Big business at the end of the war.

Discussions on the economic history of the nations taking part in WW2, from the recovery after the depression until the economy at war.
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twobyfour
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Big business at the end of the war.

#1

Post by twobyfour » 15 Dec 2010, 23:17

Hello all. I am looking for a little help regarding the fate of certain large business concerns at the end of the war. Eg, Krupp, I.G Farben, IBM etc, etc.

I am aware that war production continued to the bitter end, but what about post surrender? I presume that there was a time lag before the Allied Control Council could begin to administer and review business after the surrender. And, of course great numbers of slave workers would have downed tools and became refugees.

There is too, the question of complicity within the regime by business leaders.

Any help, reference and guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

TBF.

Carl Schwamberger
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Re: Big business at the end of the war.

#2

Post by Carl Schwamberger » 17 Dec 2010, 07:24

'Arms of Krupp' by Manchester has a paragraph or two on this. Without checking the book, what I remember is when the British administrators came around to inspect & evalute they found production had never stopped. There was still a small section making pots & cookware. Other items like reinforcing bar for concrete, rails to repair the tram lines may have been made as well but I cant recall. An army veteran Werner Adamcyzk returned to his former employer near Hamburg who owned a oil or fat rendering works. They were extracting oils for making soap. These two slim items suggest production did not come to a complete halt.

At Barnes & Noble I noticed a couple books on the occupation published in the past decade or two. Perhaps those have something.


South
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Re: Big business at the end of the war.

#3

Post by South » 17 Dec 2010, 11:32

Good morning 2X4,

For cyber research, google to the Nuremburg Tribunal section on the busines trials (eg the Zyklon B gas production portion). You'll see the names and can then surf around the web to see the progress of events surrounding some companies and personalities.

There are many pulp book but the field is just too large unless more specifics are provided to offer suggestions and eg titles. Look at eg a bank or a book on banking history, a steamship line, a car company, an airline.

Oil companies, too.


Warm regards,

Bob

From the land missed by global warming

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Georges JEROME
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Re: Big business at the end of the war.

#4

Post by Georges JEROME » 20 Dec 2010, 23:48

Hello,

I recommand you a well known DDR book called "Braunbuch" which deal with "war criminals" in BDR
there is around 40 pages with list dealing with business and bank leaders under third reich.

You can find it in bookshop on line.

Georges

Alsaceone
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Re: Big business at the end of the war.

#5

Post by Alsaceone » 21 Jan 2012, 05:34

Hello,
I recommend IBM and the Holocaust by Edwin Black as a starting point on IBM's efforts to protect and recover their Hollerith machines throughout the areas where they had contracts to service the Third Reich's various needs. As for ITT, it was able to remove a tube factory out of Thuringia before the Russian take over. I believe the tube factory was put to work repairing a Lorenz blind landing system in a nearby airport in the US Occupation Zone.
Good hunting,
Bill

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