During the Second World War, the German war machine resorted to forced labor of prisoners in the different camps. Several German companies used prisoners of concentration camps to produce. Some of the major German companies that used slave labor during the war are mentioned in the following table:
Name | Branch of Activity |
Allianz | Insurance |
Stihl | Machinery and Equipment |
Basf | Chemistry |
Bayer | Chemical and Pharmaceutical |
Beiesdorf | Cosmetics |
BMW | Automotive |
Commerzbank | Financial |
Daimler-Chrysler | Automotive |
Degussa-Huls | Precious metals, chemical |
Deutsche Bank | Financial |
Lufthansa | Aviation |
Henkel | Chemistry |
Hoechst | Chemistry |
MAN | Automotive |
Mannensmann | Steel |
Robert Bosch | Automobile parts |
Siemens | Equipment, Telecommunications |
Thyssen-Krupp | Steel |
Varta | Automobile parts |
Volkswagen | Automotive |
One example mentioned was the Volkswagen. This company created the model to maintain the concentration camps at the factory, where prisoners produced military equipment. The French and Italians mounted tanks, Soviet women filled bombs, metal workers from Eastern Europe were welding parts for fighter planes Fl-103. The prisoners came to represent 67% of workers at peak production.
The prisoners were housed in barracks, where men were separated from women and children. Considering that any error or fault on the part of prisoners was seen as acts of sabotage, harsh punishments were used.