HN 2: The British and their Works

This was the cue for Heinrich Nordhoff, who as ex-chief of the
Opel works in Brandenburg possessed not only leadership
qualities but also experience in automotive mass-production.
Because his position had earned him the rank of "Wehrwirtschaftsführer",
Nordhoff had been dismissed under the denazification
guidelines applicable in the American zone of
occupation, even though he had not been a member of the Nazi
party. Having been unemployed since the end of 1946, Nordhoff
accepted the post of Managing Director with the Hamburgbased
Opel dealership, Dello & Co. It is thought that his initial
contact with Ivan Hirst took place in the drawing room of Dello’s
owner, Lisa Praesent, in the autumn of 1947, when Hirst invited
Nordhoff to a meeting in Wolfsburg. Visibly impressed by
Nordhoff’s charisma, Hirst gave up his original plan and proposed
the Opel man as general manager. An interview with
Radclyffe secured Nordhoff a second patron, who now together
with Hirst arranged for Münch’s removal from office. On 7th November 1947 the Board of Control appointed Heinrich
Nordhoff managing director, requesting him to take up his new
position as soon as possible. 197
To begin with the current general manager Münch was kept in
the dark regarding this decision. He introduced the new man to
the company, and during this time enjoyed a "friendly and
harmonious collaboration" with him. With regard to the future
division of tasks, both had agreed to draw up only basic lines of
demarcation and work out the details at a later date, depending
on practical requirements. All the more bitter was Münch’s disappointment
when on 25th November 1947, in an interview with
Major Hirst, Property Control Officer Neal and Nordhoff, he was
informed of his removal from the position of general manager.
Only the previous evening Nordhoff had been a guest in his
house, but had, he said, been required to maintain silence on the
decision. Whether Münch believed this version is not known. In
any case his letter to Nordhoff rang bitter as he demanded "that
no opprobrium should attach to my good name, which is all I
have left, and that there should be no (…) suggestion that I
should have failed here in a great and important task". And
although he did not accuse Nordhoff of plotting, the impression
had nonetheless been formed "that you ousted me". 198 It is
indeed unlikely that Nordhoff would have been in favour of a
duumvirate, because the centrally managed line and staff organisation
that he was aspiring to, modelled on General Motors,
and his rather autocratic management style could not tolerate a
second decision-maker. However, the last word went to the
Board of Control, which after a final convulsion from Münch
indicated that "no further change is admissible" in this matter.
Münch proved unable to overcome his bitterness at the lack
of recognition of his efforts. In April 1948 he also resigned
as trustee. His place was taken on 1st May 1948 by Dr. Hermann
Knott. 199
With Nordhoff’s assumption of office on 1st January 1948, the
British factory management retired to the background, leaving
him a free hand with the management of the company. A clear
indication of this victory for autonomy was the restructure of
the German management, which had been under discussion
since early November 1947 and was implemented in May 1948
under Hirst’s supervision. The Volkswagen plant now acquired a
full management board as befitted an industrial concern, consisting
of technical management, personnel management,
purchasing management, sales management, finance management
and operational management. 200