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materials, as interfering to some extent with the Karinhall Plan, and
you declared the West Wall was constructed for defensive purposes. Now, in what
sense do you consider the construction of the West Wall for defensive purposes?
A. It was intended for the event of war, in case an attack was made on
Germany from the West. Here, in the West, were the industrial centers of the
German Reich, and it was quite in line with the idea of defense for a wall to
be built here to protect these industrial areas. A similar measure had been
taken by the French. Immediately after the First World War, they built the
Maginot Line against an attack from Germany. The West Wall is approximately
equal to the Maginot Line as far as its defensive capacity is concerned.
Q. Well now, you recall that you testified that in the speeches of
Goering and Hitler, in December 1936, they stressed the danger of invasion from
the East and discussed precautionary measures to be taken now, in the light of
this. How did you reconcile, in your own mind, the fact that a West Wall was
erected for what you describe as "defensive purposes," and that no comparable
wall was erected in the East?
A. Germany, in the First World War, had
experienced the terrible consequences of a two-front war. I am not a military
man, and I cannot judge the line of thought of the General Staff. I can speak
only as a layman. But it is possible that it was considered that in the East
the terrain was not quite so suitable for the construction of such a wall. As
far as I know, and I know very little about the matter, mountains, rivers, and
so forth are necessary on which defenses can be based. Perhaps the situation
was not so good in the East as in the West. Perhaps the General Staff intended
to rely on pure defense in the West, a so-called static warfare similar to that
of the First World War, and to have mobile warfare in the East when attacked
— as the mode of defense.
Q. Now, in discussing your conference
with Goering in June 1938 you spoke, I believe, of a conference which Bosch had
had with General von Brauchitsch and General Beck, who had advised Bosch that
they feared that the Nazi foreign policy would lead to war, and you described
Bosch's attitude that a war would be untenable from the point of view of the
German economy. Is that right?
A. Yes, that is correct.
Q. To
your knowledge, did Bosch ever express this attitude to other officials of
Farben?
A. I cannot say that with certainty. At that time, in view of
my position, I had no regular contact with other members of the Vorstand. I can
only say that Brauchitsch — that is, Field Marshal |
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