To the SS-Brigadefuehrer FEGELEIN
Fuehrer Headquarters

Dear Hermann!

Enclosed I am sending you copy of a letter for your information. It was given to the Reich marshal on 9 march 1944 by the Reichsfuehrer-SS.

Heil Hitler!

(initialled) DR

1 enclosure
9 March 1944

1879/44 secret Field-command office

Subject: Employment of prisoners in the aviation industry.

Reference: Teletype of 14 February 1944.

Top Reich Secret
Most honored Reichsmarshal

Following my teletype letter of the 18 Feb. 44 I herewith transmit a survey on the employment of prisoners in the aviation industry.

This survey indicates that at the present time about 36000 prisoners are employed for the purposes of the air force.

An increase to a total of 90,000 prisoners is contemplated.

The production is being discussed, established and executed between the Reich ministry of aviation and the chief of my economic-administrative main office, SS-Obergruppenfuehrer and General of the Waffen-SS, Pohl respectively.

We assist with all forces at our disposal.

The task of my economic-administrative main office, however, is not solely fulfilled with the delivery of the prisoners to the aviation industry as SS-Obergruppenfuehrer Pohl and his assistants take care of the required working speed thru constant control and supervision of the workgroups [kommandos] and therefore have some influence on the results of production. in this respect I may suggest consideration of the fact that in enlarging our responsibility thru a speeding up of the total work, better results can definitely be expected.

We also have for some time adjusted our own stone-quarries to production for the airforce. For instance in Flossenbuerg near Weiden the prisoners employed previously in the quarry are working now in the fighter plane program for the Messerschmitt corporation, Regensburg, which saw in the availability of our stone-mason shops and labor forces after the attack on Regensburg at that time a favorable opportunity for the immediate partial transfer of their production. Altogether 4000 prisoners will work there after the expansion. We produce now with 2000 men 900 sets of engine cowlings and radiator covers as well as 120,000 single parts of various kinds for the fighter Me 109.

In Oranienburg we are employing 6000 prisoners at the Heinkel works now for construction of the hE 177. With that we have supplied 60% of the total crew of the plant.

The prisoners are working without fault. Up till now 200 suggestions regarding the improvement of work have been handed in at Heinkel from the ranks of the prisoners, which were used and were rewarded with premiums. We are increasing this employment to 8000 prisoners.

We also have employed female prisoners in the aviation industry. For instance at the mechanical workshops in Neubrandenburg 2500 women are working now in the manufacture of devices for dropping bombs and rudder control. The plant has adjusted the total serial production to employ prisoners. In the month of January 30,000 devices as well as 500 rudder controls and altitude regulators have been manufactured. We are increasing employment to 4000 women. The performance of the women is excellent.

In our own plant in Butschowitz near Bruenn [Brno] we produce also for the air force, there however with civilian workers. This plant supplies 14,000 wooden-built rear control apparatus for ME 109 to the messerschmitt corporation, Augsburg.

The movement of manufacturing plants of the aviation industry to subterranean locations requires further employment of about 100,000 prisoners. The plans for this employment on the basis of your letter of 14 Feb 1944 are already under way.

I shall keep you, most honored Reichsmarshal, currently informed on this subject.

Heil Hitler
(initialed) HH
Use of Prisoners for the Aircraft Industry. Camp & Plant Number of Prisoners Planned Number of Prisoners used Man-Hrs January Production Auschwitz: AA Fortification staff, Auschwitz Ost-Maschinenbau GmbH, (Factory), Schwientochlowitz Siemens & Schuckert, Auschwitz Buchenwald: Earl-Maschinenwerk GmbH., Leipzig Junkers-Flug-& Motorenwerke Ag., Schoenebeck Polte, Arnstadt Leichtmetallwerke Rautenbach Wernigerode Dachau: High frequency research BMW, Munich-Allach Dornier Works GmbH., Neuaubing Engineer Kimmel, Munich Air Force research institute, Munich Messerschmitt AG., Augsburg- Messerschmitt AG., Haunstetten Messerschmitt AG., Gablingen Messerschmitt AG., Dachau Messerschmitt AG., Kottern Air force planning office, Sudelfeld Praezifix, Dachau H. Sachse KG. Kempten. Flossenbuerg: Dt. Erd- & Steinwerke GmbH, Floss. Erl-Maschinenwerk GmbH, Johanngeorgenstadt Milsen Geramic Works Bohemia, Neurohlau Luftfahrtgeraetewerk, Zwodau Herzogenbusch: Dt. Erd- & Steinwerke GmbH. Herzogenbusch Air force field construction office 3 Mauthausen: Dt. Erd- & Steinwerke GmbH., Mauthausen Flugmoteren GmbH., Wiener-Neudorf Heinkel-Werke AG, Schwechat Natzweiler: Dt Erd- & Steinwerke GmbH, Natzweiler Neuengamme: Jastram, Hamburg-Bergedorf Messap GmbH., Hamburg-Langenhorn Ravensbrueck: Air ministry testing ground, Peenamuende-W Geraetewerk Pommern GmbH, Stargard Heinkel-Werke AG, Barth. Mechan.Werkstaetten GmbH. Neubrandenburg Siemens & Halske, Berlin, work Ravensbrueck Silva-metallwerke GmbH, Genthin Veltener-Maschinenbau GmbH., Volten Sachsenhausen: Heinkel-Werke AG, Oranienburg Luftschiffbau Zepplin GmbH, Oranienburg Ostland Concentration Camp: Air force field building direction. Spilve Field building direction 3/I, Kauen AA booty repair shop, Kauen Kopperschmidt & Soehne, Riga It was recently agreed to use further: Buchenwald: Anhydrit Ago, Oschersleben Gross-Rosen: Famo, Bunzlau Mauthausen: Esche II Natzweiler: Geraetewerk Pommern GmbH., branch Diedenhofen 250 1,500 1,500 2,800 2,000 100 1,200 15 12,000 3,000 25 400 3,400 600 600 1,000 25 400 1,000 4,000 600 500 100 1,500 600 1,000 500 3,000 3,200 400 80 120 600 550 2,000 4,000 2,400 600 600 6,500 300 1,000 1,000 200 20 10,000 1,500 1,500 10,000 600 90,785 191 730 90 1,550 1,310 87 772 15 3,434 60 23 40 2,695 352 192 341 25 356 374 1,911 564 30 100 199 411 265 423 1,983 2,065 261 80 110 598 283 1,721 1,981 872 596 596 5,939 221 1,000 829 162 20 -- -- -- -- -- 35,839 48,788 196,067 19,240 176,105 362,619 24,112 189,832 3,290 908,606 9,527 7,925 -- 740,640 -- 35,766 57,050 4,660 94,067 91,630 422,158 117,524 -- 10,764 28,314 35,248 64,800 82,632 417,328 486,206 63,221 21,554 31,422 125,000 81,129 435,155 529,126 242,867 154,224 146,873 1,699,978 54,006 280,776 222,186 4,920 6,160 -- -- -- -- -- 8,733,495 Construction of AA positions. AA gun production: prod. result Jan: 150 guns. at first completion of plant, later switch and control instruments for night fighters. air plane parts production prod. result Jan: 360 wings for BF 109, 290 fuselages BF 109, 304 tail assemblies air plane parts production finishing of AA cartridge cases; prod. result Jan: 181.000 AA cartridge cases. production of cylinder blocks for airplane motors high frequency development air plane motor production-construction & subterranean building at first construction of workers' camp, later plane part production. building of radio measuring instruments prod. result Jan: 35 RC-generators. building of air force research institute Ottobrunn air plane production Me air plane production Me manuafacture of plane parts first building of factory, then plant parts production building of experimental station for high frequency production of standard plane parts and screws first building of factory/start production of propeller control instruments. plane parts production for Me prod. result Jan: 900 noses & radiator covering; 120,000 parts. air plane parts production. air plane parts production. plane parts production. instrument prod. for air force. air plane disassembling plant prod. result Jan: 12 planes disassembled, 35 motors disassembled, 120 wings disassembled runway construction for airport. plane parts construction for Me prod. result January: 25 plane fuselages first building, later plane parts prod. air plane parts production disassembling of Ju motors & welding of air torpedoes. air plane parts production production of fuse mechanisms prod. result Jan: 16 800 balance wheels S30, 53 900 balance wheels S60, 15 600 time fuses S30, 46 700 times fuses S60 building production of aerial torpedoes air plane production production of bomb release mechanism and Fz.G.76;prod.Jan.23,000 lock 50/X, 1,500 lock 2000, 150 PVC 1006, 500 rudder machines, 400 ER 4 L-"2" communication equipment product. (e.g. throat microphones) production of AA Ammunition prod. result Jan.: 518 200 2-cm shells, 927 500 2-cm shells (various styles), 965 000 13-mm shells production of plane parts. plane mass production. Prod. result 15 plane bodies He 177 production and repair of balloons prod. result Jan: 120 balloons repaired and part work for 40 new balloons. building of airport. building of airport. re-building of booty AA production of plane turrets. plane production Ju underground plane production Focke-Wulf fighters. servicing of FW night fighters, Ta 154. kind of production to be decided by air Ministry. production of aerial torpedoes. The Chief of the
SS Economics Administration Main Office
Berlin, 21 february 1944 (signed) Pohl I. [?]
SS Obergruppenfuehrer and General of Armed Forces SS.

The Reich Minister for Armament and War Production
TAE-No. 475/44 top secret
(Signed) Pohl
[Initialled] HH

Berlin, Pariser Platz 3, 17 April 1944.

Phone: 11 00 52
Pohl

TOP SECRET

Fighter staff, attention: Field Marshal MILCH
Fighter staff, attention: Chief of office SWR

For Information
Reichsfuehrer-SS and chief of the German Police, Reich-leader
HIMMLER
Head of armament office Lt Gen Dr Ing. h. c. Waeger Plenipotentiary-General for Construction, Director Stobbe-Dethleffsen

1. Using tables and drawings as an illustration I have in conjunction with Field Marshal Milch informed the Fuehrer on the work of the fighter staff in pointing to the extraordinarily pleasing and successful cooperation of the newly created organization with all offices and works. he is cognizant of the fact that the greatest part of the transfer has been fixed according to plan and that as the first step the decentralization above the ground can be concluded by approximately August and that the second step aiming at the total subterranean security of the most sensitive works will be concluded by the end of the year.

2. Field Marshal Milch has reported as a result of the meeting on construction of the "central planning" to the Fuehrer, that of the amount of construction demanded, because of the extraordinary aggravation of the all-over situation, only the most important part of the construction work could be accomplished. The Fuehrer demands that in spite of that both the large plants, each of at least 600,000 qm, which he demanded should be constructed with all energy. He consents that one of these works will not be built in concrete but in accordance with the proposal as an enlargement and in the immediate vicinity of the present central works as the so-called central construction and will come under the management of the Junkers works.

The Fuehrer agrees to the suggestion that the second large building project will, because of lack in labor and material, not be carried out on German territory, but on suitable ground (first of all gravel foundation and possibilities for transportation) in the immediate proximity of the border, on French, Belgian or Dutch territory, as long as the plant is constructed behind a fortified zone. The suggestion to build on French territory is favored by the fact that it will then be much easier to make the necessary labor available. in spite of that the Fuehrer asks to try, to construct this second works in an essentially secure territory, namely in the Protectorate. If the labor can not be supplied there either, the Fuehrer wants to get in touch in person with the Reichsfuehrer SS and will cause him to provide the approximately 100,000 men required, thru the securing of corresponding Jewish contingents from Hungary. The Fuehrer demands that a meeting take place with him shortly in order to discuss the details in the presence of the men concerned.

3. An immediate task for the central construction besides assuring the supply of the bottleneck products of the Junkers works which is to be executed step by step, is the planning and securing of ME 262 at the rate of 1000 a month and of an additional fighterplane at the rate of 2000 a month.

Heil Hitler
signed: SPEER
Certified: Capt. Stein