ml miRS-tonpon HI 'nrflJIBRCH 1945 Illi - 1GM

FOREWORD
Just as an OT construction unit completed a specific mission
somewhere in Europe, permission to begin work on it promptly arrived
from Berlin.
05ie above incident is cited' not so much in a spirit of
facetious ness, but to illustrate in a striking manner, the
administrative complexities inherent in a para-military organisation
of the size and extent of OT, as it has evolved over a period of
5 years. Up to only about 6 months ago, the Organisation Todt
was active in every country of continental Europe except Sweden,
Switzerland, Spain, Portugal arri Turkey.
A basic reason for the ponderousness of OT administrative
machinery was the fact that the Nazis intended to use the
Organisation as a wedge in the regimentation of labour as part of
the "New Order 11 in a post-war Europe. Long range plans of this type
require stabilisation, and stabilisation involves administration.
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In this connection the OT trained and harboured a small army of
collaborationists, who, already employed as leaders of foreign labour
units within the OT, were groomed for political leadership of
European labour with the advent of the "final Nazi victory".
A considerable number of these men have evacuated with OT into
Germany.
As to OT f s post-war tasks in the reconstruction of Europe,
grandiose plans were made for it; captured German- documents reveal
visions of express highways radiating from BERLIN to the Persian Gulf
through BAGHDAD, and along the Baltic coast to link up with a
highway through Finland and to run the length of Norway. A system
of canals was to link the Mediterranean and the Atlantic through
southern France, as part of a communications scheme connecting
BORDEAUX with the Black Sea. # Part of this programme had already
been put into execution, notably in Norway and the Balkans.
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QT?*s comparatively high wages, bonuses, allowances, allotments,
and the relative safety it offers, in contrast to combat service in
the Armed Forces, were, and still are, very attractive to the Geraan
male faced with the alternate choice. In fact supervisory
assigiments in OT were generally reserved for Old Party Fighters,
Party members with influential connections, and more recently for older
SS members in rapidly increasing numbers. High officials especially,
are, with few exceptions, members of the original staff or Nazi
technicians which the Party formed as soon as it came into power, and
which is represented at the present time by Hauptamt Technik of the
NSDAP, headed by Fritz TODT until his death, and now headed by SFEER.
The result is that while OT is administratively a Ministry agency
and not a^arty formation, in proportion it harbours at least in its
permanent administrative staff, possibly more ardent Nazis than a
regular formation of the Party.
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If the picture as outlined above has given the impression that
nepotism and administrative lag vitally impaired OT's operational
efficiency, its record of past performances should serve to dispel
the notion. It has carried out in the space of a little over five
years, the most impressive building programme since Roman times.
It has developed methojds of standardization and rationalisation in
construction to an extent and on a scale heretofore unattempted.
The speed with which it effects air raid damage repairs on vital
communication systems is indeed impressive.
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