Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach
Encyclopedia
Alfried Felix Alwyn Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach (13 August 1907 – 30 July 1967), often referred to as Alfried Krupp, was a convicted war criminal
, an industrialist
, a competitor in Olympic
yacht races
and a member of the Krupp family
, which has been prominent in Germany
since the early 19th century.
The family company, known formally as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp
, was a key supplier of weapons and materiel
to the Nazi regime and the Wehrmacht
during World War II
. In 1943, Krupp became sole proprietor of the company, following the Lex Krupp
("Krupp Law") decreed by Adolf Hitler
. Krupp's wartime employment of slave labor, resulted in the "Krupp Trial
" of 1947–1948, following which he served three years in prison.
At Alfried Krupp's behest, after his death in 1967, control of the Krupp company passed to the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation
, a philanthropic
organisation.
, inherited the company in 1902 at the age of 16 when her father, Friedrich Krupp, committed suicide. In October 1906, Bertha married Krupp's father, Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach
, a German diplomat
and member of the nobility, who subsequently became known as Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach.
Alfried Krupp attended grammar school
, after which he trained at Krupp company workshops and studied metallurgy
at technical universities in Munich
, Berlin
and Aachen
.
The company profited significantly from the German re-armament
of the 1920s and 1930s. Gustav Krupp, in spite of his initial opposition to the Nazi Party, made significant personal donations to it, before the 1933 election
, because he saw advantages for the company in the Nazis' militarism and opposition to independent trade union
s.
Krupp received a Diplomingenieur
(Master of Engineering) from the Aachener Technische Hochschule in 1934, with the acceptance of a thesis on melting steel in vacuums
.
During the Berlin Olympics
of 1936, Krupp participated in 8 Meter Class sailing
and won a bronze medal
.
In 1936, after undergoing financial training at the Dresdner Bank
, Krupp joined the family company. The following year he married Anneliese Lampert, née Bahr (1909–1998)and a son, Arndt von Bohlen und Halbach, was born in 1938. His family disapproved, and their pressure may have influenced the divorce that followed soon afterwards.
, the company's profits increased and it gained control of factories in German-occupied Europe.
Alfried Krupp became more active in controlling the company as his father's health declined, especially after 1941, when Gustav Krupp suffered a stroke
. Under Alfried Krupp, the company used slave labor supplied by the Nazi regime and thereby also became involved in the Holocaust, assigning Jewish prisoners from concentration camps to work in many of its factories. Even when the military suggested that security reasons dictated that work should be performed by free German workers, Alfried Krupp insisted on using slaves.
He officially replaced his father as head of the family firm under the Lex Krupp
("Krupp Law"), proclaimed by Adolf Hitler
on 12 November 1943. Krupp was also appointed Reichsminister für Rüstung und Kriegsproduktion ("Minister for Armament and War Production"). The transfer of ownership was a gesture of gratitude by Hitler and was to be one of only a few major Nazi laws that survived the fall of the regime.
Krupp worked closely with the SS
, which controlled the concentration camps from which slave labor was obtained. In a letter dated 7 September 1943, he wrote: "As regards the cooperation of our technical office in Breslau, I can only say that between that office and Auschwitz the closest understanding exists and is guaranteed for the future."
According to one of his own employees, even when it was clear that the war was lost: "Krupp considered it a duty to make 520 Jewish girls, some of them little more than children, work under the most brutal conditions in the heart of the concern, in Essen
."
During the war, Krupp was a noted supporter of an Indian nationalist
leader, Subhash Chandra Bose
, who led the Indian National Army
, a military force organized by Germany and Japan
.
, serving as American High Commissioner for Germany arranged for Krupp to be pardoned and the forfeiture of property was reversed.
His second marriage on 19 May 1952 to Vera Knauer, née Hossenfeld (1909–1967), just after his release from Landsberg Prison
, ended in a scandal and an expensive settlement in 1957.
Prior to Krupp's death from lung cancer
, his assistant, Berthold Beitz worked to transfer control of the company to a Stiftung ("foundation"), to be monitored by three members of a supervisory board. Most notably was Hermann Josef Abs
, of the former Deutsch-Asiatische Bank A.G. and Deutsche Bank AG. In this agreement, Krupp's son and heir, Arndt von Bohlen und Halbach
(1938–1986), relinquished any claim over his father's businesses, and was to be paid a modest cash amount, in yearly instalments, until his own death.
(now owned by Elizabeth Taylor
)
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
, an industrialist
Heavy industry
Heavy industry does not have a single fixed meaning as compared to light industry. It can mean production of products which are either heavy in weight or in the processes leading to their production. In general, it is a popular term used within the name of many Japanese and Korean firms, meaning...
, a competitor in Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
yacht races
Yachting
Yachting refers to recreational sailing or boating, the specific act of sailing or using other water vessels for sporting purposes.-Competitive sailing:...
and a member of the Krupp family
Krupp
The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
, which has been prominent in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
since the early 19th century.
The family company, known formally as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp
ThyssenKrupp
ThyssenKrupp AG is a German multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Duisburg Essen, Germany. The corporation consists of 670 companies worldwide. While ThyssenKrupp is one of the world's largest steel producers, the company also provides components and systems for the automotive...
, was a key supplier of weapons and materiel
Materiel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
to the Nazi regime and the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1943, Krupp became sole proprietor of the company, following the Lex Krupp
Lex Krupp
The Lex Krupp was a document signed into federal law on November 12, 1943 by Adolf Hitler that made the Krupp company a personal company with specially regulated rules of succession, in order to ensure that the Krupp family enterprise remain intact.-History:...
("Krupp Law") decreed by Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. Krupp's wartime employment of slave labor, resulted in the "Krupp Trial
Krupp Trial
The Krupp Trial was the tenth of twelve trials for war crimes that U.S. authorities held in their occupation zone at Nuremberg, Germany after the end of World War II....
" of 1947–1948, following which he served three years in prison.
At Alfried Krupp's behest, after his death in 1967, control of the Krupp company passed to the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation
Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation
The Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation is a major German philanthropic foundation, created by and named in honour of Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, former owner and head of the Krupp company, once the largest company in Europe....
, a philanthropic
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
organisation.
Family and early life
Krupp's mother, Bertha KruppBertha Krupp
Bertha Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach , born Bertha Krupp and commonly known by this name outside Germany, was a member of the Krupp family, Germany's leading industrial dynasty of the 19th and 20th centuries...
, inherited the company in 1902 at the age of 16 when her father, Friedrich Krupp, committed suicide. In October 1906, Bertha married Krupp's father, Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach
Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach
Gustav Georg Friedrich Maria Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, "Taffi", ran the German Friedrich Krupp AG heavy industry conglomerate from 1909 until 1941...
, a German diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and member of the nobility, who subsequently became known as Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach.
Alfried Krupp attended grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
, after which he trained at Krupp company workshops and studied metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
at technical universities in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
.
The company profited significantly from the German re-armament
German re-armament
The German re-armament was a massive effort led by the NSDAP in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.During its struggle for power the National Socialist party promised to recover Germany's lost national pride...
of the 1920s and 1930s. Gustav Krupp, in spite of his initial opposition to the Nazi Party, made significant personal donations to it, before the 1933 election
German election, 1933
The German federal election, March 1933 to the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic was held on 5 March 1933. The Nazis registered a large increase in votes again emerging as the largest party by far, nevertheless they failed to obtain absolute majority...
, because he saw advantages for the company in the Nazis' militarism and opposition to independent trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s.
Krupp received a Diplomingenieur
Engineer's degree
An engineer's degree is an advanced academic degree in engineering that is conferred in Europe, some countries of Latin America, and a few institutions in the United States....
(Master of Engineering) from the Aachener Technische Hochschule in 1934, with the acceptance of a thesis on melting steel in vacuums
Vacuum Arc Remelting
Vacuum arc remelting is a secondary melting process for production of metal ingots with elevated chemical and mechanical homogeneity for highly demanding applications...
.
During the Berlin Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
of 1936, Krupp participated in 8 Meter Class sailing
Sailing at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Sailing/Yachting is an Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad . With the exception of the 1904 and possibly the 1916 sailing was always a part of the Olympic program....
and won a bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
.
In 1936, after undergoing financial training at the Dresdner Bank
Dresdner Bank
Dresdner Bank AG was one of Germany's largest banking corporations and was based in Frankfurt. It was acquired by competitor Commerzbank in December 2009.- 19th century :...
, Krupp joined the family company. The following year he married Anneliese Lampert, née Bahr (1909–1998)and a son, Arndt von Bohlen und Halbach, was born in 1938. His family disapproved, and their pressure may have influenced the divorce that followed soon afterwards.
World War II
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the company's profits increased and it gained control of factories in German-occupied Europe.
Alfried Krupp became more active in controlling the company as his father's health declined, especially after 1941, when Gustav Krupp suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. Under Alfried Krupp, the company used slave labor supplied by the Nazi regime and thereby also became involved in the Holocaust, assigning Jewish prisoners from concentration camps to work in many of its factories. Even when the military suggested that security reasons dictated that work should be performed by free German workers, Alfried Krupp insisted on using slaves.
He officially replaced his father as head of the family firm under the Lex Krupp
Lex Krupp
The Lex Krupp was a document signed into federal law on November 12, 1943 by Adolf Hitler that made the Krupp company a personal company with specially regulated rules of succession, in order to ensure that the Krupp family enterprise remain intact.-History:...
("Krupp Law"), proclaimed by Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
on 12 November 1943. Krupp was also appointed Reichsminister für Rüstung und Kriegsproduktion ("Minister for Armament and War Production"). The transfer of ownership was a gesture of gratitude by Hitler and was to be one of only a few major Nazi laws that survived the fall of the regime.
Krupp worked closely with the SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
, which controlled the concentration camps from which slave labor was obtained. In a letter dated 7 September 1943, he wrote: "As regards the cooperation of our technical office in Breslau, I can only say that between that office and Auschwitz the closest understanding exists and is guaranteed for the future."
According to one of his own employees, even when it was clear that the war was lost: "Krupp considered it a duty to make 520 Jewish girls, some of them little more than children, work under the most brutal conditions in the heart of the concern, in Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
."
During the war, Krupp was a noted supporter of an Indian nationalist
Indian nationalism
Indian nationalism refers to the many underlying forces that molded the Indian independence movement, and strongly continue to influence the politics of India, as well as being the heart of many contrasting ideologies that have caused ethnic and religious conflict in Indian society...
leader, Subhash Chandra Bose
Subhash Chandra Bose
Subhas Chandra Bose known by name Netaji was an Indian revolutionary who led an Indian national political and military force against Britain and the Western powers during World War II. Bose was one of the most prominent leaders in the Indian independence movement and is a legendary figure in...
, who led the Indian National Army
Indian National Army
The Indian National Army or Azad Hind Fauj was an armed force formed by Indian nationalists in 1942 in Southeast Asia during World War II. The aim of the army was to overthrow the British Raj in colonial India, with Japanese assistance...
, a military force organized by Germany and Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
.
Post-war life
After the war, the Allied Military Government investigated Krupp's employment of slave laborers. He was convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment and the forfeiture of all property. However, after three years, New York banker John J. McCloyJohn J. McCloy
John Jay McCloy was a lawyer and banker who served as Assistant Secretary of War during World War II, president of the World Bank and U.S. High Commissioner for Germany...
, serving as American High Commissioner for Germany arranged for Krupp to be pardoned and the forfeiture of property was reversed.
His second marriage on 19 May 1952 to Vera Knauer, née Hossenfeld (1909–1967), just after his release from Landsberg Prison
Landsberg Prison
Landsberg Prison is a penal facility located in the town of Landsberg am Lech in the southwest of the German state of Bavaria, about west of Munich and south of Augsburg....
, ended in a scandal and an expensive settlement in 1957.
Prior to Krupp's death from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
, his assistant, Berthold Beitz worked to transfer control of the company to a Stiftung ("foundation"), to be monitored by three members of a supervisory board. Most notably was Hermann Josef Abs
Hermann Josef Abs
Hermann Josef Abs was a German banker. He was a member of the board of directors of Deutsche Bank from 1938 - 1945...
, of the former Deutsch-Asiatische Bank A.G. and Deutsche Bank AG. In this agreement, Krupp's son and heir, Arndt von Bohlen und Halbach
Arndt von Bohlen und Halbach
Arndt von Bohlen und Halbach was a German entrepreneur and the last member of the Krupp dynasty.- Biography :...
(1938–1986), relinquished any claim over his father's businesses, and was to be paid a modest cash amount, in yearly instalments, until his own death.
See also
The Krupp DiamondKrupp Diamond
The Krupp Diamond is a stone, last sold at Sotheby's on May 16, 1968, for $305,000, to Welsh actor Richard Burton. Burton gave the stone to English-American actress Dame Elizabeth Taylor, his wife at that time.-Description:...
(now owned by Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
)