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Ford-Werke under Nazi rule, 1938–1945

Ford’s German subsidiary from the 1938 truck assembly to its liberation in 1945, and the dispute over how much control Ford kept.

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Dates
1938–1945

Connections 5

involved

  • Ford-Werke declared enemy property by the Nazi government on 15 May 1942 Self-published 1
  • Ford Motor Company majority owner whose control, by its own report, was constrained Self-published 1
  • Cologne where the plant stood and the camp inmates were held Self-published 1
  • Ford-Werke used prisoner-of-war labor from September 1940 and Buchenwald labor from August 1944 Self-published 1
  • Ford Motor Company says contact ceased by November 1941; the Post reported indirect contacts and a Treasury inquiry that ended without charges Scholarship & press 12
Timeline 1 date
  1. 1938–1945 Ford-Werke under Nazi rule, 1938–1945
Proof 2 sources
  1. Research Findings About Ford-Werke Under the Nazi Regime, Ford Motor Company (report prepared by Ford Motor Company Archives, December 2001), Dec 2001. Self-published
    On May 15, 1942, the Nazi government, through a court order, declared Ford-Werke enemy property, appointed a custodian and replaced the board of directors with a board of advisors.
    Although Ford owned a majority interest in Ford-Werke, the Dearborn company’s control over Ford-Werke’s operations was constrained by Nazi policies aimed at limiting foreign influences in German businesses.
    On February 27, 1945, shortly before the American army liberated Cologne, 48 concentration camp inmates were transferred elsewhere from the Ford-Werke satellite camp.
    The first contingent of POWs – between 100 and 200 men, possibly French – arrived at Ford-Werke in September 1940.
    In August 1944, shortly after concentration camp labor was made available to the automotive industry, 50 men from Buchenwald arrived at Ford-Werke.
    The record reveals that communication between the American parent and the German subsidiary ceased by November of 1941, before the use of forced or slave labor began.
  2. U.S. Dealings With Nazi Germany -- Did Ford, GM Boost Nazi War Effort?, The Washington Post, by Michael Dobbs, as reprinted by The Seattle Times, 30 Nov 1998. Scholarship & press
    there appear to have been indirect contact. In June 1943, the Nazi custodian of the Cologne plant, Robert Schmidt, traveled to Portugal for talks with Ford managers.
    The investigation ended without charges being filed.
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