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consisted largely of fire-tubes, iron for reinforced concrete and
shaped iron, a considerable portion of which reached the Krupp firms.
The second phase covers the period of September and October 1944 when
it was thought that the Allied troops would soon liberate the Netherlands and
that therefore sufficient time would not be available for the complete removal
of industrial machinery and materials. Hence, only valuable machines and
first-class materials were taken.
The third phase lasted from November
1944 until May 1945 during which time the Allied armies were held by the German
Army after only a small portion of the Netherlands had been liberated. During
this period a systematic plunder of public and private property was carried
out.
By the fall of 1944 the Ruhr district had suffered heavy damage by
bombing from the air. As a result, at the instigation of the Speer Ministry,
the Ruhr Aid project was set up for the purpose of rehabilitating the
industries of the Ruhr area. Under the plan tradesmen and skilled workmen
throughout the Reich were to be recruited for work on reconstruction in the
Ruhr. Suitable material for reconstruction was sequestered in the Reich and
sent to the Ruhr district.
By October 1944 the Gusstahlfabrik (Cast
Steel Works) in Essen was badly damaged by air raids. Minister Speer came to
Essen to inspect the damaged plants and held a meeting while there which was
attended by several members of the technical staff, members of the Vorstand,
and other Krupp officials. At that meeting Speer proposed that German firms
should seize machines and materials from the Dutch to rehabilitate the
factories of the Ruhr. This suggestion, without doubt, prompted the ruthless
and systematic plunder of Dutch industries which followed and which continued
until the complete liberation of the Netherlands.
As a result of
Speer’s proposal, two employees of Krupp’s technical department named
Koch and Hennig were appointed by Rosenbaum, defendant Houdremont’s direct
subordinate, to proceed to Holland for the purpose of selecting machines and
materials suitable for the Krupp industries in Germany. Several of the machine
factories and the technical department were under the supervision of defendant
Houdremont. Before leaving they were furnished a list of such machines and
materials. At The Hague, Koch and Hennig were joined by Rosenbaum, mentioned
above, and Johannes Schroeder, defendant Janssen’s chief assistant.
Together they proceeded to the German government office where they obtained the
addresses of its branch offices in Rotter- […dam] |
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