miRS-tonpon - Sturmpanzer.com

equally urgent rSeP^^irniShing German, war industries withthe maximum amount of foreign manpower and thus not only releaseGermans for the army but also build up industry where it was safestfrom enemy action. In this respect the OT was increasingly used inGermany not only on repair of air-raid damage but also in top priority• industries such as synthetic plants*SAUCKEL's staff in France, June 1943* to June 1944 (see AktionFrankreioh, para ITfyelow), attempted to effect a working compromiseon the basis of production requirements laid down by the Reichsministenumfttr ROstung und Kriegsprodugtion, by the following methods:(1) By re-organising the classification of French industry.The Rfl and V Betriebe (short for BQstungs and Verpflegungg*betriebe, Armament and Food Industries/ were reclassified 'S 1betriebe. Agriculture and Lumber industries (termedE und Fo Betriebe) were placed on a priority level with 'S 1industries. OT f s priority within the 'S* group was on alevel with that of the Salvage and Repair and Clothingindustries. All industries outside of the f S f group wereconsidered unessential as far as tapping their sources ofmanpower were concerned,(2) By combing out all but an irreducible minimum of male personnelfrom non-essential industries and all superfluous malepersonnel out of essential industries, for possible deportationto Germany. In this manner Frenchmen were to replace Germanworkers called up for the Wehrmacht, and Frenchwomen were tofill the essential Jobs vacated by Frenchmen.171. Aktion FrankreichAktion Frankreich was that part of Aktion 44s the last great Germanmanpower recruitment drive in Europe, which applied to France. It setup a quota of 1 million Frenchmen between the ages of 18 to 60 to bedeported to Germany less one hundred thousand who were to be allotted tothe OT in France. The rest of Aktion 44 called for the followingquotas: l j million men from Italy; 600,000 men from the Balticcountries; 250,000 men each from Belgium and Holland; 100,000 menfrom the rest of occupied Europe; i million German women up to theage of 50. The entire programme thus totalled 3,700*000 men and halfa million women. In addition it called for the replacement by womenof Jobs.vacated by foreign workers who were deported to Germany.Aktion 44 was to start official operations on 1 Jan 1944, but directivesfor its organization go back at least as far as June 1943* Giganticas the operation was in conception, it was still to be carried outfcuthlessly, (Actually, however, only a minor fraction of the entire .scheme was realised).At the head of it stood Fritz SAUCKEL whose full title isBeauf tragter Gflring fiXr den Vierjahresplanj Generalbevollmachtigterfar den Arbeitseinsatz im Reichsarbeitsminis*terium, (Curing's Deputyfor the 4 Year Plan, Plenipotentiary General for Manpower Allocationin the Reich Labour Ministry) abbreviated GBA. His offices are situatedin the Reichsarbeitsministerium, (Reich Labour Ministry) but are notpart of the Ministry. His henchman for France was Dr. RITTER whosetitl e was GBA in Frankreich, abbreviated GBAF. The man responsible forthe execution of Aktion 44 was Dr. Oberregierungsrat H9TZEL... Dr. Fritz-SCHMELTER, OT's manpower administrator, was appointed to the GBA*slabour staff and was empowered to direct recruitment of labour forthe 0T within the European, area. Actually SCHMELTER f s functions inthis respect were routine administration, EG chiefs such as WEISS inEGW exercising such executive authority as was allotted to the 0Tunder Aktion 44. In fact, as far as the EGW was concerned, therecruitment plans were to be submitted to WEISS for approval and suchfurther directives as were issued by him were to be incorporated intothe plans.