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

Pariser Platz 4, Berlin W8
(Prease, Propaganda und Kultur)
Chief: Ministerialdirektoar XAVER DORSCH.
Historyi&t Ban-OTZ is the result of the merger of itat Bau with
OTZ in June 1944, as part of the administrative reorganisation
which put the OT in control of construction
within the Reich and in Norway, Denaark and Northern
Italy. Previously to this merger, OTZ had been the
Central HQ for the OT (at that tame still operating mainly
outside of the Reich bou»iaries> The existence of OTZ as
an independent HQ of the m fcates from the autumn of 1941,
when the OT was removed froa the control of the General
Inspektor fttr das deutsehe Strassenwesen (Inspector
General ior German Roadways), who at that time was Fritz
TODT and who had established an operation HQ for the OT in
Wiesbaden. This HQ was removed to the Berlin offices of
the Inspector General, some time after the completion of
the West Wall in the winter of 1940/41. Subsequently it
became, as stated above, independent of the Inspector
General, and was installed in the Reich Ministry for
Armament and War Production as OTZ, Berlin. (See Charts
ka. and 4b).
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WESTERN EORQPE
A. Einsatzgruppe WEST.
Extent; HOLLAND, BELGIUM and FRANCE.
HQ; PARIS, 33-35 Champs Ely sees.
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Chief; Einsatzgruppenleiter: Oberbaudirektor WEISS. (A3 Einsatzgruppenleiter
of EGVest, WEISS is ipso facto General-
Ingenieur of Holland, Belgium and France).
Deputy Einsatzleiter HAUT (until July 1944; promoted to Einsatz-
Chief; gruppenleiter and made chief of EGEDI).
Born: 2/3/1897 in KAISERLAWEERN, PW until 1920, with OT
since June 1938 • June-Nov. 1940 Nachschubleiter an der
KANALK&STE.
History: OT activity began in the West in June 192*0 immediately
upon the German invasion of France and the Low Lands.
Loosely organised into what then was called OT-Einsatz
WESTK&STE, i t covered the coastal regions extending from
Belgium to the Gironde, south of Brittany. Its HQ were
said to be at LORIEHT. Only late in 194L, with the reorganisation
of the units in the West into Einsatzgruppe
WEST were the HQ transferred to PARIS, allegedly against
SPEER's expressed wishes who feared the demoralising
effect of the French capital upon the OT workers.
The growth of the EG WEST can be well followed from the
number of OBLs. in the EG WEST at various times. In
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Feb 1942, for instance, there were 7 OBLs.: Belgien,
AUDINGHEM, Kanal, Noimandie, Nord, Mitte and s*Sd. In
May 1943, the period of greatest expansion of EG WEST
18 OBLs. were active: Holland, Belgien, BR&GGE, '
AUDINGHEM, Nordwest, ROUEN, Noimandie, BREST, CHERBOURG
Stfd, Paula. MiSte, BORDEAUX, BAIONNE ^2" , H W3 n , *
MARSEILLES and Burgund. After that date, the Germans
no longer sure of the impregnability of the Atlantic Wall
started building fortifications in the interior of France'