Fritz ter Meer
Encyclopedia
Fritz ter Meer was a German chemist and Nazi war criminal.
The son of Edmund ter Meer
(1852–1931), 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 Bayer and later IG Farben
. He was involved in the planning of Monowitz concentration camp, a satellite camp of KZ Auschwitz. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in the Nuremberg Trials
in 1948. After he was released in 1951 he became supervisory board chairman (Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender) of Bayer AG. He retired in 1961.
After completing his schooling from 1903 to 1908 ter Meer studied in France and Germany also briefly chemistry and law. He received his doctorate in 1909 in Berlin with regard to the thesis of the ether Isonitrosoketonen. Subsequently, in-depth studies followed the dye chemistry in Krefeld and abroad in France and England. Thereafter, he worked in the family-owned company Dr. E. ter Meer & Co., where he held senior positions and in 1919 became a member of the Board. From 1925 to 1945 Fritz ter Meer was on the board of IG Farben AG. He was also from 1932 a member of the Working Committee and the Technical Committee, Head of Division II in the War Ministry and the defense industry. After canceling the recording ban in May 1937, he joined the NSDAP. On 7 September 1939 he and Henry agreed with the Army Ordnance Hörlein the production of the nerve gas tabun. More than 100 prisoners of war were used during construction of the designated poison gas factory in Dyhernfurth. In September 1943 he became General Agent for Italy, the Reich Minister for armaments and war production.
During World War II, he was responsible for helping build the IG Farben factory at Auschwitz, which conducted human experiments and held some 25,000 forced laborers under horrible circumstances of death. http://www.kervenheimer-zeitung.de/a_gegenpol/weltweit/text/2007/ww_07-047.htm In 1943 ter Meer received the Knight's Cross of War Merit Cross.
Postwar: After his arrest in April 1945, ter Meer was tried at the IG Farben Trial
on 30 July 1948 for looting and enslavement in the context of the concentration camp Auschwitz III Monowitz. he was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. When he was interviewed in the process, asked whether he had considered the tests on humans in Auschwitz to be justified, he replied that this was irrelevant:
He was released early in the summer of 1950 because of "good behavior" in prison for war criminals from the prison in Landsberg and was given the removal of the restrictive clause of the Allied War Crimes Act No. 35 in 1956 and became Chairman of Bayer AG. In subsequent years, he also took on board positions at a number of other companies, including, inter alia, Theodor Goldschmidt AG, Commerzbank AG, Bank Association, Duewag, VIAG and Union Bank AG, West Germany. His achievements in the reconstruction of the chemical industry in Germany are considered significant.
His memory is that of his employer donated Fritz-ter-Meer-Stiftung - Today Bayer dedicated Scholarship Foundation - which promotes chemistry students through scholarships.
The son of Edmund ter Meer
Edmund ter Meer
Edmund ter Meer was a German chemist who discovered the ter Meer reaction and founded in 1877 the ter Meer dye company in Uerdingen. After the fusion with the aniline factory of Julius Weiler the Weiler-ter Meer company was formed. This company later became part of the Bayer company...
(1852–1931), ter Meer founded the chemical company Teerfarbenfabrik Dr. E. ter Meer & Cie in Uerdingen that later became part of Bayer
Bayer
Bayer AG is a chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in Barmen , Germany in 1863. It is headquartered in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and well known for its original brand of aspirin.-History:...
. His family tree can be traced back to the 15th Century.
Fritz ter Meer also worked for Bayer and later 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...
. He was involved in the planning of Monowitz concentration camp, a satellite camp of KZ Auschwitz. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
in 1948. After he was released in 1951 he became supervisory board chairman (Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender) of Bayer AG. He retired in 1961.
After completing his schooling from 1903 to 1908 ter Meer studied in France and Germany also briefly chemistry and law. He received his doctorate in 1909 in Berlin with regard to the thesis of the ether Isonitrosoketonen. Subsequently, in-depth studies followed the dye chemistry in Krefeld and abroad in France and England. Thereafter, he worked in the family-owned company Dr. E. ter Meer & Co., where he held senior positions and in 1919 became a member of the Board. From 1925 to 1945 Fritz ter Meer was on the board of IG Farben AG. He was also from 1932 a member of the Working Committee and the Technical Committee, Head of Division II in the War Ministry and the defense industry. After canceling the recording ban in May 1937, he joined the NSDAP. On 7 September 1939 he and Henry agreed with the Army Ordnance Hörlein the production of the nerve gas tabun. More than 100 prisoners of war were used during construction of the designated poison gas factory in Dyhernfurth. In September 1943 he became General Agent for Italy, the Reich Minister for armaments and war production.
During World War II, he was responsible for helping build the IG Farben factory at Auschwitz, which conducted human experiments and held some 25,000 forced laborers under horrible circumstances of death. http://www.kervenheimer-zeitung.de/a_gegenpol/weltweit/text/2007/ww_07-047.htm In 1943 ter Meer received the Knight's Cross of War Merit Cross.
Postwar: After his arrest in April 1945, ter Meer was tried at the IG Farben 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....
on 30 July 1948 for looting and enslavement in the context of the concentration camp Auschwitz III Monowitz. he was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. When he was interviewed in the process, asked whether he had considered the tests on humans in Auschwitz to be justified, he replied that this was irrelevant:
"They were prisoners thus no particular harm was inflicted, as they would have been killed anyway."
He was released early in the summer of 1950 because of "good behavior" in prison for war criminals from the prison in Landsberg and was given the removal of the restrictive clause of the Allied War Crimes Act No. 35 in 1956 and became Chairman of Bayer AG. In subsequent years, he also took on board positions at a number of other companies, including, inter alia, Theodor Goldschmidt AG, Commerzbank AG, Bank Association, Duewag, VIAG and Union Bank AG, West Germany. His achievements in the reconstruction of the chemical industry in Germany are considered significant.
His memory is that of his employer donated Fritz-ter-Meer-Stiftung - Today Bayer dedicated Scholarship Foundation - which promotes chemistry students through scholarships.