namely by fall. In that .case, it might have been possible to draft the essential workers in the Reich earlier and to set up new divisions and so the cutting off at Stalingrad might not have happened. In any case, the Fuehrer is now ready for anything, perhaps even to govern France without a French government.
Major General [Lt. Gen.] Barckhausen again recommends to carry out the action energetically especially in Southern France;
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there the local industry is not being utilized as much for German armament than in the originally-occupied territory.
Gauleiter Sauckel agrees to that, but states that the originally-occupied territory must also again be combed out, in order to carry out the whole project. Due to the shortage of coal, electricity, and raw material, full use is not made of the local workers. He had been told, that after the removals of the first Sauckel action only 5,000 trainees have been requested by the plants as replacements for the time being.
Major General [Lt. Gen.] Barckhausen corrects this mistake. Requests for 25,000 workers have already been processed; these requests are from one-sixth of the armament plants. Furthermore, the plants were requested to exhaust all possibilities within their own limits first. Partly, the plants helped themselves by recruiting relatives and friends of workers.
Gauleiter Sauckel: That would speak in favor of the removal of the French skilled workers. There is no more possibility of replacements within the Reich, while here it will still be possible to replace 1 skilled worker with 2 trainees.
A discussion about the training measures follows. Major General [Lt. Gen.] Barckhausen requests an injunction imposed on plants in order to carry out the training. Mr. De la Roche declares that the question of an allowance by the French Minister of Finance has already been settled. General Weigand asks, who is going to pay the second substitute worker. Major Ahlborn declares that the plant should be in a position to include him in the payroll calculation.
Gauleiter Sauckel emphasizes that unanimity would of course have to prevail in the Screening Commissions between the representatives of the Commissioner-General for Labor Commitment and the Armament Offices, also in regard to the rejection of the objections made by the central agencies. In any case, Speer had told him: "Get me the men as fast as -possible; every objection will be overruled!"
Major General [Lt. Gen.] Weigand emphasizes that it is only natural that German armament production in France will decline considerably. Major Ahlborn, like Major General [Lt. Gen.] Weigand, estimates the decline in production at about 33 % up to now.
Military Administrative Bureau Chief [KVCh] Dr. Michel brings up the question how far compulsory labor service is intended for entire younger age groups and how far it would be politically tolerable; up to now the removal was carried out mainly from the plants alone.
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Gauleiter Sauckel says that the 100,000 unskilled workers and, if possible, also the 300,000 trainees, should be called in according- to annual age groups.
Military Administrative Bureau Chief [KVCh] Dr. Michel confirms, that the legal basis exists in the Compulsory Labor Service law. .
Major General [Lt. Gen.] Barckhausen requests to exempt the armament and V-plants from the drafting of young age groups, and to refrain from instituting a system of draft deferments because of essential positions in the war effort, a system that could not be handled by the Armament Offices, due to a shortage of personnel.
The Chairman of the Armament Commission in Thuringia is asked for his opinion by Gauleiter Sauckel. He describes the great difficulties which were caused in the Reich by the drafting of the relatively small number of key workers in January. The reason for that is that the essential workers are either foremen for groups of foreigners or otherwise almost indispensable. The change-over and training measures were carried out in the Reich with energy; however, plants existed there also which did not show too much willingness to cooperate and, in any case, wanted to train unskilled workers for their requirements.
Gauleiter Sauckel describes the immense enthusiasm of the German armament workers who worked almost day and night on Christmas, in order to rebuild captured 7.5 cm guns into anti-tank guns.
Major General [Lt. Gen.] Barckhausen says, that there it is a question of patriots but here Frenchmen are concerned whose ideals are not on our side.
Military Administrative Bureau Chief [KVCh] Dr. Michel: General von Stulpnagel wishes to carry out the project as much as possible in cooperation with the French government. Up to now an outspoken passive resistance could be avoided, and it will have to be avoided under all circumstances in the future too.
At the end, Gauleiter Sauckel, Military Administrative Bureau Chief, [KVCh] Dr. Michel, and Major General [Lt. Gen.] Barckhausen again agree on the immediate meeting of a committee which is to issue regulations for the Screening Commissions.
[signed in pencil] Henning
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COPY
Armament Inspection France of the Reich Minister for Armament and Munition B 2, Nr. B 39/43
Paris, January 16, 1943 To:
Distribution:
Subject: Sauckel Project January-March 1943 Screening Commissions
150,000 skilled workers and 100,000 auxiliary workers are to be recruited until March 15, 1943 from the entire French occupied territory (including newly-occupied territory, Pas de Calais and North). The results of the Sauckel Project of January 1943 (that means 37,000 skilled metal workers) will be deducted from the total request. All trades employing draftable workers will be counted in towards the total, but the main interest is for metal workers, like heretofore. About 15 to 20% of other trades will be admitted. Women are counted in but like heretofore, they can be recruited on a voluntary basis only. Dockyards remain exempted as before. The order about armament in France B 2 Nr. B 19/43 g of January 6, 1943 (priorities of the programs) remains a determining factor for the removal. Another production program which is to be treated with consideration should be added, namely the Atlantic wall.
The further raising of manpower will not be done in the manner employed heretofore, namely by a shiftover to the armament sector like the first Sauckel Project or by a regional shiftover like in the Sauckel Project of January 1943. Rather, all plants (armament, V- and other plants) are to be checked once more by Screening Commissions. The French territory hot occupied heretofore is to be used in this project to the largest possible extent.
Screening Commissions will be formed:
(1) One each in the district of each regional prefecture.
(2) Ten within the jurisdiction of the Commandant of Greater Paris, with 6 of them in the district of the Armament Command Central Paris, and 4 in the district of the Armament Command Paris-East. Regulations (decree number B 33/43 of January 14, 1943) already have been issued about the setting up of district boundaries and taking over of the position by members of the Paris Armament Command.
(3) Eight in the territory not occupied heretofore, with six
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of them in the 6 regions of the unoccupied territory, with one additional commission each in Marseille and Lyon.
In addition to these Screening Commissions, the working staffs which were formed in the individual Armament Command districts remain in existence and serve for the preparation and support of the activity of the Screening Commissions.
The Screening Commissions are organized in the following way:
(1) As chiefs one higher official of the Labor Obmmitment Administration who will be deputized here from the Reich for this purpose.
(2) One representative of the armament command concerned. For this the most qualified men (officer or official) are to be committed, if possible, from the Procurement Group. Knowledge of the French language is desired. To assist him and depending on the product in the plant he is supposed to check, he is joined by an expert from the jurisdiction of the Commissioner-General for Labor Commitment in France (procurement officer).
(3) Depending on requirements, one member of the Military
Administration Headquarters [Feldkommandantur] concerned, provided that V- and other plants are to be checked by the Commission. '
(4) A member of the French Work Commitment Administration, who, in cooperation with the Recruiting Office concerned has to take care of the designation and removal of the workers to be transferred.
For the Screening Commissions in the French territory heretofore unoccupied, experts will be taken from the armament command for a short time (about 2-3 weeks); if possible, they should come from the Procurement Group. These men will be used for the support of the Armament Control Commissions not yet experienced in the labor commitment questions of the occupied Western territories.
Besides skilled workers, the provided unskilled workers are to be procured by the commissions at the same time.
Directives for the work of the commissions are being set up rapidly by the Commissioner-General for Labor Commitment, France.
Some Screening Commissions are being created right away by the Commissioner-General for Labor Commitment, France, and will start their activity immediately, insofar as chiefs are at their disposal for that purpose.
The members of the Screening Commissions are being called to
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Paris for a conference on January 23 [*]. Further instructions for it will follow.
Signed as Draft Copy Weigand Certified (signed) [signature]
A certified true copy Major
[illegible pencil mark]
[*"by the Commissioner-General for Labor Commitment, France", has been crossed out here.]