Die Sabotage in der nazistischen Rüstungsindustrie auf dem Gebiet Polens in den Jahren 1939 - 1945 [Sabotage in the Nazi armaments industry in Poland in the years 1939 - 1945]

Abstract

One of the main goals of Hitler's Germany's economic policy in Poland was to use this territory to strengthen the military potential of the Third Reich. This is clearly expressed in the guidelines that Hitler and Gering addressed to the occupying authorities after the occupation of Poland. The Wehrmacht's interest in Polish industry was already extensive before the plan of attack against Poland was drawn up. In the German documents one can find many detailed analyses of individual branches of industry and regions, such as the study concerning the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. According to estimates, the industrial potential of pre-war Poland in 1937 was about 15 percent of the industrial potential of the Third Reich at that time1. The plan of attack against Poland in September 1939 was preceded not only by a detailed study of the economy but also by individual decisions, namely which Polish factory should be assigned to which German company. During the defence of Poland in 1939, the entire industry was taken over by the special departments, the so-called technical troops of the Wehrmacht, and transferred to the corporations or attached to newly established armaments inspectorates. The territorial reorganisation of Poland into the so-called General Government and the areas that were annexed to the German Reich (Silesia, Greater Poland, Pomerania, part of the Kraków and Warsaw voivodeships) also had economic aspects.
80 percent of Polish industry was concentrated there, including 100 percent of coal mining, 100 percent of zinc production, 90 percent of steel and 87.5 percent of iron production, 70 percent of textiles, 70 percent of sugar production, etc. Before 1939, the majority of branches of the Polish armaments industry were located in the areas that were declared General Government in October 1939.