Gustloff factory in Meiningen
The Gustloffwerk Meiningen was a branch of the Berlin-Suhler Waffen- und Fahrzeugwerke, built in 1940 for the armaments industry in the southern Thuringian city of Meiningen .
The plant, which was once in the “Totenfeld” district in the north of Meiningen, was created on the initiative of Meiningen District Administrator Hellmuth Gommlich and Thuringian Gauleiter Fritz Sauckel with financial help from the Wilhelm Gustloff Foundation . An 80 meter by 80 meter production hall was built with a head building for the plant management and offices as well as several ancillary buildings. The Panzerbüchse 39 (Pz.B 39) and from 1943 the 2 cm Flak 38 were mainly produced. In addition to the German workforce, around 200 forced laborers were also employed.
On 2 March 1945, at about 13:00 the work was the target of several B-17 bombers of the USAAF . They dropped explosive and incendiary bombs, which resulted in an unrecognized death toll. In addition to the plant, several surrounding residential buildings were also hit and damaged. The bomb damage could hardly affect production. After the end of the war, the plant was closed and dismantled in 1946. VEB Kraftverkehr Meiningen then established itself on the site, and a shopping center has been located there since 1995.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Kuratorium Meiningen (ed.): Lexicon for the history of the city of Meiningen . Bielsteinverlag, Meiningen 2008, ISBN 978-3-9809504-4-2
- ↑ FW Meininger Tageblatt, article: The airmen did not leave us alone . Edition March 5, 2015
Coordinates: 50 ° 34 ′ 54.7 " N , 10 ° 24 ′ 51.7" E