Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

Discussions on the economic history of the nations taking part in WW2, from the recovery after the depression until the economy at war.
farben10
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Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

#1

Post by farben10 » 24 Aug 2010, 07:05

I.G.Farben invented a lot of great things, both bad and good. Chemical weapons, artificial fertilizers, sulfa drugs, magnetic tape etc.
To find out which one is most important I made a statistics of Goggle searches using keywords defining some of major works by IG Farben.

+zyklon +"IG Farben" - 51.800 documents
+buna +"IG Farben" – 18.200
+sarin +"IG Farben" – 12.000
+anilin +"IG Farben" – 10.200
+nitrogen +"IG Farben" – 5.720
+prontosil +"IG Farben" – 4.990
+hydrogenation +"IG Farben" - 4.600
+magnetofon +"IG Farben" – 3.360

Predictably, there is a special one. By far the most popular invention is a famous fumigator used by Nazis to kill Jews. Indeed, whether all their other inventions are worth to be remembered if they made Zyklon B ?
Last edited by farben10 on 24 Aug 2010, 12:22, edited 1 time in total.

murx
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Re: Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

#2

Post by murx » 24 Aug 2010, 09:36

The most important for the US is the BUNA patent to produce syntethic rubber, which was given to "Standard Oil" in exchange for Standard Oil's "tetra-ethyle-lead" gasoline additive patent, required for the German Luftwaffe. Without the Buna patent the US Army would have been in trouble as early as in 1941, natural coutchouk trade being controlled by the Japanese. In regard of that upcoming "national emergency" Standard Oil was forced to hand over the patent to the US authorities (Standard Oil today is ESSO and EXXON)

The German buna plant: Ausschwitz.


farben10
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Re: Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

#3

Post by farben10 » 24 Aug 2010, 14:03

You take my message too straightly. The talk is of course about unfair deliberate underestimation of greatest I.G. accomplishments.
Yet, indeed Buna theme is great! Actually I'm from Russia and synthetic rubber here is claimed to be our own independent invention. I saw in Borkin's book >> the following fragment:
The Petroleum Times in its December 23, 1943 issue published in detail a lecture by Robert T. Haslam of Standard Oil. In the article, Haslam claimed that United States technical warfare would not have been effective if I.G. had not supplied Standard with valuable information before the war. In fact, said Haslam, the success of the U.S.S.R.’s military campaigns was the result of the “technical achievements” the Soviet Union gained from I.G. via Standard.
I think these "technical achievements" are Buna patents. Or otherwise what it can be?

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Re: Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

#4

Post by JamesL » 24 Aug 2010, 16:57

When it comes to inventions I don't think 'things' are good or bad. It is the people applying these 'things' that earn that title.

For instance, I believe that Zyklon B is still manufactured in the USA although under a different trade name. It is used to fumigate corn and grain silos, barns, railcars, etc.

As far as IG Farben is concerned, the only product I identify with them is the Buna synthetic rubber. I believe the chemical plants in Auschwitz are still working these days. One of them is the largest producer in Europe. Someone is still making money off of the ghosts of the slave laborers.

farben10
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Re: Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

#5

Post by farben10 » 24 Aug 2010, 18:12

New application of old thing is also an invention. For example, using chlorine as a chemical weapon. Then, some things can not be used otherwise than in a bad way.
Zyklon B is still in production in the Czech Republic under the tradename Uragan D2 (from wikipedia). Indeed this one is not all bad.

I learned word "Buna" only studying IG Farben history. I guess it is a commonly used now english word for synthetic rubber? Or some valid brand or derivative? It explains the second place for Buna (it was a surprise to me)
Auschwitz plant was not completed (link>>). I don't know what is there at its place now but it can't be a working factory (I think...)

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Re: Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

#6

Post by JamesL » 24 Aug 2010, 19:05

The Buna plant construction was completed after the war.

The Polish company Dwory S.A. was established on September 1, 1945 from the German Buna Werke. It is now known as Synthos S.A. and produces synthetic rubber and latex, styrene plastics, vinyl and copolymer dispersions.

An aerial view of the Synthos Auschwitz plant site can be found at this link.

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=50.036249&lon ... 13&l=0&m=b

farben10
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Re: Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

#7

Post by farben10 » 24 Aug 2010, 19:37

Wow! How nice...
Thanks!

JamesL
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Re: Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

#8

Post by JamesL » 25 Aug 2010, 02:55

Additional info ..

In his book Tooze pointed out that as of 2003 the Auschwitz plant was the 3rd largest producer of synthetic rubber in Europe. It provides 5% of total world consumption. Two of the world's leading tire manufacturers source their rubber from the plant at Auschwitz. (p. 446)

Tooze also pointed out that 30,000 inmates died building that plant.

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bf109 emil
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Re: Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

#9

Post by bf109 emil » 25 Aug 2010, 05:38

farben10 wrote:I.G.Farben invented a lot of great things, both bad and good. Chemical weapons, artificial fertilizers, sulfa drugs, magnetic tape etc.
To find out which one is most important I made a statistics of Goggle searches using keywords defining some of major works by IG Farben.

+zyklon +"IG Farben" - 51.800 documents
+buna +"IG Farben" – 18.200
+sarin +"IG Farben" – 12.000
+anilin +"IG Farben" – 10.200
+nitrogen +"IG Farben" – 5.720
+prontosil +"IG Farben" – 4.990
+hydrogenation +"IG Farben" - 4.600
+magnetofon +"IG Farben" – 3.360

Predictably, there is a special one. By far the most popular invention is a famous fumigator used by Nazis to kill Jews. Indeed, whether all their other inventions are worth to be remembered if they made Zyklon B ?
I.G.Farben was also responsible for numerous war crimes and found guilty of such after the war...simply put, they where not just a company but also a contributor towards the Nazi Regime...

IG Farben guilty and sentences..

*

Otto Ambros, guilty of count three, slavery and mass murder, sentenced to imprisonment for eight years.
*

Walter Duerrfeld, guilty of count three, slavery and mass murder, sentenced to imprisonment for eight years.
*

Fritz ter Meer, guilty of count two, plunder and spoliation, and count three, slavery and mass murder, sentenced to imprisonment for seven years.
*

Carl Krauch, guilty of count three, slavery and mass murder, sentenced to imprisonment for six years.
*

Heinrich Buetefisch, guilty of count three, slavery and mass murder, sentenced to imprisonment for six years.
*

Georg von Schnitzler, guilty of count two, plunder and spoliation, sentenced to imprisonment for five years.
*

Hermann Schmitz, guilty of count two, plunder and spoliation, sentenced to imprisonment for four years.
*

Max Ilgner, guilty of count two, plunder and spoliation, sentenced to imprisonment for three years.
*

Heinrich Oster, guilty of count two, plunder and spoliation, sentenced to imprisonment for two years.
*

Paul Haefliger, guilty of count two, plunder and spoliation, sentenced to imprisonment for two years.
*

Friedrich Jaehne, guilty of count two, plunder and spoliation, sentenced to imprisonment for one and one-half years.
*

Hans Kugler, guilty of count two, plunder and spoliation, sentenced to imprisonment for one and one-half years.

farben10
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Re: Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

#10

Post by farben10 » 25 Aug 2010, 06:55

+Nuremberg +"IG Farben" – 23.900 documents
Zyklon is a greater hype. You had also to mention Tesch and Weinbacher executed by British for Zyklon B distribution.

Reducing IG Farben history to Zyklon B is more reasonable than to Nuremberg trial. If we say that they produced Zyklon we can stop at this.
If we talk about Nuremberg trial the question immediately arises what IG Farben actually did. At the next step it turns out that they developed Buna, syntetic gasoline, methanol. And then the whole world of IG Farben may be exposed to inquiring mind.

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bf109 emil
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Re: Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

#11

Post by bf109 emil » 01 Sep 2010, 21:22


JamesL
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Re: Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

#12

Post by JamesL » 13 Oct 2010, 22:32

Surfing the web I came across a note which stated that on July 1, 2008 Synthos-Dwory shipped 110,712 kg of synthetic rubber to the Michelin plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. Route = Auschwitz > Hamburg > Charleston SC > Fort Wayne IN. Michelin makes automobile and light truck tires at that plant.

The recent aerial view of the Auschwitz plant shows automobiles parked in front of the Synthos headquarters as well as a number of trailer trucks scattered throughout the plant. I noted that pipe racks had been freshly painted and that the steam lines had bright aluminum jacketing, indicating a well maintained plant. The steam lines are noted because of the expansion loops every so often. A number of out of service facilities are also visible.

Synthos' annual revenue is estimated at up to 1,000 M euros.

And here I thought the tires on my car came from Vietnam, not Auschwitz.

-

vszulc
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Re: Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

#13

Post by vszulc » 05 Dec 2011, 00:32

Well, you're on to something here... The BUNA factory that IG Farben built in Auschwitz survived the war, and is still one of the biggest producers of synthetic rubber to this day...

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wm
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Re: Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

#14

Post by wm » 05 Dec 2011, 02:10

JamesL wrote: The Polish company Dwory S.A. was established on September 1, 1945 from the German Buna Werke. It is now known as Synthos S.A.
It is not quite like this, Dwory is called Synthos Dwory now.
Synthos S.A. consists of two plants: Synthos Dwory in Oświęcim and Synthos Kralupy in Kralupy, in the Czech Republic. Both of them produce synthetic rubber. The Synthos Kralupy has little history to speak of. It was built on the site of the Kralupy flying club airport in 1958.
farben10 wrote:Zyklon B is still in production in the Czech Republic under the tradename Uragan D2
Uragan D2 is produced by Draslovka a.s. in Kolin. The plant was called Kaliwerke AG during the war, and the product was called Zyklon B.
In 2006 overflow of wastewater containing cyanides (base component of Uragan D2) from that plant resulted in mass dying of fish in the Elbe river.

farben10
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Re: Reducing I.G.Farben to Zyklon B

#15

Post by farben10 » 11 Jul 2012, 07:02

Recently I've found spectacular example of censorship on information about IG Farben beyond Zyklon B.
"IG Farben" cut out of Hitchcock's "Notorious">>

The only other Hollywood film I know which has "IG Farben" in dialogs is Schindler's List (episode with some Auschwitz administrator so it is Zyklon B - compatible). Compare this to list of Actors who have played Adolf Hitler

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