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A. Since 1928.
Q. Where did you work?
A. From 1933 on
I was in the Leuna plant in the low pressure department.
Q. Were you
always in Leuna, or were you employed abroad too?
A. From 1937 until
1939, I was in Japan. A nitrogen plant was built by Farben for Mitsubishi and I
put it in operation.
Q. Who was your superior at Leuna?
A.
Oberingenieur Sauer and Dr. von Staden.
Q. Dr. Braus, did you have
anything to do with the planning of the so-called Leuna part of Sparte I?
A. Yes.
Q. Please explain that to the Tribunal.
A. My
superior at Leuna, Dr. von Staden, in March 1941 gave me the assignment under
his supervision to plan the so-called Leuna part at time new Auschwitz plant
and to put it into operation after it had been constructed.
Q. Were you
in charge of this plant in 1943-44?
A. After October 1943, I was in
charge of this plant at Auschwitz.
Q. Dr. Braus, what did Buetefisch
have to do with the planning of this Leuna plant?
A. Dr. Buetefisch was
the technical chief of the Leuna works. As Mr. von Staden told me, he had
over-all supervision over the technical planning of Leuna at Auschwitz.
Q. Will you describe to the Tribunal your duties in connection with
this planning?
A. My duties were to organize the installations, that is
to say, to determine what machinery and what apparatus were required.
Q. Perhaps you will tell us, first of all, what was to be put there in
Auschwitz, by Sparte I?
A. There was to be a hydrocarbon synthesis
built in Auschwitz. This project had been discussed at Leuna. It had been given
to Leuna as an assignment before I knew of the Auschwitz project. In the very
beginning, it was said that this hydrocarbon synthesis was to be built near
Leuna. When the site at Auschwitz was chosen for buna plant IV, it seemed
expedient and advantageous to build this new hydrocarbon synthesis at
Auschwitz, together with the buna plant.
Q. Was that site favorable for
a synol plant?
A. Yes, very, especially because the major raw
materials, coal and coke, which were needed in large quantities, were available
in large quantities in the immediate vicinity of Auschwitz.
Q. You said
before that the order was given to build such a plant near Leuna, if I
understood you correctly.
A. No, the order had been given to work out
such a project and, as I recall, Leuna first intended to set it up near Leuna.
I believe the place was called Kriegsdorf. |
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