Speer's Bold Plan

Armaments Minister since February 1942, Albert Speer worked wonders with a German industrial sector rife with waste. He found himself incessantly hindered by party politics and a lack of cooperation from the Nazi hierarchy. Nevertheless, by slowly centralising almost all industry control and cutting through the dense bureaucracy, he succeeded in multiplying war production.

Yet even the miracles Speer worked with the German economy could not solve the problem facing the Wermacht in North America. With the supply line so long and the campaign so broad, deficiencies in parts and ammunition began to grow.

Part of the problem was transport. Ships were being used to ferry soldiers to Germany as fast as they could placing a limit on the amount of supplies that could be shipped. The same was to be said of air transport. Another piece of the puzzle was labor. With so many men being called up, factories found themselves emptied of workers. There was also the issue of the American campaign itself. Terrain was rugged and the kilometers traveled vast taking a toll on German panzers, personnel carriers, and other transports.

Innovative solutions arose at the local level. Many commanders ordered their men to forage for food when supplies were late in coming. Local populations were also made use of for supply issues such as flat tires, mechanical parts, and fuel. Some civilian vehicles were even pressed into German service.

The labor issue was another matter. Initially, Speer accepted Himmler's offer and made use of foreign as well as forced labor to fill in the gap. Even then, the immense demand of the home consumer economy (which Hitler refused to sacrifice) coupled with the massive campaign in America was too much for the German industrial sector to handle.

It was then that an idea came to the Armaments Minister. Some of the land conquered in Eastern Canada as well as parts of Northeastern America had factories. Why not press them into service? The factories themselves would have to be retooled, but to have an industrial base so close would shorten the delivery time of parts and increase German production. They need not be used for sensitive items such as aircraft, panzers, or troop weapons but they could be used to manufacture parts and ammunition. The only question was who were to work in those factories? Surely, the Canadians and Americans would not willingly aid the fight against their nations. Yet the thought of transporting labor from Europe to America also seemed preposterous. Once more, Himmler offered to help in the situation. He tasked Reinhard Heydrich with organizing occupied America into a productive contributor of the Third Reich.

Heydrich would arrive in Saint John on 13 April 1943. Shortly thereafter, SS would follow. They placed all conquered American lands under their administration. They would go through official records and draw up plans on how to reorganize the territory. Within a month they acted. Land was taken from the local populace for camps and factories deemed adequate seized. To fill these, Heydrich ordered the use of prisoners of war in the factories. When these men refused to work, Heydrich was quick to cut their rations, torture, and execute them one by one until they agreed to take their stations. Within six months, Heydrich had accomplished his goals.

SOURCE: Wright, Herbert Traitors to Their Nation: The Economics of War