Polte works

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The Polte Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik OHG in Magdeburg was an important manufacturer of large armatures and one of the largest ammunition producers in the world in the first half of the 20th century . The group was one of the most important employers in Magdeburg, a pioneer in the construction of sanitary and social facilities for employees and workers, and internationally recognized for the engineering quality of its products. After the Second World War he was best known for the massive employment of forced laborers and concentration camp prisoners (from June 1943 until the end of the war). The parts of the Polte works that were not destroyed during the war or that were transported away as reparations by the Soviet occupying forces were later merged into the VEB heavy armatures factory “ Erich Weinert” or the VEB Magdeburger armatures factory “Karl Marx” that resulted from it .

Logo of the Polte-Werke

historical overview

Portrait of the German industrialist and armaments manufacturer Kommerzienrat Eugen Polte, who died in 1911 , photo from the anniversary catalog of Polte-Werke from 1935
View of the old factory in Halberstädter Strasse in Magdeburg
View of the new Plant II in what was then Poltestrasse (Liebknechtstrasse) in Magdeburg
Headstamp ( hallmark ) of a 7.7 cm bullet case, presumably for a field cannon, production year 1917

Established in 1873 as a metal foundry and fittings factory under the company Jürgens & Co. , the company was in 1885 by Eugen Polte adopted and 1887 as Armaturenfabrik Polte into the commercial register on this day. The company operated under the name Polte (hereinafter referred to as Polte-Werke ) from 1885 to 1945. During this 60-year period, the company remained a family business and was owner-managed. From 1917 it existed in the legal form of an oHG .

In contemporary catalogs, price lists and offers, the company appeared under names such as Polte Metallwarenfabrik , Polte Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik , Polte Machine Tools , Polte Aluminumfabrik , Polte Armaturen- und Wassermesserfabriken , Polte Cartridge, Ammunition Machine and Armaturenfabrik , Polte Armaturen- und Cartridge Factory or Polte Munitionsfabrik  - with or without the addition Magdeburg  - on. C. Louis Strube AG from Magdeburg has been a Polte plant since 1913 . From 1931 onwards, around a dozen other production facilities outside Magdeburg, mainly in what was then Central Germany , were taken over, built or leased and operated as branches or subsidiaries.

Founded in 1885

The company went back to the founding of the Magdeburg metal goods entrepreneur Heinrich Jürgens, who founded a valve factory with an iron foundry in Magdeburg in the Magdeburg district of Sudenburg in 1873 . With an entry in the commercial register dated May 2, 1885, Eugen Polte was confirmed as the new owner from April 1, 1885.

When the company was taken over, 23 people were employed. Initially, the production of fittings for gas and water pipes as well as for steam boilers was continued with the machine inventory taken over. The company was able to quickly expand its product range using newly developed manufacturing processes. After a short time Polte became a major supplier of equipment in the fire equipment ( hose couplings , strainers , state - and nozzles ).

Newly developed machines for the production of metal bodies using the drawing and rolling process were built in our own workshops and then used in production. Polte was also able to carry out orders for large and heavy valves as well as for high pressure valves for use on drilling rigs and oil fields. Similarly, the production of was aluminum - cookware and -Haushaltsgegenständen added.

The attempt to get into the homogeneous lead-coating of apparatus for the chemical industry failed. In 1887 - two years after the takeover - 70 people were employed. In 1890, 700 workers and employees were already working in the factories.

Ammunition producer

In 1889 the company received its first major order from the Prussian War Ministry for the production of 40 million cartridge cases with a caliber of 7.92 × 57 mm for the then new Army rifle 98 , the technical successor to the outdated 88 weapon locking system and the predecessor of the later Karabiner 98 . The machine tools acquired from abroad for production turned out to be unsuitable for mass production. Only after significant design changes could the order be carried out to the satisfaction of the ministry, despite short delivery dates. As a result, Polte became one of the most important suppliers of ammunition and projectile cases to the German army. The later Hirsch Kupfer- und Messingwerk AG in Finow, whose owner Gustav Hirsch was friends with Eugen Polte, was the supplier for the important brass bowls .

In order to also be able to manufacture the larger bullet cases automatically, Eugen Polte developed the drawing process that had been used up to now into a ball rolling process , in which rolling balls took over the redesign of the brass tubes in a rolling process. In addition to simplifying production, the new process also increased the strength of the sleeves. Polte developed additional, supplementary precision machines and was thus able to sell entire production lines for the automated production of bullet cases.

In 1914 the number of employees had risen to 4,000 and the Polte works were already one of the largest ammunition producers in Europe. In addition to the original manufacturing facilities, new buildings were built. When the company was acquired, the factory site on what was then Halberstädter Strasse in Magdeburg-Sudenburg comprised 1,278 square meters (640 square meters of which were built on), in 1910 it was 23,539 square meters (8,043 of which were built on).

Stand of Polte-Werke at the Brown Fair in Magdeburg, 1934, from: Polte Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik, catalog , edition 1935.
Patents for Polte developments of the German Empire, Austria and Switzerland from the years 1901–1938
International patents for Polte inventions from 1925–1932
Iron foundry and large molding shop, approx. 1935, from: Polte Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik, catalog , edition 1935
Dispatch hall with siding, approx. 1935, from: Polte Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik, catalog , edition 1935
Diesel truck fleet of the Polte factories in front of the factory garages, approx. 1935, from: Polte Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik, catalog , edition 1935
Polte-Fabriken works fire brigade with Magirus fire engine, approx. 1935, from: Polte Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik, catalog , edition 1935

exporter

The high quality of Polte's engineering products soon created a worldwide sales market. In the first few years, fittings and fire-fighting accessories were mainly exported. In 1893 there was a participation in the World's Columbian Exposition (19th world exhibition ) in Chicago . Sleeves were later exported. The Polte-Werke exhibited ammunition cases at the 1900 Paris World Exhibition . At the time, the company was the only German arms manufacturer represented in the Grand Palais on the Seine .

Soon entire ammunition production plants were offered and sold worldwide. Foreign customers were constantly in Magdeburg to find out about the production processes valued by experts. Polte was also represented at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair . Fire service accessories as well as bullet casings (for ship guns) and cartridge cases (a daily production capacity of 250,000 pieces for infantry ammunition were stated in the exhibition catalog) were exhibited here.

First World War and post-war period

After Eugen Polte's death in 1911, his widow, Luise Polte, took over the company. She also became a managing director , but did not exercise this position actively, leaving business decisions mainly to salaried directors. As early as 1913, the majority of C. Louis Strube AG was taken over and integrated into the production of Polte-Werke as the Magdeburg-Buckau AG machine and fittings factory .

Since at the beginning of the First World War the armaments production capacities had to be expanded considerably, a new factory site in what was then Magdeburg's Wilhelmsstadt ( Stadtfeld West ) was bought and built on. The new plant ( Plant II ) was located on a street named after the late Eugen Polte (see Liebknechtstraße ). The management also moved to the new building complex. In 1916 the total company area was 113,811 m², around 12,000 workers were employed.

In 1917 Luise Polte transferred her shares equally to her two daughters, Margarete Nathusius and Katharina Freifrau von Gillern. Since then, Polte-Werke has operated in the legal form of a general partnership (oHG). In 1918 Arnulf Freiherr von Gillern and the tobacco manufacturer Gottlob Moritz Nathusius joined the company's management.

The end of the First World War brought far-reaching changes for the Polte works. The operations of the plants, which mainly specialize in ammunition and armaments production, had to be almost completely stopped. Of the 12,000 or so employees in 1918 (9,000 of them women), around 11,750 were laid off. As a result, the main plant in Sudenburg was shut down in 1919. Since the ammunition production had to be completely discontinued, valve and mechanical engineering again became an essential business area. The continuation of this branch of business was made more difficult by the destruction of all machines used in the manufacture of armaments - which also affected valves and fittings production machines used in parallel - in accordance with the Versailles Treaty . Under the direction of Gottlob Nathusius and the directors of Handorf and Verlohr, the difficult conversion to "peace production" was achieved.

In 1920 the company was informed that it would be approved by the Inter-Allied Military Control Commission for the Production of Army Supplies as the only German company to produce ammunition for infantry weapons and artillery cases for the army and navy. In 1924 a limited production of cartridges could therefore be resumed. The armament capacity of the plants was only used to an average of 10% from 1924 to 1933. Thus the supply of the initially only seven divisions of the 100,000-man army remained inadequate. After their increase to 21 divisions at the beginning of the 1930s, the army had a need for 250 million cartridges, which Polte production with approved 10 million cartridges could not cover by far.

The production spectrum for non-armament articles, on the other hand, was significantly expanded in the interwar period. Shut-off devices, hydrants , large and small valves were manufactured in the armature factory . The metal goods factory produced pure aluminum household and kitchen appliances as well as stamped and pressed mass-produced articles for various industrial purposes made of copper, brass and aluminum. The various foundries produced castings and models for their own production, while special tools were made in the machine tool factory. In 1924, 2,400 workers were employed again. In 1927 the disused main plant in Sudenburg could also be partially put back into operation. From 1924 to 1926, extensions were built, among others by the renowned Berlin industrial architect Bruno Buch .

In 1926 Martin Nathusius joined the company's management; As a result, Gottlob Moritz Nathusius left the company in 1929 to devote himself to his own business. Margarete Nathusius left the Polte-Werke in 1935 and left her shares to the two sons Hans and Alfred Nathusius. Hans Nathusius, who had already joined the company in 1930, also became deputy managing director in 1935. Franz Alexander von Pritzelwitz was the deputy manager.

National Socialism and World War II

In the spring of 1934, 7,000 people worked in the Magdeburg Polte Works, which, as part of the National Socialist rearmament policy that followed, were to develop into the largest ammunition manufacturer in Europe. Once again, the production of ammunition and ammunition machines became the company's main business purpose. In 1936 only 6 million Reichsmarks were achieved with the manufacture of fittings , whereas with armament materials it was already 82 million. As early as 1931, the Reichswehr Ministry had asked the Polte management to set up additional manufacturing sites in Central Germany as part of the first and second armaments program of the Weimar Republic.

In 1935, Polte-Werke celebrated its 50th anniversary with a big celebration. Several thousand guests saw 17 performing bands on that day, including the Otto Kermbach Orchestra under the direction of Otto Kermbach .

On September 4, 1936, Hermann Göring announced the ideas of Reich Chancellor Hitler on the “ four-year plan ”: The German economy should be made ready for war within four years, especially with regard to the production figures of the armaments industry. The highest military authorities of the German Reich were the most important, in some cases the sole purchaser of many armaments companies. This also affected the Polte works, which only occasionally delivered armaments products abroad.

The cooperation between the state and the Polte-Werke was even closer. Increasingly, the empire became a co-owner in production. As early as 1934, represented by the High Command of the Army (OKH), the High Command of the Navy (OKM) or Luftfahrt-Anlagen GmbH (LAG), it had concluded shell contracts with the company to set up new plants for the production of cartridge cases and projectiles. Legally assigned to the German Reich as property, these companies were de facto run as subsidiaries of Polte-Werke.

By 1945 the Polte-Werke grew into an armaments company with several subsidiaries, branches and ancillary companies. At the end of the war, around 30,000 people worked in all the plants operated by Polte oHG, around half of them in four factories in Magdeburg.

Acceptance points for the army and navy as well as an air building supervision were permanently stationed in the plants. Foreign military commissions also appeared for approvals.

Martin Nathusius resigned from the company management in 1939 for health reasons. His son Hans Nathusius continued to run the Polte works together with fellow partner Arnulf Freiherr von Gillern. After von Gillern died, Hans Nathusius became sole managing director of the group on February 1, 1944.

From 1938 onwards, the Polte-Werke began increasingly to recruit foreign workers for their companies. With the beginning of the war, forced laborers were used in almost all private and municipal companies in Magdeburg in order to compensate for the resulting shortage of local workers and to reduce labor costs. Such foreign forced laborers were also used at the Polte works from 1939 onwards. Together with prisoners of war and concentration camp prisoners, the proportion of forced labor foreign workers (often referred to as Eastern workers ) at the end of the war was around 50% of the total workforce at Polte-Werke.

From 1943 onwards, the Polte works also increasingly employed concentration camp prisoners. For this purpose, after a corresponding application to the SS Economic and Administrative Main Office (WVHA), the SS set up so -called external concentration camps in the immediate vicinity of the production sites. In November 1944, Polte management member Pritzelwitz, who was responsible for planning and coordinating the deployment of prisoners, stated in an activity report:

"... by creating accommodation for around 5,600 prisoners, I provided the basis for further increases in performance in the infantry and anti-aircraft program."

The first such camp, which was set up on behalf of Polte-Werke, was set up as the Grüneberg satellite camp in June 1943 at Silva Metallwerk GmbH . In the period that followed, five more satellite camps were built for the Polte factories, for example the Duderstadt satellite camp of the Buchenwald concentration camp. 755 Hungarian Jewish women had to do forced labor there. Many of the prisoners were murdered on a death march from April 13, 1945 . The concentration camp memorial stone at the Neue Welt stadium commemorates this.

During the seven-day siege of Magdeburg by US troops in April 1945, the "old factory" in the Sudenburg district (mechanical engineering, training workshop, hydrant construction) was completely destroyed by shell fire and bombs. The area in Poltestrasse (today's Liebknechtstrasse) was occupied by US troops on April 19, 1945. A few weeks later, British units took it over and in July 1945 handed it over to the Soviet military authorities, who marked the works as the property of the Magdeburg Red Garrison . Almost all machines and production facilities were transported to the USSR .

  • Installation of dam valves, assembly site of the Lehnmühle dam

  • Assembly of a high pressure gas valve (DRGM) made of cast steel for a gas pipeline

  • Group of a gate valve delivery for the Hamburg waterworks (76 units with nominal widths of 1100 and 1200 mm)

  • A testing and measuring system for measuring resistances and flow rates (1700 liters / second)

Holdings

In addition to the main plant ("Old Plant") in Magdeburg-Sudenburg, another plant in Sudenburg ( Fichtestraße plant ) and "Plant II" (or "New Plant") in Magdeburg-Wilhelmstadt, the Polte plants produced 15 more until 1945 Factories in Germany. Some of these plants were subsidiaries and some were owned or operated by the Reich and were leased and operated by Polte oHG.

Polte-Werke also owned shares in Kriegsmetall AG during the First World War . worth 200,000 marks.

Subsidiaries (with date of establishment or takeover):

  • 1913: C. Louis Strube AG in Magdeburg-Buckau , renamed to Maschinen- und Armaturenfabrik AG
  • 1931: Grüneberger Metallwarenfabrik GmbH in Grüneberg
  • 1932: Pollux GmbH in Ludwigshafen am Rhein , a water knife and fittings factory with a branch in Neustadt (1939)
  • 1933: Metallwerk Wolfenbüttel GmbH in Wolfenbüttel , production of ammunition for rifles and machine guns
  • 1933: Metallwerk Odertal GmbH in Bad Lauterberg in the Harz Mountains , manufacturer of cartridges for the Wehrmacht; With over 2,000 employees, the company was one of the largest companies in the region at the beginning of 1944.
  • 1938: Castor GmbH in Magdeburg

Reich-owned plants, built and leased by Polte :

The plants built and operated by Polte on behalf of the government from 1934 onwards (more precisely: operating companies) traded under the names Silva Metallwerk GmbH and Polte oHG for reasons of confidentiality ( mining scheme ) .

  • 1934: Silva Metallwerk GmbH, Genthin plant in Genthin ; The owner or trustee of the plant was the High Command of the Army (OKH). The establishment of the production facility began in the spring of 1935. The company produced infantry and artillery ammunition (anti-aircraft and airborne ammunition) for light and heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft guns. In July 1938 1,665 people worked here, in 1939 already 3,758 and in 1945 finally 4,306 people. After the end of the war, the plant was completely dismantled. Only two administration buildings (used as a retirement home) and five residential buildings for employees of the plant have been preserved. Various cartridges (exhibited in the Jerichower Land district museum ) and other production residues were recovered from the former factory premises by divers from the munitions clearance service in Lake Silva in 1966 during salvage work.
  • 1934: Silva Metallwerk GmbH, Magdeburg-Neustadt plant in Magdeburg Neue Neustadt ; The OKH was the owner or trustee.
  • 1934: Silva Metallwerk GmbH, Grüneberg plant in Grüneberg ; The OKH was the owner or trustee.
  • 1938: oHG Polte, Arnstadt plant in Rudisleben near Arnstadt ; Owner or trustee was the Navy High Command .
  • 1942: oHG Polte, Duderstadt plant in Duderstadt ; As early as 1940, on behalf of the Reich Aviation Ministry , the Reich's own Luftfahrt-Anlagen GmbH at the foot of the Euzenberg and with the strong support of Duderstadt mayor Andreas Dornieden began building a factory for anti-aircraft grenades. The topping-out ceremony was celebrated in 1941 and production started in the second half of the year. Polte oHG was the operator of the facility from the start. Since April 1943, 800,000 to 850,000 bullets have been produced monthly in the Duderstadt plant. Around 2,400 people worked in the factory. The factory mainly supplied 2 cm projectiles (special aviator ammunition), and probably also 3 cm projectiles. The projectile, detonator and case production was located in the eastern part of the plant, the filling plant in the so-called central part and the partially underground storage for ammunition and explosives in the western part of the plant. The explosive nitropenta was used.

Leased businesses with their own machine equipment

When, towards the end of the war, some of the Polte factories became targets of air raids, it was necessary to relocate the war-essential ammunition production to other facilities at short notice. These were leased from the Polte works and equipped with a relocated Polte machine park.

  • OHG Polte, Burg plant (formerly Paasche plant) in Burg near Magdeburg
  • OHG Polte, Seehausen plant in Seehausen in the Börde
  • OHG Polte, Nordhausen plant in Nordhausen
GDR propaganda photo of an industrial turner on a column wheel in the former Polte factory in 1950
Polte permanent record player, exhibited at the Leipzig Spring Fair in 1949

GDR and Federal Republic

After the war and the associated extensive destruction and dismantling of the Polte works, the parts of the company located in the Soviet-occupied zone were initially placed under sequestration on December 18, 1945 . Unlike many other armaments factories, the Polte works were not transferred to a Soviet joint-stock company (SAG). With an order from the Saxony-Anhalt provincial government on January 14, 1946, the Polte works were expropriated.

Resuming production after the war proved difficult. Initially, due to the lack of suitable machine tools, only smaller products such as crockery made of aluminum, record players, roller chains, film cans and door or window frames could be manufactured. At the beginning, production was carried out in the 600 m² former training workshop.

After the expropriation, the company traded as Magdeburger Armaturen- und Metallwarenfabrik (MAM) from 1946, and one year later the company became the property of the then Province of Saxony-Anhalt . In 1948 a "state- owned company " was formed, the VEB Sanar Großarmaturenfabrik Magdeburg from the MAM and the former Maschinen- und Armaturenfabrik AG (formerly C. Louis Strube AG ). In 1952, Sanar was renamed VEB Schwerarmaturenwerk "Erich Weinert" .

In the 1950s, large-scale products from the pre-war period could be produced again. The company grew steadily, employed around 2,000 people and exported to 22 countries. The heavy fittings factory was involved in the construction of iron works, large coking plants, dams and steel works. In 1960 it was combined with the VEB Messgeräte- und Armaturenwerk “Karl Marx” to one of the largest European valve manufacturers under the new name VEB Magdeburger Armaturenwerke “Karl Marx” (MAW). As a result, the armatures were the dominant manufacturer in the GDR for valves, gate valves and taps. 90% of all GDR fittings were manufactured here, and up to 6,000 different products for the manufacturing industry were offered.

In 1965, the measuring device construction was separated from the MAW and continued under the old name "Erich Weinert". From 1970 MAW became the parent company of the fittings combine "Karl Marx" , the second largest casting producer in the GDR after the combine Gisag . Before the fall of the Wall, the MAW employed around 7,000 people.

The Polte Group's plants in western Germany were completely dismantled as part of the Allied dismantling and reparation regulations. Only Pollux GmbH in Ludwigshafen, whose machines and equipment were 50% preserved, was able to continue operations.

According to the commercial register of the Ludwigshafen am Rhein local court, Polte oHG was dissolved on February 25, 1970.

After the turn

In 1991, the Treuhandanstalt sold Magdeburger Armaturenwerke (at the time called Magdeburger Armaturenwerke GmbH ) to Deutsche Babcock AG for a purchase price of DM 1 million. However, the new owner was no longer able to profitably continue the company under the changed economic framework and opened in 1996 the liquidation of the company. A long-term development followed.

As early as 1990, the design department for control valves was separated from MAW and became an independent company as Magwen GmbH Wenig ( Magnetventil Service undverkauf GmbH ). This company initially took over the sales of the MAW control valves, and from 1993 also their production. From 1992 to 1997, other small companies were established that continued the tradition of MAW and its predecessor companies: Mawena Engineering GmbH , Polte Armaturen GmbH , Industriearmaturen Polte GmbH and Armaturen-Technik Magdeburg GmbH .

Polte-Werke products

The production range of Polte-Werke included all types of fittings for liquid and gaseous substances in the main business. In addition, household appliances and, in times of armament and war, primarily armaments (cartridge ammunition, shell casings and production facilities) were manufactured.

Various boiler fittings

Fittings

The original core business with later high export shares. Covered the following areas of application: large valves, heavy valves, steam valves, high pressure valves for use on drilling rigs and oil fields, hydrants, dam equipment and special valves for the chemical industry and for measuring.

Fire service accessories

In the area of ​​technical fire-fighting equipment, the following were supplied: feeder nozzles for the water supply of steam sprayers, spray pipes with coupling connections, hose couplings, above and below floor hydrants as well as fittings for fire extinguishers.

Taps

The variety of cocks produced included models made of cast iron, metal, hard lead, cast steel and special alloys for the chemical industry. Uses as straight-way, drain and three-way cocks, as stuffing box and packing cocks in every design and size were possible. In addition, polished drain cocks, drip oilers, wick oilers and Stauffer books were manufactured.

Valves

In the area of valve manufacture , products made of cast iron , hard lead , cast steel and metal were offered. There were straight and angle valves with flanges and sleeves, valves with head pieces and column attachments, Peet valves, feed and check valves , safety valves with weight and spring loading, heating valves, hydraulic valves, foot valves, air and float valves , three-way valves for low-pressure and high-pressure gas , Exhaust valves and condensation traps .

  • Stop valves made of iron with seal made of gunmetal or nickel alloy with column attachment and external spindle thread (heavy models)

  • Ventilation valve for dams and turbine lines, with oil brake and counterweight

  • High pressure overpressure valve to prevent or reduce water hammer in water pipes, standard design for 10 bar operating pressure

  • Large cast steel check valve (1000 mm), manufactured for a North German power company

Slider

The product portfolio of gate valves included gate valves of every size and for every purpose made of cast steel, cast iron, hard lead, aluminum and bronze: hot gas gate valves, superheated steam gate valves, gate valves for water, gasoline and oil. In addition, valves based on the Ludlow system and Polte parallel valves for high pressure, valves with internal lead for the chemical industry, dam valves with corresponding drives and turbine valves for hydraulic and electrical drives.

  • Throttle valve for turbine lines with manual drive, height about 2 meters

  • High-pressure gas valve made of cast iron with cylindrical housing and bracket attachment (spindle and handwheel rising), height up to 2.20 meters

  • Large water shut-off valve (1300 mm), manufactured for a foreign water company

  • Above-floor hydrants with two side outlets with pressure couplings for 52 and 75 hoses and a lower power syringe outlet (75 and 100 hoses)

Accessories and other fittings

The range of products on offer was completed by various small and additional parts: handwheels, installation sets, trestle attachments, drive devices, column stands, pointer mechanisms, water cups, part boxes, sludge and ventilation boxes with ventilation devices and flushing valve, bung or brush boxes, check valves for low and high pressure, made of cast iron and cast steel, flap closures, throttle valves, compensation glands, hose screw connections, wells, central, shaft and garden hydrants, water lock equipment such as butterfly valves, water level fittings and pressure gauges and tapping saddles.

In addition, street caps, manhole covers, casting rings, auxiliary sleeves, valve attachments and accessories for pipe laying, gray and special cast iron for general and special needs, fittings, steam, water, gas and air lines as well as inlet filters were offered.

Web link

Commons : Armaturen (Polte-Werke)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Various food carriers, offer from Polte Aluminumwerke price list No. 15

Housewares

The manufacture of small aluminum products played an important role, especially after the First World War, as part of the switch to "peace production". The Polte Aluminum product directory , list No. 15 for pure aluminum household and kitchen appliances from around 1935 shows a wide range of products.

The following kitchen accessories were offered: braised meat, belly pots and soup pots as well as pot lids and rings. Kettles and kettles, potato steamers, machine pots , milk cookers and pentoles as well as tower cookers and Silesian frying pans. Low, half-height, conical and Belgian saucepans as well as low and half-height style saucepans. Fish and asparagus cookers, Saxon coffee makers, omelette and egg pans. In addition, dough, kitchen and lard bowls as well as bouillon and soup sieves. Also colons, salad and vegetable eels, various funnels, egg dividers and presses.

Wine coolers, vegetable and soup bowls, butter dishes, milk jugs and percolators , coffee and teapots with coffee and tea strainers were produced for the dining table . In addition, ladles, sauce and slotted spoons and drinking cups. In the field of outdoor catering , production also included high and low food carriers , breakfast and lunch boxes .

Finally there were trays and kitchen utensils (such as brush or grease spoon trays, onion containers and bread baskets) as well as laundry sprinklers and soap jars.

Engines

Armaments products

All types of pistol and infantry ammunition were produced in the Polte plants (exception: small-caliber ammunition). The powder used and the primers were provided by the OKH. In addition, 20 mm ammunition was also completely produced, also with the fuses supplied by the army. For high explosive shells and tank shells, projectile calibers from 13 mm to 37 mm were delivered, but without detonators and explosives.

Artillery cartridges and cartridge cases of all calibres without ignition screws and cartridge case covers were produced. In addition, infantry and artillery ammunition machines, recalibration machines as well as tools and gauges. Finally, ammunition boxes, drop containers and antenna isolators were also delivered to the Air Force.

Another product group was hunting ammunition. Among other things, brass shotshells for caliber 12 and 16 with patent-protected cardboard caps for smokeless shotgun powder were offered here. These cases were offered to self-loaders who could reuse the cases up to 50 times.

Logo used in the distribution of hunting cartridges
Used bullet casings of different calibers on a Polte ammunition box
Infantry ammunition on a Polte cartridge box

The "pole cartridge"

The machine carbine cartridge "S " (M.Kb.Patr. "S") was used as a "pole cartridge" , later also as a 43 m pistol cartridge. E. or short cartridge 43 m. E. designated, known. It was a pistol cartridge, mostly used in machine carbines or assault rifles , with a caliber of 7.92 × 33 mm (bullet diameter × case length) with a case base diameter of 11.94 mm. It was based on a Polte development from 1939, at that time still with a 45 mm case (caliber 7.9 × 45 mm). After various changes to the bullet and cartridge shape and the manufacturing process specified by the Army Weapons Office , the cartridge was able to go into mass production in 1942. It was in the following years to the standard cartridge for the Haenel - assault rifle 44 and later for the barely got used volkssturmgewehr special .

The casings of the cartridges were made of steel with a low carbon content and were coated with a dip coating to protect against corrosion. The cartridge had a mass of 17 grams, of which the bullet accounted for 8.1 grams. The bullet had a lead filling with a steel core and was coated with steel. The steel shell surface was with Tombak or copper nickel plated. The propellant charge used was 1.58 grams of powder with the designation Nz.RP (1 × 08 / 0.2). Initially, the primer cap No. 88 made of brass was used, later it was switched to a cap (No. 30/40) made of galvanized steel with a blue ring joint.

Embossing stamp, headstamp

The labeling of the ammunition produced by the Polte works was based on the current regulations for war material. Until 1934, the name of the manufacturer and the year of production were embossed unencrypted on the case and cartridge bases. With the start of the clandestine upgrade, the products were marked with an S code to disguise the manufacturer and the year of production . The retention of a label was necessary for reasons of quality assurance (and later the sabotage identification), but the determination of the production units should be made more difficult for enemies. From 1936 the code was changed so that the year of manufacture was again embossed unencrypted. Since 1938 the S-code has been replaced by a number code. In 1940 this manufacturer's coding was also changed to a one to three-digit letter code that was used until the end of the war.

Manufacturer codes in the numbering system (1938–1940)

  • P = Polte OHG, Magdeburg plant
  • P154 = Polte OHG, Grüneberg plant (northern railway)
  • P186 = Metallwerk Wolfenbüttel GmbH
  • P207 = Metallwerk Odertal GmbH
  • P345 = Silva Metallwerke GmbH, Genthin plant
  • P414 = Silva Metallwerke GmbH, Magdeburg-Neustadt plant

Manufacturer codes in the letter system (from 1940)

  • ang = Maschinen- und Armaturenfabrik AG , Magdeburg-Buckau
  • aux = Polte-Werk , Magdeburg
  • auy = Polte OHG, Grüneberg plant (northern railway)
  • auz = OHG Polte, Arnstadt plant
  • avt = Silva-Metallwerke GmbH, Magdeburg-Neustadt plant
  • avu = Silva-Metallwerke GmbH, Genthin plant
  • bne = Metallwerk Odertal GmbH
  • bnf = Metallwerk Wolfenbüttel GmbH
  • fuu = Maschinen- und Armaturenfabrik AG , Magdeburg-Buckau (alternative use)
  • htg = OHG Polte, Duderstadt plant
  • thg = OHG Polte, Duderstadt plant (alternative use)

When manufacturers cooperated, four-digit combinations were also used. The embossing pcdp probably stands for a cartridge whose case was manufactured by Polte-Werke (code: p), but which was filled by the weapons and ammunition factory Theodor Bergmann & Co. in Bernau near Berlin (code: cdp).

Web links

Commons : Artillery shells (Polte-Werke)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Commons : Ammunition casings from small arms (Polte-Werke)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

social commitment

Many social institutions had already been created in the Polte works under the company's founder, Eugen Polte. For example, he founded a company health insurance fund, initiated a works savings bank and old-age and support funds . A lending library for employees had been created under him.

Even after Poltes' death, the workforce under his successors received many social benefits. The sanitary facilities of the Magdeburg Polte-Werke were exemplary in the 1930s. In addition to a so-called “bathhouse” with showers and bathtubs, there were various modern cloakrooms and lounges, kitchens and canteens, dining rooms and teaching and entertainment facilities such as a room for film screenings. The workplaces were bright and functional.

  • "Cloakroom" with benches, tables and washing facilities

  • Classroom and entertainment room for cinema and projector screenings

  • Dining and event room with seating for 130 people

  • Dressing room for the company's own bathing establishment

In addition to its own fire brigade, the Polte-Werke also had accident stations, and there was also a separate infirmary with 104 beds, as well as an infant and children's ward. The management promoted not only the technical, but also the athletic training of the youth. Convalescent deportations to homes on the Baltic Sea and in the heath were also common.

External concentration camp for the Polte works

From 1943, concentration camp prisoners were used in production at various Polte-Werke locations. They had to work in the regeneration of used cases, in the production of new ammunition, in the paint shop and electroplating as well as in storage / loading. Some prisoners were also employed in factory canteens or camp kitchens. The work usually took place in two shifts of twelve hours each. Most of the prisoners had to work in piecework. In addition to beatings by the concentration camp supervisory staff, there was also abuse by German workers and foremen (who were the prisoners' technical superiors). Unfit for work were sent back to the respective concentration camp mother camp. There were numerous deaths from malnutrition, illness, frostbite or murder (in the camps) by supervisory staff or the SS.

There were subcamps at the Polte main works in Magdeburg-Stadtfeld (one each for women and men), as well as at plants operated by Polte in Duderstadt, Genthin, Grüneberg, Seehausen and Arnstadt (Rudisleben).

Ukrainian women for drafting for use in German armaments companies
Ukrainian slave laborers leaving for Germany
Workers in a satellite concentration camp

Magdeburg, women's camp in Stadtfeld

A subcamp of Buchenwald concentration camp for women was set up on June 14, 1944 for the Polte-Werke in the immediate vicinity of Plant II (opposite its main gate) in today's Liebknechtstrasse. It encompassed an area of ​​around 15,000 square meters, which was fenced off with barriers, was probably surrounded by a high wooden fence for privacy reasons and existed until April 13, 1945. It was one of several external commandos of the Buchenwald concentration camp in Magdeburg. As early as 1943, there was a warehouse on Frankestrasse in the center of Magdeburg - set up for the long-distance gas supply to the Province of Saxony-Thuringia AG . From June 1944 to February 1945, a sub-camp was operated for Braunkohle-Petrol AG in Magdeburg-Rothensee (Heinrichsbergerstrasse and Havelstrasse), in which 2,200 Hungarian Jews were mainly used in the construction of air raid protection systems.

Probably the Polte-Werke had submitted a corresponding application for assignment to SS-Standartenführer Gerhard Maurer , the head of Office D II (Labor deployment of concentration camp inmates) of the SS Economic Administration Main Office, as part of the use of female concentration camp prisoners forced by the Ministry of Armaments , which was forwarded to the Ravensbrück concentration camp after its approval . As a result, the Ravensbrück concentration camp was responsible for creating the personnel and logistical prerequisites and the Polte-Werke for financing the construction of the camp. The camp was operated by the Buchenwald concentration camp.

Up to 3,000 inmates were then accommodated in the completed barracks camp on Magdeburg's Liebknechtstrasse - initially mainly non-Jewish Russians and, from November 1944, Eastern European Jews from the Riga-Kaiserwald , Auschwitz , Stutthof and Ravensbrück concentration camps . The women were mainly deployed in various areas of the neighboring main plant of Polte OHG.

Everyday life in the camp was characterized by inhumane regulations and punishments. In the event of violations, the inmates were beaten with sticks or whips by the SS guards or the guards. It also came to solitary confinement (the so-called "bunker custody"), food deprivation and severe torture. In April 1945, shortly before the camp was closed, a young Russian woman was executed in front of the prisoners who had allegedly sabotaged an ammunition production machine. The SS personnel hung the body on the gallows for 24 hours. In addition, due to inadequate instruction on the machines as well as non-compliance with safety regulations, serious accidents regularly occurred in the factory. The death of 20 women in the camp is documented. The camp thus had the highest mortality rate of any subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp.

After American troops reached Magdeburg on April 11, 1945, the camp was evacuated on April 13, 1945. The SS deported the prisoners to Ravensbrück and Sachsenhausen. Of the women imprisoned, only about 600 survived the end of the war.

After the war, a memorial plaque was erected at Liebknechtstrasse 65 for the victims in the two satellite camps of the Magdeburg Polte-Werke.

Magdeburg, men's camp in Stadtfeld

From November 3, 1944, the women's camp was supplemented by a smaller one for men. Around 600 Jewish men and probably some Soviet and Polish prisoners of war were housed here. One of the inmates was the surviving future artist Boris Lurie . In December 1944, Polte-Werke had to pay an amount of 278,972 Reichsmarks to the Buchenwald main camp for the deployment of workers from the two Magdeburg concentration camp external commands.

Duderstadt, Steinhoff camp

Initially there was a forced labor camp “Am Euzenberg” at the Duderstadt Polte plant. Because of the increase in compulsory labor, a barbed wire encircling camp for forced laborers and prisoners of war was built on the former soccer field "Am Westerborn" from 1942, which was put into operation in 1943.

Starting in November 1944, around 750 predominantly Hungarian Jewish women from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp (previously selected by the Auschwitz concentration camp for work in the Reich) were also employed in the Polte factory. Their barracks camp ("Lager Steinhoff"), secured with barbed wire and an electric fence, was located in the immediate vicinity of the plant on the site of the former Steinhoff furniture factory. The women were guarded by female guards from the Eichsfeld region who had been trained in the Ravensbrück concentration camp. The Polte-Werke paid the main camp 4 Reichsmarks per prisoner and working day. For the month of December 1944, Polte-Werke had to pay 90,108 Reichsmarks for the women employed in Duderstadt. The camp was run relatively well, the camp commanders were SS-Oberscharführer Arno Reissig and SS-Hauptscharführer Eduard Jansen. There were about 15 SS guards and 18 female guards from the workforce. Four women and a newborn child died while the camp was in use for almost six months. Before Allied troops occupied Duderstadt on April 9, 1945, the camp was "evacuated". A three-week march (by truck, train and on foot) by the prisoners ended on April 26, 1945 in the Theresienstadt concentration camp .

After the war, the barracks were used as storage for a short time, then demolished and there is now an industrial area. Memorial stones remind of the subcamp.

Grüneberg, Silva Metallwerk

The first satellite camp for concentration camp prisoners, which was built on behalf of Polte-Werke, was set up in June 1943 at Silva Metallwerk GmbH in Grüneberg (community of Löwenberger Land ). It was an external unit of the Ravensbrück concentration camp, in which 1,800 women had to do forced labor.

As early as 1938, German and Austrian women were obliged to do labor at Silva in Genthin. From 1939 a camp for forced laborers from the war-occupied areas was set up.

Seehausen

From 1943 there was also a sub-camp at the leased plant in Seehausen (Börde).

Rudisleben, Arnstadt

The Buchenwald concentration camp also operated several external detachments in Rudisleben near Arnstadt . Around 3,000 mainly Soviet and Polish concentration camp prisoners and forced laborers were housed here, who were deployed at three local companies, in addition to the Mako and Scholz machine works, also at the two empire-owned factories ("Polte I" and "Polte II") that are under Polte management. ) of the OKM.

After American troops began the attack on Arnstadt on April 4, 1945, according to eyewitness reports, concentration camp prisoners marched through the city on April 6, 1945. The march through (in rows of four) lasted a whole day.

See also

literature

  • Manfred Beckert: Polte, Eugen. In: Guido Heinrich, Gunter Schandera (ed.): Magdeburg Biographical Lexicon 19th and 20th centuries. Biographical lexicon for the state capital Magdeburg and the districts of Bördekreis, Jerichower Land, Ohrekreis and Schönebeck. Scriptum, Magdeburg 2002, ISBN 3-933046-49-1 ( article online ).
  • Horst-Günther Heinicke: Nathusius, Martin. In: Guido Heinrich, Gunter Schandera (ed.): Magdeburg Biographical Lexicon 19th and 20th centuries. Biographical lexicon for the state capital Magdeburg and the districts of Bördekreis, Jerichower Land, Ohrekreis and Schönebeck. Scriptum, Magdeburg 2002, ISBN 3-933046-49-1 ( article online ).
  • Martin Nathusius: The "Magdeburg Line" of the Nathusius family, illustrated line of trunks. IRL Imprimeries Reunies Lausanne, Saint-Sulpice (Switzerland) 1985.
  • 1885–1935, 50 Years of Armaturen, complete edition 1935. (Product index). Polte Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik (publisher), Magdeburg 1935.
  • Götz Hütt: The external command of the Buchenwald concentration camp in Duderstadt. Hungarian Jewish women in the Polte armaments factory. Norderstedt 2005, ISBN 3-8334-2646-2 .

Web links

Commons : Polte-Werke  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Technical drawings (historical) of the variants of the manufacturer Polte for the cartridge 7.92 × 57 mm and their projectiles

References and comments

Martin Nathusius, The economic structure of the Magdeburg-Anhalt district. In: Series of publications in Magdeburg's cultural and economic life. No. 8, City of Magdeburg (ed.), Magdeburg 1936
Polte Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik, catalog aluminum products, edition approx. 1925 (20 pages)
Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik, valve catalog, edition approx. 1930 (34 pages)
Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik, armatures catalog, edition approx. 1931 (290 pages)
Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik, large-format armatures catalog, edition approx. 1931 (approx. 200 pages)
Partial edition: Part I water and gas of the anniversary catalog of the Polte-Werke from 1935 (330 pages)
Complete edition: 50 years of fittings in the Polte-Werke anniversary catalog from 1935 (606 pages)
  1. ↑ Gem Astrid Pawassar. Bildatlas Leipzig, Halle, Magdeburg. Volume 233 of the HB Bildatlas. 2007, p. 96 f. largest ammunition producer in the German Reich
  2. ↑ At the beginning of the Second World War, around 14,000 Magdeburg residents worked in the Polte works, according to Martin Nathusius: The Magdeburg Line. ., see LitVerz. (P. 109)
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Polte was founded 50 years ago. Anniversary of the respected Magdeburg machine factory. It started with 23 workers. In: Magdeburgische Zeitung from 6./7. April 1925, 7th supplement / no. 177 (176) (quoted from: Martin Nathusius; Die Magdeburger Linie. ..., see bibliography (p. 103))
  4. ↑ "Poltewerk is one of the pioneers and trailblazers for the victory run of German industry in all parts of the world ...". Hans Leonhard: Eugen Polte. In: Central German Life Pictures. Fifth volume. Life pictures of the 18th and 19th centuries. Magdeburg, 1930.
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i From: Polte Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik (Ed.): 1885–1935, 50 Years of Armaturen, complete edition 1935. (Product directory), Magdeburg, 1935.
  6. ↑ a b Polte Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik Magdeburg (ed.): Armaturen, Polte Magdeburg, edition 1931. (Product directory / price list) Magdeburg 1931.
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Detlef Schmiechen-Ackermann , Steffi Kaltenborn: City history in the Nazi era. Case studies from Saxony-Anhalt and comparative perspectives. Lit Verlag, Münster 2005, ISBN 3-8258-8822-3 , p. 125 ff. ( Books.google.pl )
  8. ^ The machine and fittings factory of C. Louis Strube was established in 1864 in Porsestrasse in Magdeburg-Buckau. From 1889 as a stock corporation, it specialized in the manufacture of and trading in machines, fittings, pumps, metal goods and related articles. After being taken over by Polte-Werke, it traded under the name Maschinen- und Armaturenfabrik Magdeburg-Buckau . In 1946 the company was transferred to Industrie-Werke Sachsen-Anhalt, machine and fittings factory formerly CLS Magdeburg-Buckau , and from 1948 to SANAR Werk Strube-VEB , Magdeburg-Buckau, according to u. a. Magdeburg.de
  9. ↑ The Official Gazette of the City of Magdeburg, No. 101 noted: The trading business - metal foundry and fittings factory - operated by the metal goods manufacturer Heinrich Jürgens under the company Jürgens & Co. zu Sudenburg - Magdeburg - has been owned by the engineer Eugen Polte since April 1, 1885 passed over, who continues it for his account. He is registered as its owner under No. 2160 of the company register, whereas the company has been deleted under No. 1518 of the same register - quoted from: Polte Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik, 1885–1935, 50 years, complete edition 1935. Product directory, Magdeburg 1935.
  10. ↑ a b c d e f g h City Planning Office Magdeburg (ed.), Sabine Ullrich: Industrial architecture in Magdeburg, mechanical engineering industry. Magdeburg 1999, p. 47 ff. ( Online as PDF; 7.4 MB)
  11. ↑ Kurt Berus: On a bloody foundation. The Finow water tower and the Hirsch armory brass works. Part 2. In: Barnimer Bürgerpost. Edition 1/2008 (No. 156) of January 11, 2008, p. 3. ( online as PDF; 458 kB)
  12. ^ Franz Reuleaux : Textbook of Kinematics. Volume 2, F. Vieweg, Braunschweig 1900, p. 668. ( books.google.pl )
  13. ^ Hans Leonhard: Eugen Polte. In: Central German Life Pictures, Volume 5: Life Pictures of the 18th and 19th Century. Magdeburg 1930, p. 584. - quoted from: Martin Nathusius: Die Magdeburger Linie. (see bibliography) p. 109.
  14. ↑ It concerns patents for a secondary outlet device for pump delivery lines (Reichspatentamt des Deutschen Reiches, 1938, according to DepatisNet ), tracer explosive projectiles (Reichspatentamt des Deutschen Reiches, 1930, according to DepatisNet ), a device for the production of hollow metal bodies from plates (Eidgenössisches Office for Intellectual Property of the Swiss Confederation, 1901, according to DepatisNet ) as well as for automatic scales (Imperial and Royal Patent Office of the Austrian Empire, 1903, according to DepatisNet )
  15. ↑ These are patents for improvements in and relating to Automatic Cartridge Loading Machines (Patent Office of the United Kingdom, 1932, according to DepatisNet ), a steam-cut-off valve or stop valve (United States Patent Office, 1925, according to DepatisNet ) and a Dispositif de commande pour vanne de retenue (Direction de la Propriete Industrielle, Ministere du Commerce et de l'Industrie, Republique Francaise, 1925, according to DepatisNet )
  16. ↑ The Polte-Werke have also achieved a worldwide reputation ... - Franziska Huster: The development of the Magdeburg banking industry from 1875 to the present. In: Hallische Nachrichten. 1931, p. 171.
  17. ↑ Columbian World's Fair in Chicago. Official catalog of the exhibition of the German Reich. Berlin 1893, p. 256.
  18. ^ Otto Nicolaus Witt: World Exhibition in Paris 1900. Official catalog of the exhibition of the German Empire. Berlin 1900.
  19. ↑ with a showcase full of shiny metal cases for cartridges and cartridges for rifles and artillery - Georg Malkowsky, Pavel Natanovich Apostol: The Paris World Exhibition in words and pictures. Kirchhoff, 1900.
    and
    Georg Malkowsky: Technology and Wehrmacht. Volume 3, ES Mittler, 1900, p. 488. ( books.google.com )
    and
    monthly books for politics and armed forces, organ of the Society for Heereskunde. Volumes 116 and 117, Schneider, 1900.
  20. ^ Theodor Lewald, Deutsches Reich, Reichskommission (Ed.): Official catalog for the World Exhibition in St. Louis 1904. Berlin 1904, p. 471 and p. 475. ( books.google.com )
  21. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Martin Nathusius: The "Magdeburg line" of the Nathusius family. Illustrated lineage. o. V., printed by IRL Imprimeries Reunies Lausanne, Saint-Sulpice (Switzerland) 1985.
  22. ↑ Elsewhere, the total is also given as around 14,000.
  23. ↑ Margarete Nathusius b. Polte (1886–1977) was the older of Eugen Polte's two daughters. She married Martin Nathusius in 1906.
  24. ↑ The younger Polte daughter had married Arnulf Freiherr von Gillern in 1912.
  25. ↑ Gillern (1884–1944) was the owner of the manor and originally a soldier, first in the field artillery regiment No. 34, then during the First World War as an orderly officer in the 33rd field artillery brigade from Metz . He later became a military economist and was, among other things, Knight of Honor of the Order of St. John .
    - Kurt von Priesdorff : Soldier leadership . Volume 8, Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt, Hamburg 1942, p. 194. ( books.google.com )
    - Georg Wenzel (Ed.): Deutscher Wirtschaftsführer. Life courses of German business personalities. Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt, Hamburg 1929.
    - Deutscher Wirtschaftsverlag (Hrsg.): Reichs Handbuch der Deutschen Gesellschaft. Volume 1, Deutscher Wirtschaftsverlag, Berlin 1930.
  26. ↑ Gottlob Moritz Nathusius was the older brother of Martin Nathusius and thus brother-in-law of Eugen Polte's older daughter, and shortly before the end of the war in 1918 he was removed from a position as a major on the western front in order to take over the commercial management of the important war Polte plants . He also became a partner in the Polte-Werke.
  27. ↑ In retrospect, the later managing director of Polte-Werke, Martin Nathusius, referred to the remaining 250 employees as a "clean-up command". - Martin Nathusius: The economic structure of the Magdeburg-Anhalt district. (= Magdeburg cultural and economic life. No. 8.) Magdeburg 1936, p. 16.
  28. ↑ Accordingly, since 1926 the Reichswehr has been placing orders for the delivery of infantry ammunition to companies in Austria and Sweden as well as to three covert production facilities in Germany ( Burgmüller & Sons in Kreiensen , Empelde near Hanover and Treuenbrietzen )
  29. ^ Ernst Willi Hansen: Reichswehr and Industry. Arms industry cooperation and economic mobilization preparations 1923–1932. In: Defense science research. Volume 24, Department of Military History Studies. Boldt, 1978, p. 98. ( books.google.pl )
  30. ↑ Hans Nathusius (1907–1977), after an apprenticeship as an industrial clerk at the machine factory Ludwig Loewe & Co. AG in Berlin and two years of study in Berlin and Bamberg, 1930 became assistant director in the Polte works. He held this position until 1935. This was followed by the appointment of deputy operator. From 1941 to 1942 he was with the 1st Landesschützen Replacement Battalion in Hildesheim - at the end as a non-commissioned officer. He then returned to his positions at Polte-Werke. - Martin Nathusius: The Magdeburg Line. (see bibliography) p. 164 ff.
  31. ^ Alfred Nathusius (1912–1974) completed a commercial apprenticeship in Berlin before he was drafted into the infantry in 1941. He was employed on the Eastern Front for three years, starting in the summer of 1942 as a member of the 66th Panzer Grenadier Regiment. On February 1, 1944, he was promoted to Fahnenjunker and on September 7, 1944, he was posted to UK . Subsequently, he was managing director of the Grüneberger Metallwarenfabrik GmbH in Grüneberg for a few months and at the same time chairman of the supervisory board of the former C. Louis Strube AG. Martin Nathusius: The Magdeburg Line. (see bibliography) p. 179 ff.
  32. ^ Press reports from the Third Reich 1935–1945 (L – Z) . Institute for German Aristocracy Research: "Pritzelwitz, Franz Alexander v., SS-Untersturmführer from Magdeburg, printed matter regarding an advertisement about his marriage (1938)"
  33. ^ A b c d e Frank Baranowski, 2004, probably a summary from: Frank Baranowski: Foreign workers, prisoners of war and concentration camp inmates in the Polte armaments factory in Duderstadt. In: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Südniedersächsischer Heimatfreunde e. V. (Hrsg.): Armaments industry in southern Lower Saxony during the Nazi era. Mannheim 1993, pp. 248-316.
    Frank Baranowski: The Duderstädter armaments company Polte from 1938 to 1945. Göttingen 1993.
    Frank Baranowski: Secret armaments projects in southern Lower Saxony and Thuringia during the Nazi era. Duderstadt 1995. nszwangsarbeit.de
  34. ↑ a b c Hermann-Josef Rupieper, Alexander Sperk: The situation reports of the secret state police for the province of Saxony 1933 to 1936. Volume 1, Mitteldeutscher Verlag, 2003, ISBN 3-89812-200-X , p. 23 and p. 351. ( books.google.com )
  35. ↑ Nathusius gives an example of the delivery of an ammunition production plant for 2 cm cases to Sweden during the war - Martin Nathusius: The Magdeburger Line. (see bibliography)
  36. ↑ a b The Luftfahrt-Anlagen GmbH (LAG) based in Berlin was founded on June 16, 1939 and entered in the commercial register at the Berlin District Court on July 28, 1939. The company's share capital was increased to 20,000,000 RM in 1944. In the same year, the business purpose of this company was expanded: It now appeared as a trust company of the German Empire. The LAG became the owner of a large number of arms factories. After the war, the LAG's fixed assets were transferred to Montan GmbH, a former 100% company and trustee of the German Reich. The corporate purpose of this trust company consisted in asset management and business control of private armaments companies in the German Reich. - www.geschichtsspuren.de
  37. ^ A b c Tobias Bütow, Franka Bindernagel: A concentration camp in the neighborhood. Cologne 2003; Pascal Anbich: The Polte OHG and the subcamp of the Buchenwald Polte-Magdeburg concentration camp. Master's thesis, Magdeburg 2003; Magdeburg City Archives: Administrative History 1940/41. Cited as sources at: concentration camp in Magdeburg. In: Matthias Puhle (Ed.): Magdeburg 1200, Medieval Metropolis - Prussian Fortress - State Capital, The History of the City from 805 to 2005. Book accompanying the exhibition of the Magdeburg Cultural History Museum from May 8 to September 4, 2005, ISBN 3- 8062-1933-8 , Konrad Theiss Verlag GmbH and Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg, Stuttgart / Magdeburg 2005 (p. 296)
  38. ↑ As early as 1943, a letter from the Magdeburg Trade Inspectorate said about the operational structure of the two Magdeburg main plants from Polte: The new and old plants currently employ: German men 4,756 (36.6%), western and eastern workers 1756 (13.5%) %), Prisoners of war 88 (0.7%), German women 3796 (25.4%), German part-time women 1533 (11.9%), western and eastern workers 1552 (11.9%), together 13001 (100.0 %). Over the next few days, 100 Soviet prisoners-of-war officers were assigned to the company for the gun case factory and 200 Italians interned by the military for the cartridge factory. (...) 55 Polish women and 15 French women have been taken over from the wire and metal goods factory in Salzwedel (...). - Landeshauptarchiv Sachsen-Anhalt , Magdeburg department, Polte-Magdeburg file, April 7th, 717M, no. 270, sheet 8, quoted from: Der Störenfried. ( Memento of March 12, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Trade journal for Magdeburg and surrounding provinces
  39. ^ Barbara Hopmann: Von der Montan zur Industrieverwaltungsgesellschaft (IVG), 1916–1951. Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-515-06993-3 , p. 116. ( books.google.com )
  40. ↑ Helmut Asmus: 1200 years Magdeburg. The years 1945 to 2005. Magdeburg 2009, p. 18 f.
  41. ↑ The Kriegsmetall AG was founded in 1914 by the War Ministry as a subdivision of the War Resource Department (KRA) to ensure the procurement of metals for private armaments production. - Stefanie Knetsch: Metallgesellschaft's own banking institute from 1906 to 1928. Programmatic claim and implementation. Dissertation, Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-515-07406-6 , p. 141. ( books.google.pl )
    The share capital of Kriegsmetall AG was 6 million marks and was subscribed by 22 major German companies. Kurt Berus: On a bloody foundation. The Finow water tower and the Hirsch armory brass works, part 2. (PDF; 458 kB) In: Barnimer Bürgerpost. Issue 1/2008, January 11, 2008, p. 3.
  42. ^ Helmut Maier : History of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society in National Socialism. In: Research as a weapon. Armaments research in the Kaiser Wilhelm Society and the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Metal Research 1900–1945 / 48. Volume 16, part 1–2, Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen 2007, ISBN 978-3-8353-0109-2 , p. 164. ( books.google.com )
  43. ↑ After the war Spanner-Pollux GmbH and Pollux Meter GmbH & Co. KG ( "Pollux Meter Group" ), taken over by the British BTR Group in 1997, since 2003 part of Sensus Metering Systems Inc. , The world's largest manufacturer of water Measuring fittings
  44. ^ Gudrun Fiedler, Hans-Ulrich Ludewig: Forced Labor and War Economy in the State of Braunschweig 1939–1945. (= Sources and research on the history of Brunswick. Volume 39.) Appelhans, 2003, ISBN 3-930292-78-5 , p. 41. ( books.google.com )
  45. ↑ The exact ownership structure of the operating companies is unclear, a statement from Barbara Hopmann ( Von der Montan zur Industrieverwaltungsgesellschaft (IVG), 1916–1951. Stuttgart 1996, p. 80) is unclear because there was no company called Gebr. Polte .
  46. ↑ a b Museumsverband Sachsen-Anhalt e. V., Bernburg, Museum-Digital.de
  47. ↑ a b Götz Hütt: The external command of the Duderstadt concentration camp in Buchenwald. Hungarian Jewish women in the Polte armaments factory. Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt 2005, ISBN 3-8334-2646-2 , p. 19. ( books.google.com )
  48. ↑ Nitropenta was a joint production of Paraxol GmbH , Lippoldsberg plant (subsidiary of Degussa ), and Dynamit AG - www.relektiven.com
  49. ↑ Another company that was used by the Polte works in this way could have been the Draht- und Metallwaren-Fabrik GmbH in Salzwedel . Until the end of the war, this factory belonged to the Berlin armaments company Kopp & Co. GmbH . - Gerhard Dorbritz: "The war should be cursed" (B. Brecht). Armaments factories Kopp & Co. (1924 to 1945). Kästner, Belzig 2003.
    The original Salzwedel wire factory was probably sold in 1896 to the Basse & Selve company in Altena , which later became the United Deutsche Metallwerke AG . After several name changes, the company was called Draht- und Metallwaren-Fabrik GmbH from around 1929 . At this point in time, the Kopp brothers, who had previously operated a secret ammunition factory in Treuenbrietzen , also became shareholders. The Stadtarchiv Salzwedel has a letter from Kopp & Co. GmbH dated October 21, 1944 in which the company describes the Salzwedel plant as its own. One in literature (Hans Elger: Hinzert, Auschwitz, Neuengamme. In: Wolfgang Benz , Barbara Distel (ed.): The place of terror. History of the National Socialist concentration camps. Volume 5. CH Beck Verlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3 -406-52965-8 , p. 314 ff.) The connection between the Polte works and the factory in Salzwedel cannot yet be proven.
  50. ↑ Original description: Dreher activist Franz Knochtel from Polte-Werk, Magdeburg, cranking up work on the five-year plan. Like him, the millions of working people in the German Democratic Republic are going to work with fresh energy for a life in peace and prosperity .
  51. ↑ The following note in German and English was attached to the entrance gate after the British military government took over the Polte factory in Odertal : NOTE. This factory is based on the stipulations of the occupying powers that the greatest possible compensation will be demanded from Germany as compensation for the losses and suffering it has brought through the United Nations, and for which the German people cannot shirk responsibility has been declared redundant and can be allocated as reparation to one or more of the following United Nations: Albania, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Greece, India, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Poland , United States of America, United Kingdom, South African Union, USSR, Yugoslavia. On command: (signature), on a form of the Control Commission for Germany (CCG), acc. an illustration of the attack in: Martin Nathusius: Die Magdeburger Linie. (see bibliography) p. 115.
  52. ↑ Formerly Schäffer & Budenberg, founded in 1850 as the Mechanische Werkstatt Bernhard Schäffer & Co. since 1852 under the company Schäffer & Budenberg, Armaturen- und Meßgerätewerke, Maschinen- und Dampfkesselabrik , In 1902 the company was converted to a GmbH, the company's headquarters were in Schöneberger Strasse in Magdeburg-Buckau. magdeburg.de (PDF; 5 MB)
  53. ^ VEB Kombinat foundry plant construction and cast products (Gisag), Leipzig
  54. ↑ Taken over by Deutsche Armaturen AG in 1999 . - Page no longer available , search in web archives: www.alacrastore.com@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.alacrastore.com
  55. ↑ Acquired in 2002 by the Italian Campisusa Europe Srl . - Website ( memento from September 12, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) of Armaturen Technik Magdeburg GmbH
  56. ↑ Martin Nathusius: The economic structure of the Magdeburg-Anhalt district. In: Series of publications in Magdeburg's cultural and economic life. No. 8, Stadt Magdeburg (ed.), Magdeburg 1936, p. 18.
  57. ↑ According to fire department history
  58. ↑ a b Polte Metallwarenfabrik, Magdeburg (ed.): Pure aluminum household and kitchen appliances. List No. 15. (list of products / price list), Magdeburg, approx. 1930.
  59. ↑ From an advertisement of the Berlin-Reinickendorfer sales office of the gunsmith Paul Schelle from Pirna / Saxony, The cheapest shot, Polte Messing Schrothülsen , from around 1930.
  60. ↑ From left to right: 7.7 cm (1917, st297 POLTE, MAI, SP406) - 22 cm (1916, 42 POLTE, ARZ, Sp252) - 7.7 cm (1317/1938, P 150, 3, 116) - 15, 4 cm (1918, 1160 POLTE, AUG, SP 406) - 4 cm (G, 105, P, 6348, Adler) - 10.5 cm (1918, 545 Karth POLTE, AUG, SP406)
  61. ↑ Assembled , already used ammunition scraps
  62. ↑ The cartridge was later also produced (among others) by the following manufacturers: Metallwarenfabrik Treuenbrietzen GmbH , Sebaldushof plant ; Teuto Metallwerke GmbH , Osnabrück ; Cartridge primer and metal goods factory AG (formerly Sellier and Bellot ) in Vlašim ; Waffenwerk Brno AG , Povazska Bystrica plant . From 1941 to 1945, all variants of the short cartridge were manufactured in the Polte works: with iron core, blank cartridges, drive cartridges, drill cartridges and tool cartridges. In the years 1941–1943 the pods were designated 7.9. From 1944 onwards, ammunition with cases "St" or "-St" was manufactured.
  63. ↑ According to page no longer available , search in web archives: Assault Rifle Online@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.stg.online.pl
  64. ^ According to information at Geocaching.com
  65. ↑ a b According to various relevant websites: Hbpbunkerforum.nl , Bunkersite.com ( Memento of December 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), and Scarlet.be ( Memento of the original of January 7, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / home.scarlet.be
  66. ^ According to information from Germanmilitaria.co.uk
  67. ↑ There was another external concentration camp at the Draht- und Metallwaren-Fabrik GmbH in Salzwedel. A management of this factory by the Polte-Werke is conceivable, but so far this cannot be proven, see also the note under Leased companies with their own machine equipment
  68. ↑ Illustrative image for forced recruitment. They are not Polte forced laborers
  69. ↑ Illustrative image of forced laborers in the Third Reich, it is not a question of forced labor in the Polte works
  70. ↑ Illustrative picture of concentration camp forced laborers in the Third Reich, it is not a satellite camp of the Polte-Werke
  71. ↑ After massive air raids by the Allies on production facilities of the German aviation industry in February 1944 led to considerable destruction, the Jägerstab was formed on the basis of a decree by the Reich Minister for Armaments and War Production Albert Speer , which was to assign more female concentration camp prisoners to the armaments industry. On June 9, 1944, the Jägerstab obliged the German armaments industry to deploy 20,000 prisoners with a request for execution by June 14, 1944.
  72. ↑ According to Pascal Anbich: The subcamp of the Polte OHG. Manuscript for the master’s thesis, 2003 p. 10 ff.
  73. ↑ According to other sources, the camp's SS personnel had already fled and issued instructions to members of the Volkssturm and the Hitler Youth to carry out the camp evacuation. When marching out of Magdeburg, the marching column near the “Neue Welt” stadium near Heyrothsberge is said to have come under fire, killing many prisoners
  74. ↑ According to Reinhard Jacobs: Terror under the swastika - places of remembrance in Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Study on behalf of the Otto Brenner Foundation, Berlin 2001, p. 39. ( Memento from October 20, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 394 kB)
  75. ↑ a b According to page no longer available , search in web archives: Goest Extrablatt Online@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.goest.de
  76. ↑ According to Relict.com
  77. ↑ On the Polte-Werke Duderstadt subcamp, Wolfgang Benz , Barbara Distel (eds.): The place of terror . History of the National Socialist Concentration Camps. Volume 3: Sachsenhausen, Buchenwald. CH Beck, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-406-52963-1 , pp. 422-423.
  78. ^ According to Concentration Camp List at Holocaustrevealed.org ( Memento from February 21, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  79. ^ Gem. History ( Memento from September 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Arnstadts at Prange.de
  80. ^ Polte Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik (Ed.): 1885-1935, 50 Years, Part I Water and Gas, 1935 (Product Directory), Magdeburg, 1935.

Coordinates: 52 ° 7 ′ 44.4 "  N , 11 ° 35 ′ 45.2"  E