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plants by the technical committees concerned, that is, the Sulfur
Committee, the Chlorine Committee, the Solvents Committee, et cetera. The aim
of this adaptation was to see to it that in the event of mobilization each
plant would be supplied by the other plants with the basic and preliminary
products necessary for its wartime production.
The production schemes
were then sent to Vermittlungsstelle W, and from there forwarded to the Reich
Office Chemistry.
On the basis of the production plan, a meeting was
then arranged for each individual plant at the Reich Office Chemistry between
representatives of the OKW, the Reich Ministry of Economics, the Reich Office
Chemistry, the Vermittlungsstelle W, and the plant in question. These meetings
usually lasted 1 day for each plant. At the end of the meeting, a decision was
reached on the individual points of the production plan, and, as far as I
remember, it repeatedly happened that the IG representatives outvoted the
representatives of the OKW and succeeded in gaining their point. On the basis
of the decision, the mobilization plan for that plant was then declared
binding.
4. The mobilization plans were drawn up from year to year.
5. The IG did pioneer work in regard to the drawing up of the
mobilization plans. While the Reich Office Chemistry based its work merely on
the production plans for each plant, the IG developed complete plans which laid
down for each product the production plant, the processing plant, and other
consumers. This scheme was then used by the Reich Office Chemistry for the
entire chemical industry.
6. The mobilization plan was put into
operation on receipt by the plant of mobilization orders from the Military Area
Command. In my opinion, the plan for the Ludwigshafen plant was put into
operation in July 1939. That means that from that moment on, the Ludwigshafen
plant worked exclusively on the production laid down for wartime. I believe
that the mobilization plans of some other plants were also put into operation
before the outbreak of war. Wartime production was also started in stand-by
plants a considerable time before the outbreak of war, as for instance in
Wolfen, for the manufacture of stabilizers at the beginning of 1939. This was
done by order of Ministerialdirigent Zahn of the High Command of the Army.
7. Owing to these preparations, I was in no doubt in the middle of 1939
that Germany would wage an aggressive var. I believe I can say that all my
colleagues at the Vermittlungsstelle W were of the same opinion. Several facts
caused me to reach this conclusion; namely, the fact that several of my
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