The Nizkor Project: Remembering the Holocaust (Shoah)

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   Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression, Volume Two, Chapter XIV
     
                                                  [Page 782]

C. UNDER KRUPP'S DIRECTION, THE KRUPP FIRM, BY DEVELOPING
NEW INSTRUMENTS OF WAR AND PRODUCING HUGE QUANTITIES OF WAR
MATERIALS, FURTHERED THE CONSPIRATORS' PROGRAM TO CREATE A
POWERFUL MILITARY POTENTIAL.

(1) In a speech prepared in January 1944, for delivery at
the University of Berlin, Krupp stated:
     
     "*** I don't see why this thought still flutters in
     many a head occasionally -- that the production of war
     materials should be a sinister trade! No: war material
     is life-saving for one's own people and whoever works
     and performs in
     
                                                  [Page 783]
                                                            
     these spheres can be proud of it; here enterprise as a
     whole finds its highest justification of existence.
     This justification I may inject this here --
     crystallized especially during that time of the
     'Interregnum', between 1919 and 1933, when Germany was
     lying-down disarmed. *** It is the one great merit of
     the entire German war economy that it did not remain
     idle during those bad years, even though its activity
     could not be brought to light for obvious reasons.
     Through years of secret work, scientific and basic
     ground work was laid, in order to be ready again to
     work the German Armed Forces at the appointed hour,
     without loss of time or experience."
     
     "Only through this secret activity of German
     enterprise, together with the experience gained
     meanwhile through production of peace time goods was it
     possible after 1933, to fall into step with the new
     tasks arrived at restoring Germany's military power,
     (only through all that) could the entirely new and
     various problems, brought up by the Fuehrer's Four
     Year's Plan for German enterprise, be mastered. ***" (D-
     317)

(2) Krupp played a leading role in the design and production
of new weapons for the German armed forces.

(a) In a memorandum concerning a conference held at the
Federal Ministry for National Defense in Vienna on 25
September 1936, Pfirsch, a Krupp official, wrote:

     "*** in spite of the obstacles put in our way by the
     Treaty of Versailles, we had never been inactive
     throughout the postwar period, but had drawn upon the
     experience of the war in the creation of new types, and
     that we had won the prizes for almost every type in the
     competitions organized by our War Ministry for the
     construction of new artillery weapons, so much so that
     the guns introduced into the German Army of to-day,
     such as the 8.8 cm. anti-aircraft, the 10.5 cm. field
     gun, the heavy field howitzer and beyond them the
     larger calibres have been made according to our
     pattern." (D-152)

(b) In a memorandum dated 21 February 1944, Woelfert, a
department chief in the Krupp concern, wrote:

     "First a few facts about the development of tanks by
     Krupp. We are manufacturing tanks since 1928, which
     means before rearmament. We started studying on heavy
     tractors. Krupp built the first mass production tank,
     the Panzer I, which is
     
                                                  [Page 784]
                                                            
     also known as LaS. It-was shown in public in 1935, the
     year when rearmament started, and made a great
     impression. We also originated the Panzer IV, or better
     the BW, which was especially at the beginning of the
     war one of the prime factors in our rapid advances into
     enemy country, so that today we are fighting on the
     Atlantic coast, in the South, and east and not on
     German soil. Even today we use the BW-base for many
     self-propelled guns, assault-guns, anti-aircraft guns
     etc." (D-96).

(c) In a letter to Hitler dated 24 July 1942, Krupp wrote:

     "My Fuehrer !
     
     "The big weapon, whose manufacturing is to be thanked
     to your command, has now proved its effectiveness. ***"
     
     "True to an example set by Alfred Krupp in 1870, my
     wife and myself ask the favour that the Krupp works
     refrain from charging for this first finished product.
     
     "To express my thanks to you, my Fuehrer, for the
     confidence shown in our plants and in us personally by
     entrusting such an order with us, is a pleasant duty
     for my wife and myself.
     
                                         Sieg Heil!" (D-375)
     
(d) Krupp likewise made significant contributions to the
production of Navy weapons and U-Boats (D-88; D-287).

(3) The rapid and progressive expansion in armament
production by Krupp after the conspirators' accession to
power is plainly shown by a chart prepared by Krupp
officials concerning the production of war materials at the
Krupp Gustahlfabrik in Essen (only one of the many companies
in the Krupp organization). This chart shows that the
production of war materials at that particular factory
during the fiscal year, 1 October 1933 to 30 September 1934,
was more than twice that of any previous year since 1929;
that such production during the fiscal year, 1 October 1934
to 30 September 1935, was almost twice as great as the
previous year; and that production of war materials
continued thereafter at an accelerated rate with the result
that during the fiscal year, 1 October 1938 to 30 September
1939, it was more than 10 times as great as it was during
the period 1 October 1932 to 30 September 1933 (Chart
entitled "Fried, Krupp Gustahlfabrik Essen, Turnover in War
Material," not reproduced here). It should be noted that
this chart shows only direct sales by the Essen factory of
war materials to the German Armed Forces Ordnance Supply
Department and sales to foreign countries of war materials
easily recognizable as such. It does not

                                                  [Page 785]
                                                            
cover indirect sales, viz: the sale of products to other
concerns which, in turn, used them to produce materials of
war. (The chart entitled "Fried, Krupp and Branch
Establishments, Inland Turnover," not here reproduced, shows
figures which include "indirect" sales of war materials by
certain Krupp companies.)




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