Carl Wurster
Encyclopedia
Carl Wurster was a German
chemist and Wehrwirtschaftsführer (war economy leader) during the Third Reich. He subsequently became one of the leading figures in post-war Germany's industrial life.
whilst also serving with the Einwohnerwehr, a right-wing militia active in southern Germany. He subsequnetly took a doctorate in engineering and in 1924 took a post with BASF
where he worked closely with Carl Bosch
. In 1926 he was made the head of the main inorganic laboratory at IG Farben
's Ludwigshafen plant, marrying Margareta Bergmann around the same time (the couple eventually having two daughters).
Wurster rose through the ranks at IG Farben, becoming head of inorganic operations in 1931, chairman of the Inorganic Production Committee in 1933, a director of the company in 1936 and both a full member of the Vorstand
and head of Farben's Upper Rhine Business Group.
, Wurster was close to Dr Carl Ungerwitter, a government chemist with links to leading figures in the Schutzstaffel
, and through him Wurster learned in early 1939 that an invasion of Poland
was planned for September.. Following the German occupation
, Wurster went to Poland to inspect the chemical works in that country. Here he was able to determine which could be absorbed by IG Farben and utilised as part of the Nazi war effort.
Wurster was made a Wehrwirtschaftsführer in 1941 and also became a member of the Military Economy Council of the Reich Economic Chamber. This was followed in 1943 by the award of a First Class War Merit Cross
. He had joined the Nazi Party itself in 1937.
initially gave Wurster permission to remain in charge of the plant at Ludwigshaven following the end of the war but in 1947 he was arrested by American
authorities to face trial
at Nuremberg
. However Wurster was and soon returned to a leading position in German business.
He became chairman of the board at IG Farben in 1952 and successfully led moves to re-establish BASF. In the academic world he was made an honorary professor at Heidelberg University and was awarded the title of honorary doctor or honorary senator by several other German universities. He was recognised by the West Germany
government when he was awarded the Great Cross of Merit with Star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1955 and also received the Bavarian Order of Merit
. He officially retired from IG Farben in 1965 but continued to be involved on the supervisory boards of a number of other companies, including Robert Bosch GmbH
, Allianz
and Degussa
.
Wurster retained links to those he had worked with as part of the Nazi war machine and on 6 February 1959 as chairman of BASF he hosted a reunion banquet for the veterans of the pre-1945 IG Farben Vorstand. The event was attended by Otto Ambros
, Heinrich Bütefisch
, Fritz Gajewski
, Max Ilgner
, Friedrich Jähne, Carl Krauch
, Hans Kühne
, Wilhelm Rudolf Mann
, Christian Schneider
and Fritz ter Meer
as well as Carl Bosch's widow.
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...
chemist and Wehrwirtschaftsführer (war economy leader) during the Third Reich. He subsequently became one of the leading figures in post-war Germany's industrial life.
Pre-war career
The son of police inspector Carl Wurster and his wife, Clara Sippel Carl Wuster entered the German Imperial Army to serve in the First World War after leaving school. After his war service he studied chemistry at the University of StuttgartUniversity of Stuttgart
The University of Stuttgart is a university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized in 10 faculties....
whilst also serving with the Einwohnerwehr, a right-wing militia active in southern Germany. He subsequnetly took a doctorate in engineering and in 1924 took a post with BASF
BASF
BASF SE is the largest chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Germany. BASF originally stood for Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik . Today, the four letters are a registered trademark and the company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and Zurich Stock...
where he worked closely with Carl Bosch
Carl Bosch
Carl Bosch was a German chemist and engineer and Nobel laureate in chemistry. He was a pioneer in the field of high-pressure industrial chemistry and founder of IG Farben, at one point the world's largest chemical company....
. In 1926 he was made the head of the main inorganic laboratory at IG Farben
IG Farben
I.G. Farbenindustrie AG was a German chemical industry conglomerate. Its name is taken from Interessen-Gemeinschaft Farbenindustrie AG . The company was formed in 1925 from a number of major companies that had been working together closely since World War I...
's Ludwigshafen plant, marrying Margareta Bergmann around the same time (the couple eventually having two daughters).
Wurster rose through the ranks at IG Farben, becoming head of inorganic operations in 1931, chairman of the Inorganic Production Committee in 1933, a director of the company in 1936 and both a full member of the Vorstand
Vorstand
In German corporate governance, a Vorstand is the management board of a corporation. It is hierarchically subordinate to the Aufsichtsrat , as German corporate law imposes a two-tier board system....
and head of Farben's Upper Rhine Business Group.
Under the Nazis
Like his fellow IG Farben executive Georg von SchnitzlerGeorg von Schnitzler
Georg August Eduard Schnitzler, since 1913, von Schnitzler was a member of the board at IG Farben and a convicted war criminal.-Early years:...
, Wurster was close to Dr Carl Ungerwitter, a government chemist with links to leading figures in the Schutzstaffel
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...
, and through him Wurster learned in early 1939 that an invasion of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
was planned for September.. Following the German occupation
History of Poland (1939–1945)
The history of Poland from 1939 to 1945 encompasses the German invasion of Poland as well as the Soviet invasion of Poland through to the end of World War II. On 1 September 1939, without a formal declaration of war, Germany invaded Poland...
, Wurster went to Poland to inspect the chemical works in that country. Here he was able to determine which could be absorbed by IG Farben and utilised as part of the Nazi war effort.
Wurster was made a Wehrwirtschaftsführer in 1941 and also became a member of the Military Economy Council of the Reich Economic Chamber. This was followed in 1943 by the award of a First Class War Merit Cross
War Merit Cross
The War Merit Cross was a decoration of Nazi Germany during the Second World War, which could be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel...
. He had joined the Nazi Party itself in 1937.
After the war
The occupying AlliesAllies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
initially gave Wurster permission to remain in charge of the plant at Ludwigshaven following the end of the war but in 1947 he was arrested by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
authorities to face trial
IG Farben Trial
The United States of America vs. Carl Krauch, et al., also known as the IG Farben Trial, was the sixth of the twelve trials for war crimes the U.S. authorities held in their occupation zone in Germany after the end of World War II....
at Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
. However Wurster was and soon returned to a leading position in German business.
He became chairman of the board at IG Farben in 1952 and successfully led moves to re-establish BASF. In the academic world he was made an honorary professor at Heidelberg University and was awarded the title of honorary doctor or honorary senator by several other German universities. He was recognised by the West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
government when he was awarded the Great Cross of Merit with Star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1955 and also received the Bavarian Order of Merit
Bavarian Order of Merit
The Bavarian Order of Merit is the order of merit of the Free State of Bavaria. It is awarded by the Minister-President of Bavaria as a "recognition of outstanding contributions to the Free State of Bavaria and the Bavarian people"....
. He officially retired from IG Farben in 1965 but continued to be involved on the supervisory boards of a number of other companies, including Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
, Allianz
Allianz
SE is a global financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core business and focus is insurance. As of 2010, it was the world's 12th-largest financial services group and 23rd-largest company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine.Its Allianz Global Investors...
and Degussa
Evonik Industries
Evonik Industries is an industrial corporation in Germany owned by RAG Foundation and one of the world´s leading specialty chemicals companies. It was created on 12 September 2007 as a result of restructuring of the mining and technology group RAG...
.
Wurster retained links to those he had worked with as part of the Nazi war machine and on 6 February 1959 as chairman of BASF he hosted a reunion banquet for the veterans of the pre-1945 IG Farben Vorstand. The event was attended by Otto Ambros
Otto Ambros
Otto Ambros was a German chemist, notably involved with the research of chemical nerve agents.-Early life:He was the son of a university professor. He went to school and passed his Abitur exam in Munich. In 1920 he went to the University of Munich to study chemistry and agricultural science...
, Heinrich Bütefisch
Heinrich Bütefisch
Heinrich Bütefisch was a German chemist and manager of the IG Farben.As a leading figure in IG Farben, he joined the Freunde des Reichsführer-SS, an exclusive group close to Heinrich Himmler that allowed the prominent individuals in German society to effectively become SS officers without having...
, Fritz Gajewski
Fritz Gajewski
Freidrich Gajewski was a German businessman with IG Farben and Wehrwirtschaftsführer during the Second World War.-Early years:...
, Max Ilgner
Max Ilgner
Max Ilgner was a German industrialist. He was a member of the board of IG Farben and a Wehrwirtschaftsführer or war economy leader under the Nazi regime.-Early life:...
, Friedrich Jähne, Carl Krauch
Carl Krauch
Carl Krauch was a German chemist and industrialist. He was an executive at BASF ; during World War II, he was chairman of the supervisory board. He was a key implementer of the Reich’s Four-Year Plan to achieve national economic self-sufficiency and promote industrial production...
, Hans Kühne
Hans Kühne
Hans Kühne was a German chemist on the board of IG Farben and a defendant during the Nuremberg Trials.-Early years:...
, Wilhelm Rudolf Mann
Wilhelm Rudolf Mann
Wilhelm Rudolf Mann was a German factory manager for IG Farben and later with Bayer.-Early life:...
, Christian Schneider
Christian Schneider (chemist)
Christian Schneider was a German chemist, industrial manager and, in the Third Reich, a Wehrwirtschaftsführer .-Early years:...
and Fritz ter Meer
Fritz ter Meer
Fritz ter Meer was a German chemist and Nazi war criminal.The son of Edmund ter Meer , ter Meer founded the chemical company Teerfarbenfabrik Dr. E. ter Meer & Cie in Uerdingen that later became part of Bayer. His family tree can be traced back to the 15th Century.Fritz ter Meer also worked for...
as well as Carl Bosch's widow.