HN 2: The British and their Works

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Münch claimed the highest priority, and his claims were welcomed at the Board. This latter had already, some days previously, instructed Hanover to execute the measure with all despatch. At the beginning of September 1946 mayor Zaayenga was given the order to make preparations for evacuation of 189 families, who would be resettled in other districts of the government sector of Lüneburg. Because the list he was given contained irregularities, Zaayenga called an immediate meeting of the town council. Over 1,000 citizens were present. The council made sharp criticism of the way in which the operation had been managed, and revealed serious shortcomings in the list. A civic deputation consisting of Kiesel for the General Union, Kunze for the SPD (German Social Democratic Party) and Schoefer for the CDU (Christian Democratic Party) travelled to the relevant British office in Hanover. They convinced the officer in charge that the list contained errors and did not tally with the factory management’s list. It contained a considerable number of persons whose appeal against dismissal had very real prospects of success. 47 There were in fact a number of lists in circulation – at a meeting of the factory management at the beginning of August 1946, mention was made of a "political list", a "factory opponents list" and a "spongers’ list". 48 After this debacle the British military government suspended the campaign to await first of all the results of the appeals proceedings. By mid-October 1946 the Public Safety had processed less than one half of the 190 appeals. In order to accelerate the remaining cases, a special commission was set up in Wolfsburg. Its verdicts were subject to confirmation by Lüneburg; in cases of dissent, headquarters in Hanover would arbitrate. For both the German denazification committees and the responsible British department, the result of the appeals proceedings was nothing short of a slap in the face. Of 190 appeals, 138 were upheld, 14 individuals had withdrawn their appeal, and in respect of 30 cases the records give no information. The criticism of the Public Safety officers, that the commission was broadly on the side of the appellants, certainly appeared to hit the nail on the head. 49 The works council of the Volkswagenwerk had striven to obtain a place on the Appointments and Dismissals Commission, and was pressing for the right to a say in the reinstatement of denazified personnel. At an extraordinary meeting convened in October 1946 the fundamental decision was taken to no longer employ any "tainted" persons in leading positions or to entrust them with "man-management" posts. This resolution, and a corresponding list of 19 names, was sent to Hermann Münch by internal mail, and he requested the Senior Resident Officer’s comments. Major Hirst made it unequivocally clear how limited the works council’s scope for co-determination was, and not just in this matter. He advised the new general manager to listen to the views of the employee representatives before reinstating
individuals in positions of responsibility. But the Military Government had placed the management in his hands, and "not in those of the works council or the union representatives". For this reason the final decision was his. Every case in which the works council raised objections should be brought to Hirst’s attention. 50 In the event, the recommendations of the employee representatives were frequently ignored. At the works council meeting of 5th March 1947 the complaint was voiced that many cases had been settled in defiance of the objections of the works council. This meant that a "definitive democratisation of the factory was called into question". 51 ■ 22 23 TWO KINDS OF DENAZIFICATION
Page 1 and 2: The British and their Works The Vol
Page 3 and 4: 1 2 3 4 PREFACE 4 1. THE LUCK OF TH
Page 5 and 6: This applies as much to the service
Page 7 and 8: Radclyffe, head of the Mechanical E
Page 9 and 10: survived the attacks practically un
Page 11 and 12: British officers inspect a saloon c
Page 13 and 14: The Volkswagenwerk also had its own
Page 15 and 16: Workers remove the roof of a saloon
Page 17 and 18: The laxity of this procedure outrag
Page 19 and 20: Major Hirst (right) in discussion w
Page 21: However, accommodation in Wolfsburg
Page 25 and 26: The absence of special tools led to
Page 27 and 28: visional compromise permitted sale
Page 29 and 30: British soldiers take delivery of t
Page 31 and 32: Wing Commander Richard H. Berryman,
Page 33 and 34: Final assembly line at the Wolfsbur
Page 35 and 36: On 17 June 1946, chief trustee Dr.
Page 37 and 38: General manager Münch approached t
Page 39 and 40: Under the pressure of the material
Page 41 and 42: Arrival in Wolfsburg of Displaced P
Page 43 and 44: The factory management deliberated
Page 45 and 46: Owing to the chronic lack of living
Page 47 and 48: A lack of supplies meant that the V
Page 49 and 50: 2.3 Works council in the deficit ec
Page 51 and 52: Due to the works council’s engage
Page 53 and 54: enlistment at a meeting of the prod
Page 55 and 56: After the production restarted in M
Page 57 and 58: Volkswagenwerk. As required by thes
Page 59 and 60: The service school began running co
Page 61 and 62: The Jeep repair workshop celebrates
Page 63 and 64: In spite of all these difficulties,
Page 65 and 66: corrosion between filler and topcoa
Page 67 and 68: defects. Josef Kales, the head of t
Page 69 and 70: that he had rejected to production,
Page 71 and 72: the adherence to manufacturing tole
Page 73 and 74:
The Ministries of Trade and Supply
Page 75 and 76:
therefore arose as to whether the t
Page 77 and 78:
compared to other manufacturers. Ma
Page 79 and 80:
Minutes for the 11th meeting of the
Page 81 and 82:
Supplies of raw materials still det
Page 83 and 84:
The first press conference of the g
Page 85 and 86:
In the upturn after the currency re
Page 87 and 88:
workforce at the Volkswagenwerk inc
Page 89 and 90:
For all its criticism of the bureau
Page 91 and 92:
Colonel Radclyffe signed the takeov
Page 93 and 94:
fident, since "nowadays when people
Page 95 and 96:
40 Notes by Brörmann dated 12 th A
Page 97 and 98:
162 Kales to Münch, 30 th December
Page 99:
Picture Sources REME Archives and M
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HN 2: The British and their Works

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