Wartime Economy And Work Of Albert Speer Flashcards
What did Hitler believe was one of the main reasons for Germany’s loss in WW1 that he wrote in Mein Kampf and how did this impact his approach to WW2?
The fact that German victory required seizure of territories such as that which was claimed through the treaty of Brest-litovsk, so that these vast resources could be used for the war effort.
- this meant that Hitler saw Germany’s loss as a result of a lack of raw materials and resources, making him aware of the importance of these coming into WW2
How did the guns vs butter debate impact German preparations for war?
Between 1939-40, it became clear that Germany had failed in achieving both autarky and successful rearmament, with significant shortages meaning compromises had to be made between supplying the German army, navy and air force as Germany hadn’t sufficiently prepared to supply all these aspects of armaments at the wake of WW2.
- Hitler also hadn’t planned for WW2 to start until operation Barbarossa, clearly preparations for war were behind
What state did Germany seem in by mid-1939 in terms of preparations for WW2?
. Steel and fuel shortages led to a need for a huge cut in arms production, and there were a lack of skilled designers and engineers
. Germany wasn’t in an economic state to supply every aspect of the war, so had to make compromises
- Hitler prioritised needs of army and air force over the navy
- 2/3 of all munitions production throughout WW2 was devoted to aircraft building and ammunition
How did Hitler’s compromises and shift towards massive arms production by mid-1939 impact Germany?
This huge change was very chaotic as Hitler seemed to be leaving these changes to the defence industry extremely late compared to countries such as Britain
- new plans for planes to be drawn up
- existing factories needed to be re-structured and new ones rebuilt
How successful was the massive upheaval in arms production by Germany in mid-1939?
Arms production was slow to increase properly, took around a year.
- this led Hitler to become critical of the head of arms at the time, General Georg Thomas
Who replaced General Georg Thomas in charge of arms?
Fritz Todt (SS engineer), new bureaucratic ministry of munitions created
Why did Hitler have huge faith in Fritz Todt’s potential in leading wartime arms production?
He had designed and built the autobahns, which were so impactful in Germany, Hitler loved this
Was Todt the perfect man for arms production that Hitler made it seem?
. No, he was far less effective in producing sufficient armaments, partly due to the chaotic system of arms manufacturing that he inherited at the start of the war
- by 1942, Todt became pessimistic of the war as he believed Germany couldn’t produce enough armaments of fuel to win. He complained to Hitler about the shortages of vital equipment and supplies in the Russian campaign (defeatist mindset)
What were some of Todt’s successes as minister of munitions?
Organised arms production into 5 simplistic committees:
. Ammunition
. Tanks
. Weapons
. Engineering
. Equipment
It should be noted that Todt used huge numbers of forced workers and slave labour to price armaments and infrastructure, a trend that was carried through with Speer as well
When did Todt die and who replaced him?
February 1942, died in a mysterious plane crash
- his armaments empire was passed onto Albert Speer
Who had desired to compete with Speer for the role of munitions minister and what happened?
Goering. Wanted to incorporate munitions into the office of the four year plan, but his failings to achieve Autarky by 1942 meant that he lost favour with Hitler
What were Hitler’s views of the priorities of the wartime economy during WW2?
. He recognised the need for rationalisation of industrial production by the summer of 1941, but he didn’t accompany this acknowledgement with any action to resolve the underlying chaos in arms production
. He often fell out with Speer over Speer’s sensible claim that more manpower was needed in the factories with arms production rather than sending more men abroad to fight
What is meant by the underlying chaos in arms production that Hitler didn’t acknowledge at the start of WW2?
. Lack of centralised control over arms production, all a bit messy
. Interference of the military in civilian production
- in the start of the war, it was natural for the military to just demand more and more guns etc without any sense of efficiency over this production, military interference wasn’t helpful
Who noticed the underlying chaos in the German armaments industry?
Speer:
. Too many types of tanks, aircraft’s etc. being made
. Many of these aircraft’s were complex in design so took longer to make
. Speer found some arms factories fully staffed with no work taking place (inefficient)
How did Speer address the problems in the armaments industry?
Directed the rationalisation of the production of armaments, placing it under his control:
. Took central control of the allocation of labour, equipment and materials to armament factories
. Concentrated production to fewer factories and produced a narrower range of standardised products
. Greater use of mass production techniques
. Cut back on unnecessary bureaucracy and paperwork
What is evidence of Speer’s ‘production miracle’ 1941-43?
. German aircraft production increased by 200%
. Production of the Messerschmitt BF 109 was concentrated in 3 factories rather than the 7 it used to have been
. Construction times fell dramatically: U-boats reduced from 42 weeks to 16 weeks to build
. Reduction in the types of vehicles being made e.g 1939-42: Speer reduced numbers of different types of lorries being manufactured from 151 to 23
What is rationalised production?
Selling fewer products to invest more in the products that produce the most profit (more efficient way of manufacturing)
How successful was Speer overall as armaments minister?
Very successful for Germany, almost saved them at the start of the war
- by 1944, German arms industry became 50% more efficient than in 1942
- still miraculously made production gains amidst the air raids from Britain and USA
However, broadly speaking, the level of arms production still wasn’t comparable to that of Germany’s rivals during WW2
What are the stats on aircraft production from different powers during WW2 from 1942-1944?
1942: 1944:
. Germany: 15k . Germany: 40k
. GB: 23k . GB: 47k
. USSR: 21k . USSR: 52k
. USA: 48k . USA: 114k
When was Britain and USA’s bombing campaign against Germany and what were its aims?
1942-May 1945: aimed to reduce Germany’s industrial capacity and civilian morale
How did bombing hugely impact wartime production in Germany?
. Supply lines damaged
. Factories had to be dispersed (so everything wouldn’t get crushed by one bomb)
. Worker morale affected
. Dead people from bombs = less people to work
What are the statistics of the damage of bombing on production?
By Jan 1945, officials at ministry of armaments calculated:
. 35% fewer tanks compared to normal
. 31% fewer aircraft’s compared to normal
. 42% fewer lorries compared to normal
Clearly bombing cause a real reduction in amounts of armaments produced too
How did WW2 create a problem with the labour force similar to the guns vs butter debate?
More men became conscripted in the armed forces, but more men were also needed to increased production of armaments.
- do you prioritise manpower for armaments or conscription into armed forces?
The situation was worsened by the limited supply of male labour in Germany, meaning the labour forced had to be used extremely efficiently and with the aid of foreign labour
What were some of the steps taken to mobilise the labour force?
. Mostly non-essential workers were released for military service, not the skilled workers
. Reduction of workers employed in consumer goods industry, more workers employed in munitions
. Tried to concentrate on armaments production by taking labour away from civilian works, this was opposed by Gauleiters who wanted to keep employment in their areas
When did labour supply/shortage issues in Germany reach a boiling point?
Germany’s reverse outside Moscow in December 1941 was the start of Germany seemingly losing the war
- demands to increase labour supply erupted to try and salvage a victory and increase production
How did ideological Nazi beliefs hold Germany back from efficiently mobilising the labour force?
. Hitler didn’t initially want to increase number of women working in industry, meaning labour shortages couldn’t be solved this way and plans to increase production of vital war materials became all the more difficult
When did more drastic measures to increase labour supply arise in Germany and how did it show that the Nazis were willing to fight on when a loss seemed certain?
January 1943: defeat at Stalingrad
- clearly even when Germany are clearly losing, Hitler and his loyalists became more determined to salvage a victory as defeatist mindsets became more and more frowned upon
. 13th January 1943 (just before surrender at Stalingrad): Hitler issued decree for the comprehensive deployment of men and women for Reich defences
What was the Decree for the comprehensive deployment of men and women for Reich defences and what did it do?
Created more organisation/structure and central power around the mobilisation of the labour force:
. Created a small committe to oversee the mobilisation of labour for the war effort
. Men aged 16-65 and women aged 17-45 HAD to register for work with their local labour office
. Small businesses not essential for the war effort to be closed down and employees transferred to be essential work (movement towards total war)
What was the ‘comb through’ exercise that the Nazis employed to make conscription of labour a reality by 1943?
Identified men who could be released from employment and be moved to military service
- clearly Nazis were getting desperate for victory if they have to move labour into the military services, this probably wasn’t a good idea though as production is so crucial during a war (Speer acknowledged this)
When was foreign labour mainly used in German wartime production?
June 1940-spring 1942
Where were foreign labourers recruited from?
. Mainly from occupied countries in Western Europe
. Operation Barbarossa and invasion of USSR led to more prisoners of war which Hitler agreed to use as slave labour in October 1941
How many foreign workers were employed in Germany by December 1941?
4 million
When did foreign labour use become more systematic?
March 1942: Hitler establishes plenipotentiary general for labour allocation, headed by Fritz Sauckel
- organised centralised control over allocation of foreign labour
- Sauckel was a ruthless Gauleiter who used forced to increase number of foreign workers
How successful was Fritz Sauckel in increasing foreign labour for the wartime economy in Germany?
. 1942-45: rounded up and transported 2.8 million workers from Eastern Europe
. Forced millions of prisoners of war to work in Germany
How important was foreign labour by 1944?
Made up 1/4 of the German labour force, with 7 million in occupied countries outside of Germany also doing work for Germans
What were conditions like for foreign workers?
. Low wages
. Harsh living conditions
. Discipline severe
How were different foreign labourers treated differently in Germany?
. Forced labourers from east got paid half what the volunteer ‘guest workers’ from Western Europe got
. Prisoners of war and concentration camp inmates used as slave labour, meaning they got no payment and were on starvation rations
Who mainly used foreign labourers?
. Most German factories
. Advocated by Speer to make production efficient
. Large German corporations such as Thyssen and IG Farben
What were the economic benefits of the invasion of Czechoslovakia?
. Rich in agricultural resources
. Rich in industrial resources
. Czech tanks
. Skoda factory there
. Czech airfields in range of Germany gained by Nazis
. Gold seized
. Munitions factories acquired
What were the economic drawbacks of the invasion of Czechoslovakia?
. Wider population to feed and support as Czechoslovakia and Netherlands, especially areas like the Sudetenland, contained German-speaking individuals who the Nazis wanted in the greater German Reich
. Some resistance
. Some output affected
What were the economic benefits of the invasion of Poland?
. Coal reserves acquired
. Big agricultural powerhouse
. Exploit the 10% Jewish population
. Control of Baltic Sea through the Polish corridor
What were the economic drawbacks of the invasion of Poland?
. Catalysed beginning of WW2 at a time when Germany weren’t really prepared for war, Hitler had gambled for war not to be started due to this invasion
. Increase Jewish population to deal with meant more potential resistance
. Rationing and supporting another country was costly, although many poles, especially Jews, were left with starvation rations
. Sanctions due to WW2
What were the economic benefits of the Battle of Britain for Germany?
. Short-term stimulation in production
. Improvements in logistics
. Gained the Channel Islands e.g Jersey and Guernsey
What were the economic drawbacks of the Battle of Britain for Germany?
. Prioritisation of Luftwaffe and investment in aircraft ultimately failed
. Hit in morale affected productivity
. Lost many pilots and had to train new ones = costly
. Had to delay invasion of Britain
. Drained the already scarce fuel reserves
Why was the German declaration of war on the USA economically stupid?
USA are the leading superpower, not a power to be messed with
. American troops paid 2-3x more than British, they were far more motivated to fight against Germany
This was partly the nail in the coffin for Germany
