A ''Wehrwirtschaftsführer'' (''WeWiFü'';
German language
German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...
plural: ''Wehrwirtschaftsführer'') was, during the time of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
(1933–1945), an executive of a company or of a large factory (). ''Wehrwirtschaftsführer'' were appointed, starting in 1935, by the (department which existed from 1939 for implementing the policy of directing the nation's economic activity towards preparation for and support of the war effort, including
armaments
A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...
) being a part of the ''
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
The (; abbreviated OKW ː kaːˈveArmed Forces High Command) was the Command (military formation), supreme military command and control Staff (military), staff of Nazi Germany during World War II, that was directly subordinated to Adolf ...
'' (''OKW''), that was pushing the build-up of arms for the ''
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
'' (which was founded in March 1935). Appointments aimed to bind the ''Wehrwirtschaftsführer'' to the ''Wehrmacht'' and to give them a quasi-military status.
After 1938, the appointed the ''Wehrwirtschaftsführer''. From 1940 on, this title was given more and more also to leading employees in companies not belonging to the armament branch, also to demonstrate that those companies were contributing to the
wartime economy.
Especially before 1940, appointments did not indicate the political attitude of the person receiving the title. The designation also gave no indication that a given company was important for armaments.
If a manager was appointed ''Wehrwirtschaftsführer'', their company could more easily degrade employment conditions for the workers and employees.
Appointees
*
*
Gustav Böhme, owner of Dr. Ing. Böhme & Co., Metallwarenfabrik, Minden-Lübbeckerstrasse
* , chief executive officer and general director of the coal mining company
*
Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Borgward
*
William Borm
*
Carl Bosch
*
Max Brose
*
Richard Bruhn (
Auto Union
Auto Union AG was an amalgamation of four German automobile manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in Chemnitz, Saxony. It is the immediate predecessor of Audi as it is known today.
As well as acting as an umbrella firm for ...
)
*
Heinrich Bütefisch (
I.G. Farben)
* ()
*
*
Claude Dornier
Claude (Claudius) Honoré Désiré Dornier (14 May 1884 – 5 December 1969) was a Franco-German airplane designer and founder of Dornier GmbH. His notable designs include the 12-engine Dornier Do X flying boat, for decades the world's la ...
*
Gerhard Fieseler
*
Friedrich Flick
*
Fritz Gajewski
*
Edmund Geilenberg
* Berthold Geipel, founder of Erfurter Maschinenfabrik (
ERMA)
*
Alfred Freiherr von Harder
*
Ernst Heinkel
*
Jost Henkel
*
Paul Henrichs (
Carl Zeiss, Jena)
*
Arthur Hess
*
Heinrich Hörlein
*
*
Max Ilgner
*
*
*
Hans Kohnert
*
August Kotthaus (
Carl Zeiss, Jena)
*
Fritz Kranefuss
*
Carl Krauch
Carl Krauch (7 April 1887 – 3 February 1968) was a German chemist, industrialist and Nazi war criminal. He was an executive at BASF (later IG Farben); during World War II, he was chairman of the supervisory board. He was a key implementer of th ...
*
Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach
*
Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach
*
Heinz Küppenbender (
Carl Zeiss, Jena)
*
Carl Lautenschläger
* Friedrich Linde, of
Linde plc
Linde is a global multinational chemical company and the world's largest industrial gas supplier by market share and revenue. Founded by German scientist and engineer Carl von Linde in 1879 in Wiesbaden, Germany, the company is now headquarter ...
*
Wilhelm Meinberg
*
Ernst Klee
Ernst Klee (15 March 1942, Frankfurt – 18 May 2013, Frankfurt) was a German journalist and author. As a writer on Germany's history, he was best known for his exposure and documentation of medical crimes in Nazi Germany, much of which was conce ...
, ''Das Personenlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945''. Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, 2nd aktualisierte Auflage, Frankfurt am Main 2005, , p. 404.
*
Wilhelm Emil Messerschmitt
*
*
Fritz Nallinger
*
Heinrich Nordhoff
*
*
*
*
Paul Pleiger
*
Ernst Poensgen
*
Ferdinand Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche (3 September 1875 – 30 January 1951) was a German automotive engineering, automotive engineer and founder of the Porsche, Porsche AG. He is best known for creating the first Petrol engine, gasoline–Electric motor, el ...
*
Günther Quandt
*
Philipp Fürchtegott Reemtsma
*
Friedrich Reinhart
*
*
*
*
Hermann Röchling
*
Alexander Rodenstock
*
Willy Sachs
*
*
Hermann Schmitz
*
Christian Schneider
*
Georg Schnitzler
*
Philipp Alois von Schoeller
*
Hermann von Siemens
*
*
*
Otto Steinbrinck
*
Gerd Stieler von Heydekampf
*
Kurt Tank
*
Alfred Teves
*
*
*
*
Ernst Hellmut Vits
*
*
Hans Walz
*
Gerhard Alois Westrick
*
Ludger Westrick
* (
Siemens
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...
)
*
Carl Wurster
*
Wilhelm Zangen
*
Wehrwirtschaftsführer after the war
After the end of the war, most military leaders were punished by the Allies, but were soon reinstated in key posts of reconstruction under
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
conditions. Symptomatic of this was the return to power of
Friedrich Flick, the greatest business leader of the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
and the most prominent leader of the military economy. After seven years of captivity, he again became the greatest entrepreneur of the Federal Republic, awarded the Grand Cross of Merit with shoulder strap and star.
[Kurt Pritzkoleit]
''Gott erhält die Mächtigen - Rück- und Rundblick auf den deutschen Wohlstand''
Düsseldorf: Karl Rauch Verlag, S. 430, pp. 95 -123 (comprehensive list of World War II "Wehrwirtschaftsführer" and their role in German economy and politics which was firmly established again after the war).
Literature
* Paul Erker: Industrieeliten in der NS-Zeit: Anpassungsbereitschaft und Eigeninteresse von Unternehmen in der Rüstungs- und Kriegswirtschaft, 1936 - 1945. Passau: Wissenschaftsverlag Rothe, 1993, 120 p.
* Kurt Pritzkoleit
''Gott erhält die Mächtigen - Rück- und Rundblick auf den deutschen Wohlstand'' Düsseldorf: Karl Rauch Verlag, S. 430, pp. 95 -123 (comprehensive list of World War II "Wehrwirtschaftsführer" and their role in German economy and politics which was firmly established again after the war).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wehrwirtschaftsfuhrer
Economy of Nazi Germany