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 or 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
