Fritz Todt | |
|---|---|
 Todt in 1940 | |
| Reich Minister for Armaments and Munitions | |
| In office 17 March 1940 – 8 February 1942 | |
| Leader | Adolf Hitler (Führer) |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Albert Speer |
| Inspector General for Water and Energy | |
| In office 29 July 1941 – 8 February 1942 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Albert Speer |
| General Plenipotentiary for Regulation of the Construction Industry | |
| In office 9 December 1938 – 8 February 1942 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Albert Speer |
| Head of theOrganisation Todt | |
| In office May 1938 – 8 February 1942 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Albert Speer |
| Inspector General for German Roadways | |
| In office 5 July 1933 – 8 February 1942 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Albert Speer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1891-09-04)4 September 1891 |
| Died | 8 February 1942(1942-02-08) (aged 50) |
| Resting place | Invalids' Cemetery,Berlin |
| Political party | Nazi Party |
| Parent(s) | Emil Todt (father) Elise Unterecker (mother) |
| Education | Technical University of Munich Karlsruhe Institute of Technology |
| Profession | Civil engineer |
| Known for | Chief ofOrganisation Todt |
| Cabinet | Hitler Cabinet |
| Civilian awards | German Order |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  German Empire Nazi Germany |
| Branch/service | Luftstreitkräfte Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1914–1918 1939–1942 |
| Rank | Leutnant of the reserves Generalmajor der Luftwaffe (Honorary) SA–Obergruppenführer |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Military awards | Iron Cross |
Fritz Todt ([fʁɪt͡stoːt]; 4 September 1891 – 8 February 1942) was a Germanconstruction engineer and senior figure of theNazi Party. He was the founder ofOrganisation Todt (OT), amilitary-engineering organisation that supplied German industry withforced labour, and served asReich Minister for Armaments and Ammunition inNazi Germany early inWorld War II, directing the entire German wartime military economy from that position.
An engineer by training, Todt served in theLuftstreitkräfte duringWorld War I and was a recipient of theIron Cross. He joined the Nazi Party in 1922 and theSturmabteilung (SA) in 1931. Steadily rising through the ranks, Todt became Inspector General for German Roadways afterAdolf Hitler came to power. In that capacity, he was responsible for the construction of theGerman autobahns. In 1938, he foundedOrganisation Todt and directed large-scale engineering projects such as theWestwall (Siegfried Line) and theAtlantic Wall. In 1940, he was appointed Reich Minister of Armaments and War Production. During World War II Todt made extensive use of forced labour, with as many as 800,000 labourers fromGerman-occupied territories in the service of his organisation.
Todt was killed along with four other people in February 1942 nearWilhelmsdorf when his aircraft crashed en route fromRastenburg toBerlin-Tempelhof. He was succeeded asReichsminister and head of the OT byAlbert Speer.
Todt was born inPforzheim in theGrand Duchy of Baden (now inBaden-Württemberg) to Emil Todt (1861–1909) and his wife, Elise, née Unterecker (1868–1935). His father owned a small ring factory.
In 1910, he volunteered for one-year military service. From 1911 to 1914, Todt studied engineering atTechnical Hochschule of Munich andKarlsruhe, graduating with aDiplom degree in construction engineering from the latter.[1]
DuringWorld War I, he served initially with the infantry and then as front linereconnaissance observer within theLuftstreitkräfte (the German Air Forces – DLSK), winning theIron Cross. After the war he resumed his studies and graduated in 1920.[1]
In 1921, he initially worked on waterpower stations for theGrün & Bilfinger AG, Mannheim company and the same year for the civil engineering companySager & Woerner [de] where he worked until 1933.[1] In January 1922, he joined theNationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP), or Nazi Party. In 1931, he joined theSturmabteilung (SA), which was then commanded byErnst Röhm. He rose steadily through its ranks, attaining the rank of SA-Obergruppenführer in September 1938. In 1932, Todt completed his thesis at Technical Hochschule of MunichFehlerquellen beim Bau von Landstraßendecken aus Teer und Asphalt ("Sources of defects in the construction of tarmac and asphalt road surfaces") and became a Doctor of Engineering (Dr.-Ing.).[1]
On 5 July 1933, five months afterAdolf Hitler becameReichskanzler, Todt was appointedGeneralinspektor für das deutsche Straßenwesen (Inspector General for German Roadways). In November, this public authority was raised to the status of a "Supreme Reich Authority" (Oberste Reichsbehörde) outside the hierarchy of Reich Ministries; Todt was subordinated directly to Hitler.[2]Alan S. Milward characterized this phase as follows:"His personal views on business questions and, what was more important, the success of the motorway project kept Todt in the inner circle of the Führer. At the same time, his deliberate pose as a technical expert, as a man without interest in internal power struggles, saved him from the adversaries of the more important party leaders for a long time".[3]: 44 He was given the task of organizing a new construction company for the motorways (Reichsautobahnen).[4] He edited the journalDie Strasse, which was a publication of his agency from 1934 to 1942.[5] For his work on theautobahnen, Todt was recognized with theGerman National Prize for Art and Science by Hitler, next toErnst Heinkel,Ferdinand Porsche andWilly Messerschmitt.[1] Hitler donated the award during 1937, devised as a replacement for theNobel Prize, which Hitler forbade Germans from accepting starting during 1936.[citation needed]
In December 1936, he becameLeiter des Hauptamts für Technik in der Reichsleitung der NSDAP (Director of the Head Office for Engineering in the National Directorate of the NSDAP) and, in December 1938,Generalbevollmächtigter für die Regelung der Bauwirtschaft (General Plenipotentiary for the Regulation of the Construction Industry) in theFour Year Plan.[6] At the beginning ofWorld War II in Europe, he was also appointed to the rank ofGeneralmajor of theLuftwaffe.[1] In May 1938, he initiated theOrganisation Todt (OT), joining government firms, private companies and theReichsarbeitsdienst (Reich Labour Service).[1] OT used up to 800,000forced labourers (Zwangsarbeiter) from countries that Germany occupied during World War II.[1] Todt was responsible for the construction of the "West Wall" (commonly named the "Siegfried Line" in English-speaking countries) to defend theReich territory.
On 17 March 1940, Todt was appointedReichsminister für Bewaffnung und Munition (Minister for Armaments and Munitions) which meant he managed the entire military economy.[1]
In October 1940, Todt formed a colonial working group focused on road construction in preparation for what Nazi leaders saw as an imminent return of Germany's African colonies. Todt wanted to use Fascist Italy's empire as a model for the development of a Nazi colonial empire.[7]
After theinvasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Todt was appointed to manage the restoration of the infrastructure there. In late July 1941, he was namedGeneralinspekteur für Wasser und Energie (Inspector General for Water and Energy). During that year, he became increasingly distant from the commanders of theWehrmacht, in particular fromReichsmarschallHermann Göring, theOberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe (Commander-in-chief of theLuftwaffe).[1] After an inspection tour of theEastern Front, Todt complained to Hitler that without better equipment and supplies for the armed forces, it would be better to end the war against theSoviet Union.[1] Hitler rejected such an assessment and continued the offensive against the Soviets.
On 8 February 1942, sometime after take off from theWolfsschanze ("Wolf's Lair") airfield nearRastenburg, inEast Prussia, Todt'sHeinkel He 111 aircraft crashed near the village ofWilhelmsdorf and he was killed.[1][8] He was buried in theInvalids' Cemetery in the Scharnhorst-Strasse inBerlin. Posthumously, he became the first recipient of the newly createdDeutscher Orden ("German Order").[1][9][10]
It has been suggested that Todt had been the victim of an assassination orchestrated by Hitler, but that has never been confirmed.[11][12] A possible motive for killing Todt was that he had flown to the Wolf's Lair to recommend that Hitler sue for peace with theSoviet Union. Todt's production figures suggested that the German economy was not able to support the defeat of Russia and, by February, it was apparent Hitler's plan to rapidly subdue Russia in a Blitzkrieg was not succeeding.[13]
Todt's successor asReichsminister wasAlbert Speer, whom Hitler awarded anOrg.Todt ring during May 1943. Speer was supposed to be on the same plane as Todt. In his autobiography, Speer mentioned a Reich Air Ministry inquiry into the airplane accident, which he said ended with the sentence: "The possibility of sabotage is ruled out. Further measures are therefore neither requisite nor intended". Speer, who was present but had declined to travel on the same flight because he had been kept up late the night before, talking with Hitler,[14] thought that the wording was "curious".[15]: 279
On 8 February 1944, the second commemoration of Todt's death, Hitler awarded theDr.-Fritz-Todt-Preis as a Badge of Honor of the Nazi Party for "Innovative accomplishments, which are of great importance for theVolk community because of the improvement of their weapons, ammunition and military equipment, and the saving of labor, raw materials and energy". The Badge of Honor came with a material prize and a certificate, was awarded as a medal made of gold, silver, or steel. The Golden Award of Honor was presented by Hitler in person upon proposal by the responsibleGauleiter, upon the joint proposal ofRobert Ley, the director of the correspondingDeutsche Arbeitsfront and NSDAP leaders, and the director of the "Main office for Technology in the NSDAP", Albert Speer.[16]
