61340 Vorabseiten_e - Unabhängige Expertenkommission Schweiz

e excessive investment, but the Mannheim subsidiary went ahead anyway. To
many people such cautiousness seemed misplaced after the Blitzkrieg in 1940.
On the assumption that the German army’s victories would lead to a new order
in the economy of continental Europe, the conclusion could be drawn that it
was important to ensure a good market position. With this aim in mind, several
Swiss companies more or less left it up to their German subsidiaries in annexed
(Austria, Bohemia and Moravia, and the Alsace) or occupied countries, to
integrate into the German market and comply with its requirements. These
manoeuvres even led to Brown Boveri in Baden losing part of its own market
share to its subsidiary in Mannheim. German expansion also meant the opportunity
of constructing production units in new territories, taking advantage of
local labour and other resources. Accordingly, Nestlé set up a company in
Prague in 1940, of which 93% of the share capital was held by its subsidiary
Deutsche Aktiengesellschaft Nestlé (DAN), and built a factory in the «protectorate».
It was deemed important not to neglect any chance of expansion when
the occasion arose and the funds necessary were available on the spot.
Things soon began to change, however. The attacks on the Soviet Union in June
1941 and the US entering the war in December of the same year implied that
the war would last longer than originally thought. At the beginning of 1943,
it looked as if the outcome would not be in favour of the Axis powers. From then
on the Swiss firms were faced with a dilemma. Apart from Sulzer, none seemed
to have considered withdrawing from Germany, which would have meant losing
absolutely everything they had invested there. The new situation put an end to
expansion plans however. Production plants were at risk either by the Allies
taking over the territory they were located in, or by destruction in bombing
raids. Serious bomb damage was suffered by Brown Boveri in Mannheim, but
by few other Swiss subsidiaries. Most of them were located in Baden, away from
the main urban centres and industrial areas and were therefore not targeted by
Allied air raids. Orders in connection with the war effort poured in and, since
demand exceeded offer, there was no competition. As long as it was supplied
with what it desired, the state asked no questions. Speer, who was now responsible
for the war effort, did reorganise planning, but accorded companies more
confidence and allowed them more independence. Profits rose. On the other
hand, the parent companies in Switzerland foresaw that they risked upsetting
the Allies and being blacklisted, which would mean being forbidden to carry
on any manufacturing and commercial activities within the Allied countries.
Paradoxically, the British blacklisting system was stricter with regard to
companies which exported from Switzerland than with those that manufactured
in Germany, as can be seen in the case of Sulzer. The parent companies protected
their own interests by giving the impression that their subsidiaries operated
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