Handbook of the ion TODT 102

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D. Firms and Contracts

a) Firms

5k Definit ion, Origin and Development of OT Firms

The status of a firm in the OT is fundamentally similar to thatof a unit or individual in the Armed Forces of the Reich. Whethersuch a firm applied of its own accord for enrolment as an OT-Firmor whether it was "abgestellt fur OT" (conscripted for the OT), itcontracted itself to carry out construction under OT administration,just as a soldier, by taking the oath, contracts himself to ArmyService. Once enrolled , the firm is designated "OT Einheit"(OT Unit), and the term "Einheit" beca me, as far as OT isconcerned, synonymous with a building or construction firm contractedto it.

The Einheit is expected to operate as a self-contained un it,composed of a clerical and technical staff, possessing the skill andequipment necessary to direct and execute the construction tasksassigned to it. It is also expected, if the situation demands,to convert itself from a static unit working on a comparativelylong term building progranme of fortifications, depots and so forth,to a mob ile unit combining the functions of army signals andengineer units which restore rear communications. As a unit, it isfurthermore expected to abide by , and to confirm wit h the regulationsof the OT Central HQ in BERLIN concerning the daily routine of itsown personnel and their relationship to the rest of the OT personnel.The supervision of these firms is the function of Oberbauleitungenwhich are the administrative headquarters in the basic constructionsectors. It must be stressed at this point that the Oberbauleitungis the only direct link between a firm and the OT administration.Any request by a firm requiring action by a higher OT echelon hasto go through the Oberbauleitung controlling the particular sectorin whic h the firm operates.

Regulation of the status of O T- f im s was not only a gradualprocess, but also differed considerably in different localities, forexample, the meth ods employed in France varied from those practised

in Russia. At first, when the OT was organised by Fritz TODTin the spring of 193 8, it was created for the one and specificpurpose of completing the Siegried Line or West Wall, In spiteof the vast proportions of this project, there wa s considerableuniformity in the type of work that had to be performed whichfacilitated regulation by the OT. Bonuses for speedy and efficientwork w ere offered by the government, and the patriotic aspect wa sduly stressed by the Nazi press. Consequently, enough largebuildi ng firms offered their services so as to put the entireconstruction on a voluntary basis. (The individual firms even drewlots for the location of their particular building sector).Nor is there any basis later for assuming that firms in any largenumbers became so reluctant to work for the OT as to make massconscription of such concerns necessary. This willingness is dueto the attractive profits obtainable from OT contracts. The onlypossible instance of such reluctance occurred in late 1943 whena large number of firms had to be mobilised for the Russian winterCampaign.

From mid-year 1938 until about May 1942, OT firms, backed b ythe Reich construction industry, practically ran the OT, and it isonly the unfavourable development of the military situation whi chstrengthened the grip of centralized governmental administration

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at the expense of the "private commercial bui ld in g in te r e s t s . AroundMay 1942, the OTZ, having taken over c ontr ol o f the OT from theGeneral Inspektor ftir das deutsche Strassenwesen (autumn of 1941)began to iss ue uniform reg ula tion s in respect to OT firm s. As it i sthe Wirtschaftsgruppe Bauindustrie (Economic Group : ConstructionIndustry) and the Reichsinnungsverband des Bauhandwerks (NationalGuild of Bu ilding Craftsmen) probably s t i l have enough in flu en cein tfos OTZ (now Amt Bau - OTZ) to restrain the government frommaking l i f e unduly unpleasant for th ei r member-firms in the OT.(See Chart 8).

Although the main problem of the OT-firm was that of manpower,it also faced a shortage of transportation fu e l, lack of su ffic ien tand serviceable equipment and spare parts and, more recently, lackof material due to damage to the communication system by Alliedai r- ra id s. Those d if fi cu lt ie s r esu lted in competition amongst thefirms for manpower, tra ns po rtat ion , equipment and m ater ia l. Nor wasall such competition or even an appreciable part of it open andabove-board. In Prance for example, German and French o f f i c i a l s werebribed to procure manpower and the workers themselves were bribed tochange anployment. French sub-co ntra ctors who employed Frenchworkers were offered premiums. Bu ilding assignmen ts of favouredfirms were given an unwarranted p r io r it y rat ing by the l o c a l OTo f f i c i a l s . Conversely, m ate ria l, manpower, equipment and tran sp orta tionwere withheld or withdrawn on some pretext from firms with lessfortunate connection s. The OT firm i s expected to keep at a l l timesa minimum of German supervisory personnel and serviceable equipment.

Should either drop below the minimum, the firm may fin d i t s e l f inthe position of not being able to obtain foreign manpower from itscompetent OBL. In th is s tru gg le fo r manpower and su pp lies , i t i sthe small firms which go under f i r s t . Unable to meet OT'sminimum TO/WE requirements in resp ec t to German tec hnical a s s is ta n tson their staff, and the TS/WES in resp ec t to equipment, they arecompelled - provided they remained in the OT - to choose one oftwo cou rses. One i s to cons olid ate w ith other firms and fomn anArbeitsgemeinschaft (Working Combine) commonly abbrevia ted Arge;the other to descend to the 3tatus of sub-contractor to a largerfirm, thus avoiding fi n al re sp on sib ili ty , but on the other handmissing the large r p ro fit s of the main con tracto r (four percentas aga inst si x pe rcen t). As sub-c on tracto rs, OT-Firms can at thesame time form part of an Arge, in which event a s in g le main-con trac tor may co n trol a combine of sub-co ntracto r3.

The evacuation of the OT fromEGW and other parts of Europe intoGermany (summer and autumn of 1944) has resulted in the tighteningof central control in regard to the allotment of manpower to theind ivid ua l OT firm s. A German cons tru ctio n firm at the p resen ttime in the Reich is more than ever regarded as a unit of a regimentedorganization : if, because of lack of competent staff personnel, it

lags behind schedule in the performance of i t s m iss ion , reinforcemen tsfor i t s supervisory st af f are assigned to i t by the OT au th or iti es .Equipment i s now sim ila rly pooled. On the other hand the in divid ua lOT firm , at present opera ting w ith in the Reich, has no au thor ityto re cru it i t s own manpower.

55 Organization of OT firms (See Chart 11 )

Within the framework of the OT, the internal administration of

the individ ua l OT firms i s made uniform and stan dard ised by means o fpreliminary ins tru ction s issu ed by Wirtschaftsgruppe Bauind ustrie tofirms e nterin g the OT. As far as the person nel of an OT firm i sconcerned , a di s ti n c t io n i s made between Stammarbeiter (German

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employees who already were with the firm before it entered OT)and all others.

Three distinct parts comprise the organisation of an

OT-Firm : .1. The ch ief exe cu tive -who may be the owner of the firm or a firmre pr esen tat ive ac tin g as ex ecut ive manager. A firm may, moreover,have branches i n the OT in two or more wid ely separated l o c a l i t i e sin occupied Europe ( e . g . Norway and I t a l y ) . I f the firm i sassigned to that part of the OT operating with in Germany, i t s en tir eperso nnel and equipment are li k e ly to have been en ro lled for OTwork. I f, on the oth er hand, the firm is assigned to what i s l e f tof German occupied Europe, only part of its personnel and equipmentmay be so en ro lle d , as anOT branch of the firm, the re st remainingbehind with the main branch in Germany.2. The clerical department whose general duties are the keepingof adm inistr ative , perso nne l, bu sine ss and fin an cia l records and themaking out of reports to the OBL according to OT re gula tio ns.

3 ie tec hn ica l department which con tains s t a t i s t i c a l personneland fi e ld personnel. The s ta t is ti c a l personnel i s concerned withthe b u ild in g schedule inc lud ing such matters as material and equipment*In connection with these d ut ies , it keeps in clo se touch with thecorresponding su b-sec tion S ta ti s ti k in the OBL, The fi e ld personnelcomprises the firm technical staff, super vising the various s in gl ep iece s of co ns tru ction on which the firm i s working, as weLL as themanpower employed on them. The te chnic al st a ff has a dual assignmentand a correspondingly dual re sp on sib ility and sta tu s. In the exe rcis eof the first it works in the interest of its employer, the firm, andi s re spo nsib le for the e ff ic ie n t and speedy con struc tion of the jobwhich it su perv ised. Finis hin g a job before schedule means extraprofit to the firm, aside from the advantages accruing from the goodw i l l of the ch ie f of the OBL. In the ex er cis e of the second,i t works in the in te r est s of the OT, and i s respon sible for see ingtttat sp ec ific at io ns are s t r ic t l y adhered to and properly car ried out.In the latter function the construction supervisors are investednormally with the OT rank of Baufuhrer, correspond ing to that of asecond lie u tenan t in the army. Under the Baufuhrer who su pe rv ises asingle building job or several adjacent ones, are the Poliere andSchachtmejster (Section Foreman) who supervise the labour gangsand have NGO ranks. The firm executive manager has sim ila r func tionsand powers over the entire construction site in which the firm isac ti ve . His OT rank i s freq uen tly that of OberbaufQhrer,corresponding to that of a f ir s t lieu ten an t, but it can very as i tdepends on the skill of the supervisor and the importance of theparticular construction job.

About February 1944, owing to the shortage of German supervisorypersonnel and the de sir e of the OT to re store fea tur es of mob ility tofirm u n it s which had become s t a t i c , the firm and the body of fore ignworkers in i t s employ became a more se lf-co n ta in ed un it than i t hadever been be for e. In e ff e c t , the adm inistration of the firm took onthe fea tu re s of a lower echelon of an OBL HQ. A new post was crea tedas part of the firm re-organisation, namely that of the Mannschaftsfflhrer (Person nel Adm inistrato r), who, as a deputy of the OBLFrontfflhrer, took over the adm inistrative d ut ies over a l l personn elemployed by the firm and carried the rank of Betriebsobmann in theDAF. His st at us can be e it h e r that of OT organic personn el, assignedto the firm, or he can be selected by the firm from among its ownperson nel provided the cho ice i s acceptable to OBL. HQ. In ei th erev en t, h is Wehrsold (Army Pay) i s paid by the firm. His fun ct io ns,

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3* Baustelleribewertung

(Monthly Construction Report)

4 Leistungszusammenstellung

(Monthly Work Progress Report)

5 Erf as sang der Best&nde

(Unused Material Report)

6. Abschlagsrechnung

(Fortnightly QuittanceAccounts) ,

7 Schlussrechnungen

(Final Accounts)

8. Personal Kartei

(Personnel Files)

9 Qerftte Kartei

(Equipment File)

10. Ger&te Meldung(Semi-monthly reporton unserviceableequipment)

11. Gerat Inventar

(Monthly inventory ofequipment)

12. U Meldungen

(Daily absence withoutleave reports)

13. Arbei t se insa tzs ta t i s t ik

(Semi-monthly personnelstrength reports)

14. Starkemeldung der Belegschaftan die Deutsche Krankenkasse0T West.

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i *M r /T.^ri.?n

A monthly report ca rry ing overfrom the previous monthss ta ti s ti c a l data which was

not available for the previousmonth's report.

Report on work finished duringthe month giving contractandconstruction job numbers.

Made out at completion of job.New material bought back by 0Tat 100$ co st price ; ma terialin good state of preservation6O76 co st pr ice; s t i l lserviceable material, at J>Of ocosij, price .

Must be numbered consecutively.

Strength Report of Personnel to theGerman Health Insurance Agency ofthe 0T West.

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57* Construction Programme, Material and Equipment

Building schedules are tentatively made up on an approximatelysix months' basis* The schedule is drawn up b y .the statisticalsection of the Technical Section of the OBL on the basis ofassignments apportioned to the OBL by the EG* Firms are accordinglyapportioned their assignment by the OBL on the above basis* Theyare usually assigned Jobs corresponding to their specialitiessuch as bridge-building, excavating, and so forth. Prices, fromthe cost of raw material to the cost of the completed finishedinstallation, including every intermediate operation, are fixed eitherby the Re ichskomnisar f&r Preisbildun^ or standardised by the OT.Material is sold to the firm by the OBL, unused portions of which are

bought back at prices depending on the condition of the left-overs*Arrangements are also made by the OBL if necessary, for the hiring ofequipment by the firm from local contractors or dealers unable orunwilling to Join the OT or thrown out of the OT. Equipment can,on occasion, be obtained from the Army Portress Engineers. Otherwisethe firm is expected to have its own equipment and to maintain andrepair it. The OT reimburses the firm for the use of equipment andits normal wear and tear on the basis of standard price tables(Gerateabrechnung). The firm puts in a request for additionalmanpower, if such is called for by an increased assignment, withthe QBL. In practice, however, many firms dependent on extraneousarrangements for extra manpower, most of which are contrary to labourregulations as established by the German labour authorities and

controlled in occupied parts of Europe b y the military authorities(e.g. STUIPNAGEL in Prance) .

Control over military construction by firms is exercised throughperiodic inspection (Baukontrolle) of Army engineers in conjunctionwith OT engineers. Occasionally firms are penalised finanoialOyif there is too great a time lag between the scheduled and the actualdate of completion. On the other hand completion of a Job ahead ofschedule is rewarded by a cash bonus. Time lost on a Job isdebited to the firm or to the OT depending on the circumstances.(Pay. Allotments, and so forth are discussed in detail in I H E).

Following is a partial list of German terms commonly used inregard to the building programme:

1. Durcharbeit 24 hours uninterrupted work.

2. Sofortprofcramm Highest priority rating, emergencyconstruction.

3. Grosspro ramm Large project construction, such asfortifications, underground tunnels,etc.

4* Schartenbau Construction of hedgehog positions,strongpoints, emplacements, shelters.

5. Bauwerk A specific piece of construction ona Baustelle.

6. Baueinsatz (i) The collective building sites underthe control of one firm or Arce inan OBL.

(ii) A general term meaning commitmentor allocation of construction.

Bauvorhaben Construction projected.

8. Sonderbauten Speoial Construction (v sites, etc.)


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9 Regelbauten Standardised Construction*

Transport is supplied to the firms b y NSKK - OT units whichpool their own vehicles and trucks wi th those of the OT firmsand locally requisitioned vehicles* Transport is requisitionedfrom the NSKK by the firms. Owing to the shortage of fuel andthe resultant competition for transportation, new regulations wereissued in February 1944 whereby vehicles belonging to firms werereturned to them and permission fo r hiring additional vehicles fromlocal sources wa s granted. For further details on transport,see I IF b.

58. Foreign Firms in Occupied Europe, Summer 1944

(i) FRANCE

Until February 1944 Frenoh f irms could not s ign a contractd i r e c t l y with the OT but were compelled to su b-con tract themselvesto a German OT Firm . Such co n tr a c ts were to be approved by theV ert ra gs ab teil un g (Con tracts Su b-S ection ) in the EGW. In February1944 however, the French bu i ld ing industry es ta b l is hed d ire ct l i a is o nin the EGPV in order to repr esent the in te r e st s of French firms ^ r k i n gfo r the OT. The o f fi c e was c a l le d Se rvi ce de L ia iso n e t de Defensedes Entrepreneurs Fra nca is anpre3 de l 'OT. In i\p ri l 1944 theComite d^ Org anisa tion au Batlment e t Tnavaux P u b li c s, (COBTP)

was es t ab l ish ed . I t s funct ion was to recru i t re l i a b le Frenchfirms f or the OT and es ta b li sh standard pr ice qu otation s incon nec tion w ith OT co n tr ac ts . Members of the l a t t e r could sig ncon tra cts d ir ec t l y with the OT through the o ff ic es of the S erv icede L ia iso n which attempted to co-o rdin ate the resourc es of the French,wi th tho se of the German co ns tru ctio n in dustr y, as w el l as toa rb it ra te d if fe re n ce s between French and German firm s. I t proceededthrough the interm ediar y of the German W irtschaftsgruppe Ba uind ustrie(Economic Group : Co nstru ction Ind ustry) which maintained l i a is o n in theEGW (s e e be low para 59 and Chart 8 ) . Fren ch firm s were fin an ce d,i f ne cess ary , by the German f irm, e sp ec ia ll y i f they brought largegangs of workers, adequate staffs of technicians and serviceableequipment.

( i i ) BEI&IPM AND HOLLAND

Aside from po ss ib le cons t ru c t ion o f V -s i t es , there was r e la t iv e l yl i t t l e a c t i v i t y i n Belgium and Holland af te r the Channel Coastdefence s had been completed and labour tra nsfe rred to the Atl an tic Wallin France, Consequ ently most of the Be lgi an and Dutch OT firmswere act ive in France.

( i i i ) NORWAY AMD DENMARK

Condit ions aso ut l ine d in the cas e of France hold su bs ta n t ia l lytr ue f o r EG Wiking (Norway and Denm ark). A sm al l number of GermanOT firm s, however, dominate the f i e l d i n th is se ct or .

( I T ) ITALY

The number of I t a li a n O T-firms i n 1943 -44 was extrem ely sm all ,p os si bl y l e s s than two dozen. An I t a li a n f irm always could sign acon t ra c t w i th the OT wi thou t the nece ss i ty o f sub -con t rac t ing i t s e l fto a German OT -firm. There were ev en few er German OT-firms in I t a l ythan I ta li a n . Finns ob tain th ei r manpower mainly through theAzion e Gr azia ni Labour Agency. R el a ti o n sh ip between German and

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I t a l i a n firms arid the workers is co mparatively free from o uts ideadminist ra t ive in terference .

; 9 . German Bu ildin g Associ atio ns and Corp oratio ns

W irtschaft sgru ppe Ba uind us trie (Abbrev. WGB) i s the GermanBuilding Indu stry in the self-gov erning e st at e of In dustry and Trad e.

I t forms pa rt of main group IV, the oth er groups "being th e a l l i e din d u s t r i e s , Stone and Earthwork, Wood-working, Gl ass , Ceramic andSaw-mills. These, with the Building In du str y, form pa rt ofReichsgruppe I In du st ri e (Group I , Reich In du st ry ). The e n ti rese t-u p i s under the c on tr ol of SHEER in h is cap ac ity as Chief ofWar Pro du ctio n, even though i t i s in th e M in ist ry of Economicsof which FUNK i s th e head. The WGB establ i shed l ia ison a t theEGW and the OBL's in th e West. (See Chart 8 ) .

Reichsinnungsverband des Bauhandwerks (Abbrev. RB) i s th eNatio nal Guild of Building Craftsmen. I t forms pa rt of the 52 Guildsof craftsmen which comprise the Reich Craftsmen Ass oc iat io n. The RB,l i k e WGB ma inta ins li a i so n at the OTZ and al so , l i k e WGB, main tainedl i a i s o n at EGW and the OBL fs in the West, (see Chart 8 ).

Stra bag , St'rasseribau Ak tien ges ellsc haf t , (Road Con struc tionCorp oration) is a la rg e cor po rat io n sa id to have GORING'sfin anc ial backing. The GAP de alt with it d ir ec tl y in theco nst ruc tion of aerodromes and runways. In t h i s connection i twas acti ve along the Channel Coas t, (Baugruppe ST. MALO)and inIt a l y where i t seems to have been the OT's pred eces sor. In Pran ce,

i t was p ar tl y absorbed i nt o the OT in 1942 and in It a3 y, replac edby the OT in 1943* The GAP in Prance seems to have cont inu eddea ling with a branch of Strabag un t i l sometime in Jun e/ju ly 1944when the OT took over the cons tru ctio n agencies and f a c i l i t i e s ofthe Luftwaffe (See IIG a) .

60. Cu rrent s ta tu s of German OT-Pirms

For cur re nt developments in the s ta t u s of German OT firm s in th eReich, see IIAb32, sub-paragraph Wirtschaftsgruppe Bauindustrie, alsoIB17, 18, 20, A ba si c l i s t of German OT firms ac ti ve iji t he West i sappended to th i s book as Annexe D.

b) Contracts

61 . General Contract Regulations

The re la ti o n sh ip between the OT and German, as we ll as fo re ig n,firms of the Building Indus try i s regulated through a va ri et y of

co nt ra ct s. In the ea rly days of the OT, these co nt ra ct s were drawnup wi th a f a i r amount of la t it u d e taking in to account the produc tive andca pi ta l capa city of the dif fere nt firms. In ear ly 1942 theReferat Vertrftge, in A bteilung V4, Haupta bteilun g Verwaltung, OTZentrale (Contracts sub-section in section V4, Bureau of Administration,OT Zen trale) was est abl ish ed under Ve rtrag srefer ent RegierungsratWalter DAUB. Under th is s ub -se ctio n, a l l co nt ra ct s were stand ardi sedthus placing a l l firms on the same lev el in t h ei r le ga l ti e s with th e OTThe main object in desig ning the new stan dard ised co nt rac t was to en sure'the total commitment of the contracted firm in providing a staff ofsk ill ed personnel as well as the tools for the ef fic ie nt performance


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"The large scale construction work undertaken and the necessityof making use of all available resources in personnel andmanpower demand the creation of a simplified administrativeapparatus, and at the same time the accomplishment of greatresults. For this reason in single construction sub-sector

(Bauab sennitt) a consolidation of firms (German and foreign)must be effected under the leadership of one single firmhereby referred to as the "Contracting Party" (Hauptunternehmer).The OT will deal directly with the Contracting Party withregard to all questions which are of the same nature for all"sub-contracted Parties" (Nachunternehmer) concerned."

The drive against small and inefficient firms was conducted withincreasing effort, and it was quite a common practice to either forcea small firm into an Arbeitsgemeinschaft or to make it a subcontractor(Nachunternehmer) to a larger firm. An inefficient firm could also

be dissolved and its tools and machinery "rented" by the OT , underthe "Geratemietvertrag" (Contract for the lease of tools and machinery).( See para 63 v below).

Legal relations between the OT and Contracted firms (German andforeign ) are now maintained, therefore, through standardised contracts.The first part of a contract, the Job Specifications, (Auftragsbedingungender OT), lay down the conditions under which all tasks on constructionprojects of the OT must b e executed. The second part of thecontract, the Legal Agreement (Vertragsurkunde) gives specifications ofadditional agreements to suit a particular project.

A contract may be assigned to a single firm (German or foreign)or a combine of firms (Arbeitsgemeinschaft). The single firm orAr beitsgemeinschaft m ay subcontract smaller firms under the conditionslaid down in the Job Specifications whereby the Arbeitsgemeinschaft orsingle firm acts as Contracting Party (Hauptunternehmer; and the(smaller) firms become the Contracted Party (Nachunternehmer).The Amt Bau - OTZ, Einsatzgruppe, Einsatz, OBL, representing theGerman Reich, is designated as the Bauherr (Construction Landlord).

Two examples of actual contracts, between Bauherr and a ForeignUnternehmer, and between Hauptunternehmer and Nachunternehmer, arereproduced in para 64 below.

63 Types of Contracts

OT - Selbstkostenerstattungsv.ertrag (Cost Reimbursement Contr act )

This contract provides for the reimbursement of overall costs of thecontracted firm by the OT plus a commission, normally l^/ o - thefirms Profit - upon the successful completion o f the assigned task.

(ii) OT - Leistungsvertrag (Efficiency Output Contract)

. On the basis o f this contract, the OT provides all labour andbuilding construction materials (except tools and machines whic h arerented from the Contracted Firm). A1J. labour is paid by the OTaccording to standardised tariffs, and the profits of the firm arecomputed on the basis of the wage s paid.

(iii) OT - Stundenlohnvertrag (OT Hour Wages Cont ract)

This Contract is based on the number of working hours used tocomplete an assigned project. It is used chiefly in trades which

are allied to the Building and Construction Industries (Baunebengewerbe)but not the main industry itself.


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(iv) Deutsch - Franzo'sischer OT - Leistungsvertrag(German - French Efficiency Output Contract)

This contract is based on the "Leistungsvertrag" (ii above) but

was chiefly designed for French contractors.

() Richtlinien fur die Bemessung der Geratevorhaltung (Geratemieten)(Contracts for renting tools and machinery)Also referred to as Geratemietvertrag (Contract for the lease oftools and machinery).

(vi) OT - Ostbauvertrag(OT Contract "East")

Based on the Selhstkostenerstattungsvertrag and chiefly designed

for Eastern Contractors. Ostbauvertrttge fall into several typesof whi ch the two most important ones are:

(a) Rahraenbauvertrag Ost . The HRahmenbau H is a standardisedmethod of building fortifications and strong points accordingto set specifications. Rahmenbau contracts, therefore, areused for a variety of construction projects, the costs ofwhich, owing to the standardisation of separate parts , canbe determined in advance. The largest Rahmenbau project inthe EGW was named "Bunkerbau West" (Bunkerbau Constructionof pill-boxes).

(b) OT - Ostmontagevertrag. Same type of contract as "Stundenlohnvertrag", (iii above) specially designed for Easterncontractors and only used in trades allied to the Constructionand Bui lding Industries*

64 M ai n Types of Contracts

The type of contract most frequently used today is the

Leistungsvertrag. The reason for the popularity of this contract isthat it is based on the favourite OT principle of efficiency output.The Selhstlgostenerstattungsvertrag, being based on the practice ofreimbursing the costs of the contractor, was practically abolished inlate 1942 , when the new labour policies and standardised tariffs wereintroduced by Dr. SCHMELTER, and it is today mostly confined to theconstruction of barracks and camps. The Leistungsvertrag, therefore,is the comnon type of contract in use today. The Leistungsvertrag wa salso designed to call for the utmost achievement on the part of thecontractor, because it is based on an incentive system of work.If a contractor succeeded in executing an assigned project in lesstime than the total number of hours specified in the contract, he wasnevertheless paid on the basis of the contract hours and not the hoursactually spent o n the task, an inducement for both contractor andworker. All other types of contracts named under para 63 above, arebased on the principle of the Leistungsvertrag and only contracts wi thfirms of industries allied to the Construction and Building Industries(Baunebengewerbe) are based on the Selbstkostenerstattungsvertrag.

65* Samples of Leistungsvertrag (Efficiency Output Contracts)

1. Qontract between The Greater German Reich represented throughOrganisation TODT.

Binsatzgruppe Italy, Einsatz Seefalke, Rome in the followingparagraphs referred to as the Bauherr * (First Par ty)

m Bauherr Legal term to designate the Contracting Party which in thiscase is the Greater German Reich as represented by OT, EinsatzSeefalke in Rom e: for purposes of this interpretation the Bauherrwil l be translated as the First Party.


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Diplom - Ingenieur "* Paul ANDORY, Rome, Via Fhilibetho 161in the following paragraphs referred to as the Unt emehm er ***(Second Par ty ) .

Building contract concluded between the First Party and theSecond Party The Second Party wil l first be granted costs inaccordance with para 8, sec. II; then as soon as it is possible,the parties will fix the amount of payment in accordance withpara 3, sec. I.

Para. 1 - The Undertaking

The p a r t i e s w i l l agree as to the amount of the payment, and l ay i tdown in a sp eci fic at i on giving de ta i l s and plans for the und ertaking.The l a t t e r must be approved by OT, Einsatzgruppe Ita li an , For a l lsub -co ntr act ing , the permission of the loc al a ut ho rit y of the OT must

be obt aine d. The Second Pa rty commits i t s e l f and i t s su bo rdi nat es t oef fi ci en t and economical execution of the undertaking wi th in th e time s e t .

The co nt rac t documents co ns is t of :

(a) The or ig in al co ntr act .

(b) The sp ec ifi ca t io n.

(c ) The diagram s.

(d ) The t echn ical r egu la t ions on bu i ld ing cons t ruc t io n ,VOB p a r t C.

(e ) The genera l con t ract r egu la t ions fo r bu i ld ingconstruction (DIN 1926-1985)

(f) The genera l cont rac t reg ula t io ns for bui ldin g co nst ru c t ion ,VOB part B (DIN 1961) .

Para. 2 - Scope of the Undertaking

The scope of the undertaking is laid down in the specifications and

plans. The Second Party is normally responsible for all work necessaryfor the fulfilment of the undertaking. If it cannot provide all thematerial himself, the First Party will direct it to a source of supply.Ihe details of the undertaking are to be decided by the First Party.

The price of the contract is given in the specification. Theadvance payment made to the Second Party will be reckoned on the basisof 30,000 lire for each workman employed.

The First Party is entitled to alter the details of the task at anytime. If the Second Party loses by this, he will receive ascompensation Gfo of the value of that part of the task which will not nowbe carried out. No compensation may be paid if the task is to becarried out for the same payment but in ano.ther part of Italy.

Para. 3 - Special Duties of the Second Party

The Second Party is responsible for providing the necessary personnel.It must provide pay etc. for any extra personnel supplied by the FirstParty on the same scale as for its own employees.

xx Diplom - Ingenieur s Technical title - Dr. of Engineering.

xxx Untemehmer = Legal term to designate the Finn as "Undertaking orContracted Party"; henceforth translated as the Second Party.


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Para. 7 ~ Compensation

Compensation will normally be paid according to fixed rates laiddown in the specification. If the price of labour increases, theSecond Party may request a revision of the rates.

Compensation according to costs will only be paid if exceptionalcircumstances require it*

Para. 8. - The Estimation of Compensation

I - Fixed Prices:

Wages are fixed according to the standard rate, without referenceto compulsory deductions*

The price of material is calculated from the lists appended to

the contract. Supplementary payments will be made to cover increasedprices, transport costs, and unavoidable waste; if prices fall, excesscompensation granted must be repaid to the First Party.

Compensation for equipment maintenance is 115^ of the rate laiddown in the "Wibauliste" (Economic Group: Construction Industry Lis t ) .

A supplementary payment for running expenses will be made at therate of 1^6 of the total cost of wages, material, and equipmentmaintenance.

On the basis of the total sum thus obtained, a further 6^ isallowed to cover profit and risks incurred.

Workmen's insurance etc will be paid by the First Party.

Special agreements will be made concerning use of the SecondParty's own vehicles, extra maintenance cfosts, time rates, etc. Extrawork will only be paid for if the First Party has agreed to it.

Payment of expenses:

Compensation) will be paid for the following expenses:

Wages , plusWorkmen's insurance etc.Equipment expenses, according to Wibauliste, plusTransport costs.Revenue payments.

Special agreements will be made concerning the use of ttie Second Party'sown vehicles, and material provided by it.

Para. 9 - Accounting and Payments

The Second Party will receive initially an advance of 3,000lire for each workman employed. The First Party may demand asecurity for this advarce.

The Second party must keep accounts of all work carried out and allexpenses, and submit a monthly statement based on these. The FirstParty will pay compensation within 14 days. Minor queries as to theaccuracy of items should not be allowed to hold this up.

The payment will be made, in lire, into an account with an Italianbank as designated by the Second Party.

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A fi n a l settlemen t w i l l be made at the conclusion of the work.No subsequent claim s by the Second Party w i l l be adm itted.

Para. 10 - Period Laid Down fo r the Completion of the Work

The period w i l l be agreed upon when making the plan of work, andthe Second Party w i l l undertake to observe i t to the be st of h isa b i l i t y.

The period is automatically extended by any delays occasionedby the F ir st Pa rty. If , by increased expenditure, the work can beexp edite * such expenses w i l l be made good. The F ir st Party w i l linstitute bonuses to encourage faster work.

If the Second Party fears it cannot finish within the periods e t , i t must report thi s to the F ir st Party.

Para. 11 - Acceptance and Guarantees

The construction will be accepted as soon as it is ready.The Second Party w i l l guarantee it to be s at isf ac to ry for one yearafter the date of acceptance, and any defect arising during this timew i l l be repaired by him or at h is expense. If the F ir st Party find sthe work to be inferior, he may reduce the payment accordingly.If the damage re su lt s from enemy act io n , or force majeure, noguarantee is required.

For the duration of the guarantee, the Second Party w i l l give3$ of the total cost of the construction as security.

Para. 12 - Insurance

The Second Party is responsible for adequate insurance of thepr oj ec t, out of i t s own funds.

Para. 13 - War Damage

In the case of war damage, the Second Party is entitled to paymentfor the work so far carried out, plus expenses for repairing thedamage. Compensation w i l l be paid fo r any damage to the SecondParty's property.

Para. 14 - Sec urity

The task, and all documents relating to it, will be treated assec ret by the Second Party. He w i l l observe a l l the secu rityre gu la tions, and not permit h is employees to know more than i sessential for the performance of their duties.

The Second party will make individual reports on all supervisory

technical, or commercial, personnel employed on the undertaking, andreport immediately any changes.

Para. 15 - Termination of the Contract

The F ir st Party tnay terminate the con tra ct , or part of the co nt ra ct,a t any time, i f circumstances requ ire i t (w ith compensation as inpara 2 ); or i f th e work i s not bein g sa ti sf a c to r il y performed, or ifits completion is too long delayed (with compensation for actualexpenses only).

- / .


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1 E & U i

The German State

represented by

The Organisation Todt, Einsatzgruppe West, OBL CHERBOURG,commissions the First Party, hereinafter called HU, withco ns tru cti on tas ks and works as se t out in the annexe whichthe HU tra ns fer s to the Second Pa rty, he rein afte r ca lle d NU,on the in str u cti on s of and for the OT.

Para* 1 - General

1 . The fo llowing apply as in tegral parts of the contract :

(a) Auftragsbedingungen der OT fur die Ausftthrung vonBau leistungen zu Le istun gsp reisen . ( OT-Leistungsvertrag)..

(job specifications of the Todt Organisation for theExecution of Building Works at Unit pr ice s (E fficie nc yOutput Con tra ct)) is su e of May 1943*

(b ) Le istu ng sverze ich nis zum Rahmenbauvertrag Bunkerbau*(The Works Schedule to the Frame-building Contract,Pill-boxes) West, of the Todt Organisation, issue ofMay 1943.

(c ) Die Verordnung ttber die Baupreisbildung (BFVO)(The Order on Calculating Building Prices).

2* Alteration of the details of this contract does not affect thecontract provided they do not constitute a complete change inthe order*

3* The NU must not fu rthe r sub-con tract the carrying out of the workaccepted, either in whole or in part*

4* This con tract between HU and NU, includin g a l l ex tra work, req uire sthe approval of the OT in order to be v a li d .

Para. 2 - Pr icin g and Accounting for theWork Done

1. The bu ildi ng work done w i l l b e charged for on the b a si s of theprices of the Leistungsverzeichnis (Works Schedule)*

2. The p rice s which apply are those of the " Leistu ng sverzeich nis zumRahmenbauvertrag Bunkerbau West" (Works Schedule to the Frame-BuildingCon tract, P il l- b o x e s, West), iss ue of June 1943* They are contra ctprices in the sense as defined in the Auftragsbedingungen (JobSp ec ific ati on s) para. 15 V*

3 . M odifications of the sec tio n PI of the contract prices aregoverned by Section IB of the preamble to the Leistungsverzeichnis(Works Schedu le). Se ctio ns Ps of the p ric es to be changed are to formthe basis, without alteration, of the charge in accordance withJob Sp ec ifica tion s Para 14, s ec tio n 9, in conjunction with JobSpecifications Para. 16, No* HI*

4* For m odifications of the se cti on s PI of the con tract p ric es , themo difioafclonfactors (see preamble to the Works Schedu le, S ec tion IB)are fixed at

F 1 = 0 .60 and F 2 = 1 .60

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m tag * u"

5. For ascertaining the supplementary prices, the same regulationswith the supplements for overtime and general expenses, as inas ce rta ini ng p ri ce s for the co n tr ac t, are to be employed*

6. I f works become necessa ry which are not provided fo r i n theWorks Schedule, the p ric es for these e xt ra -c on tr ac tu al works must beagreed upon between the HU and th e NU before the work i s st ar te d.Such agreements r eq ui re the approval of the OBL.

Para, 3 - Pegging Out and Measuring

1. The fi xing of a l l pegging, measuring and height figur es onthe ground which are necessary for the ca lc u la ti o ns , must be undertakenby the NU, with the collab ora tion of the HU, with fu ll re sp on si bi li tyfor th e ir co rr ec tn es s. The NU must see to i t tha t the checking of thepegging and of the work done can be e a si ly ca rr ie d out by the b ui ld in g

control*

2. When measurements which are to serve as bas is for cha rgesare made a r epre sen ta ti ve of OBL must always be prese nt.

3 . For a l l measurements, e tc . the necessary lab our , measuringinstrum ents, le v e ls , e t c . must be provided by the NU at i t s own c o st ,and i f po ssib le from i t s own stoc ks .

4 . In the event of infringement of the foregoing order s , th emeasurements and the dec isio ns of the OBL w i l l p r e v a il .

Pa ra. 4 - Tar iff Conditions

1. Whenever possible the NU must ca rry out i t s work to the g re a te s texte nt according to the Output Pay P rin ci pl e (Reichstarif-Ordnungttber den Leistungslohn im Baugewerbe, 2 June 1942 and Anordnung desBeauftragten ds Sondertreuhftnders bei E.G.W, 20 April 1943)

Pa ra. 5 - R ela tion of the NU to the 0T

1. In re la t ion s with the 0T, the HU i s tne so le cont rac t ing par ty.

2. The HU i s e n ti tl e d , in connection w ith the completion andcontinu ation of the build ing work, to issue i ns tru ct io ns with whichth e NU must comply. If the NU conside rs th at the inst ru ct io nsof the HU are uns uitab le , i t may appeal through th e OBL to the 0T,whose decisio n i s f in a l.

3 The NU i s in a l l respects en t i re ly responsib le in i t s sec torand wi thin the scope of i t s o rder fo r the car ry ing out and completionof the bu ild ing work. For the ca rry ing out of the bu ild in g work i tw il l remain in constant touch with the HU. The l a t t e r w i l l , as ageneral ru le , only have to inte rve ne if the st eps taken by the NU

appear to the HU to be in ap prop ria te and inadequa te.

4 The 0T has the rig ht to en tru st th ir d p a rt ie s with theexecution of tne rights ar isi ng under thi s contr ac t, or to authoriseGovernment Departments to take i t s p lac e in t h is co n tr a c t.

Pa ra. 6. - Services and Remuneration of the HU

1. The HU undertakes to render the following serv ices to the NU:

(a) I t organises , and arranges for, the supply of a l l

bui lding material , bui lding fuel and auxi l iary bui ldingm at er ia l, and arra nge s, as may be necessa ry, for thepro visio n of railway wagons at the ap pr op ria te p la ce s.

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- Delivery of Building Material

The following duties are incumbent upon the NU in connection

with the building material put at its disposal:

(a) To take delivery of the building material at the placeof receipt and to be responsible for the same.

(b) To watch over the correctness of the deliveries as toquantity and quality, and institute any necessaryenquiries and claims by the OT, through the agencyof the HJ.

(c) To keep the necessary books, stock-lists and controls for

the purpose.

(d) To provide for the storage and working up of the materialsin accordance with the usual rules of good building practice.

Para, 9 - Change of Contract

1* If, during the course of the building, there should be anappreciable alteration in the conditions on which the prices werefixed, then either the OT, or the NU through the HIT, may app^yfor a change in the prices. In such event the alterations in the

conditions on which the prices were fixed must, from time to time,be reported in writing, as soon as the effect of the same becomesmanifest. Any such alteration in prices, however, should if possible,not take place during the continuation of the construction. With theobject of simplifying the accounting, any alterations in price whichbecome necessary should only be agreed on in a lump sum on thecompletion of the building*

2. The NU can be released from the contractual relationship underthe same conditions, and with the same effect, as the HU itself.

3* Alterations in this contract require mutual agreement and writtenconfirmation, as well as the approval of the OT*

Para* 10 - Conditions of Secrecy

The NU must comply with all orders of the OT or other competentorganizations acting for the same, regarding the maintenance of secrecyand regarding the reliability of the labour engaged.

Para. 11 - Regulations for Accounting and Payment

1. The advance required on each pay-day for wages, including socialcharges and tariff additions, wi ll be made available to the NU, at therequest of the HU, in the same amount as the latter receives from theOBL, for payment to the workers and/or for payment to the socialinsurance undertaking. For this purpose the NU must apply in due timeto the HU for the advance required. In so doing it must comply withthe regulations concerning foreign currency and with the regulations ofthe OT regarding payments at the front to the Gefolgschaftsmitgliedr(auxiliaries)*

2. The HU is entitled, in order to protect the interests of the OT,

to refuse to pay accounts which can be objected to and to return themfor rectification.

3 In the preparation of accounts the headings demanded by the OBLmust be adhered to.

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4 Every account must be checked by accountant of the NU who isresponsible for the accounts, and must be signed with his full nameand provided with a note that it is correct.

5 Al l payments of the OT and of the HU are made withoutprejudice to the correctness of the accounts drawn up.

6. If subsequent examination of tte accounts, after the finalpayments have bee n made, shows that rectifications are necessary,the NU must immediately refund to the HU any sum received in excess,upon application to the latter by the OT. It agrees that suchliabilities to repay to the State may be set off direct againstclaims due to him in connection wi th other Government work.

7 The HU has the right, in the event of reasonable doubt, to make

retentions from current payments of such amounts as to precludeover-payments. The HU has the right to withhold payments on accountwhich are due , if the NU fails to comply wit h his contractualobligations or with justifiable instructions from the HU or fromthe OT.

Para. 12 - Noti ce of Termination and Withdrawalof Order

1.. The HU or the OT may at any time serve notice of termination ofthe contract in accordance with para, 33 , Section 1, of the Job

Specifications of the OT Leistungsvertrag. (Output Efficiency Contract)issue of May 1943*

2. The HU may withdraw the work from the NU if it is not prosecutedwi th the necessary energy and competence, or if the NU falls intoarrears in the time-limits of the contract, or allows periods of graceallotted to it to make up the arrears to elapse without result.

In the event of the Order being withdrawn, settlement must bemade wit h the NU in accordance with the contract for work done up tothe date of the withdrawal of the order. The question of to whatextent additional credits shall be allowed to the NU is left to thedecision of the OT.

Para. 13 - Assumption and Warranting

1. The assumption of the construction work is to be applied for bythe NU through the HU.

2. Should any claim be mad e against the HU in respect to thecommitments of the NU , the HU is responsible.

para. 14 - Guarantee

1. The HU is entitled to require from the NU a security of 5$of the total accounts of the NU - but not more than R M 150,000 - forthe carrying out of the contractual obligations.

2 By agreement with the HU , the NU may either place this amountin an account, whi ch must be blocked for at least two years forclaims against the HU arising out of this, contract, or it can beprovided in the form of a bond or any other suitable manner.

3 The guarantee must at the same time constitute a guarantee forthe OT.

Para. Vp - Assignment of Claims

Claims under this building contract may only be assigned with the

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pr io r cons ent of the HU. Any assignment wi th out t h is con sent i sl ega l ly void under para . 399 of the Civ i l Code .

Para. 16 - Legal Disputes

1. AH d i sp u t e s a r i s i n g out o f t he execu t i on o f t h i s co n t r a c tw i l l "be s e t t l e d by the ordinary co ur ts of la w . . The competentJu r i sd ic t i o n w i l l "be determined by the HU.

2. 3ee Arbi t rat ion Agreement .

Disp utes be tween the HU and the for e ig n NU w i l l be s e t t l e d bythe OT (EGW). If no fi n a l d e c is io n can be reached in th i s manner,the disp ute w i l l be subm itted to the m il i t a r y commander in Francein accordance w ith the Ar bi t ra t io n Agreement. In the ca rr yi ng outof the proc eedin gs , the ch ie f c ont r ac to r w i l l be represe nted by the OT.

Par a. 17 - Coming to E ff e ct of the C ontr act

Th is con t r ac t t akes e f f e c t a s a con t i n ua t i on o f t he e x i s t i n gcon t rac t of 1 March , 1943* be i ng re t r o- ac t i ve to - o ' c lo ckon 1st August 1943.

0. U. 14 . 2.44 0. U. 14. 2 .44.

The .F ir st Pa rty (HU) The Second Party (NU)

DEUTSCHE BAU A.G.Normandy Baol

I l l e g i b l e S i g n a t u r e .

V. Pein R e i c h e l

A p p r o v e d

0. U, 2 June 4 4.

0 . B# L. Cherbourg.

of the

Todt Organisation

(Signature)

ff \%l^f. V ."!, - 7 4


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E. Personnel Administration Policy.

66 . M L t i p l e factors involved in OT personnel administration.

The following is an outline of OT1

s policy in regard to personnel administration. This policy is peculiarly interestingbecause of the vast number of foreign workers in the OT.A reasoned attempt has been made to reconstruct official policyon the basis of available documents. How this policy operatedin pract ice is discussed in II IBc (Frontftfhrung)

Personnel management was the basic administrative problemof the CT in the West . The variety and extent of constructionwor k on which it was engaged at one time (May 1 942 to May 1 944)made demands upon the technical training, mechanical experience,

occupational skill and administrative and professional knowledgeof some six hundred different professions, trades and occupationsand upon the muscular effort o f over one million unskilled andsemi-skilled labourers of about 4 0 different nationalities.Fo r instance, the problem of pay scales alone must have turnedthe hair of conscientious officials a premature grey. Only afan all proportion of OT personnel, not exceeding ^ , wa s paidsimply according to rank. The other


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because of Allied propaganda and the growingself-assurance of native elements, hitherto only apathetic cat best luke-warm to the Allied cause. However, the severepolicies from a chronological and a geographical standpointwhich the OT adopted in regard to political discrimination,were, like the various types of operational organisation,

dictated by military necessity and adapted to the immediatesituation. To a victorious Germany, a post-war OT wouldhave been as important as it was essential during the war.The OT had been counted on to kill two birds with one stone:to reconstruct Europe according to Nazi strategic schemes ofeconomic exploitation, and to unite politically, the workingmasses of Europe by channelling their activities along Nazilines of labour organisations. From a long-range point ofview, therefore, neither the enforced labour system withoutperceptible regard for humane treatment, as it was practisedgenerally in the East and in the Balkans, nor the other extrof a conciliatory policy born out of necessity, as it waspractised in Rranoe, can be taken as exemplifying OT stabiliadministrative policy in regard to foreign workers. It wasnot until the end of 1 943 and the beginning of 1 944 that OTbegan to issue regulations with any indication that they werpart of a definite political policy in regard to a 'UnitedEurope 1 These regulations may be constructed as in thefollowing paragraph^

68. OT personnel administration defined in terms of long-ra]policy.

Under stable conditions there was no need envisaged forself-contained mobile operational uni ts. The OT Firms woul very l i t t l eknown about the or ga niz ati on of the tran spo rt un its* Such S ta ff el nas are known to have been employed in th e OBL's i n the West area s f o l l o w s :

NSKK and LEGION SJEER UNITS in the WEST

S t . S t a f f e lOfiL L. S. Legio n SHEER

Up to Feb. 1943 Feb. 1943 Jan.1944

Holland St. 1 became St. 60 ?

Belgium St. 2 " St. 61

Audinghem & Nordwest St. 3 St. 62

Rouen St. 34 St. 4 " St. 63

St. Malo & Cherbour St. 5 " St. 64

Brest St. 6 St. 65

Lorient St. 22 St. 7 n St. 66

St. Nazaire Abt.l(LS) " St. 67

La Rochelle st. 36 St. 8 H St. 68 ?

Bordeaux (Bayonne?) Abt.2(LS) " St. 69

Marseille St. 9 " St. 70

Paris St. 10 " St. 71

Ardennes St. 72

Cannes ?St. 73

The f i r s t complete pictu re of the transport org an ization i n thewhole West can only be given for the period from February 1943 onwardsas the l i s t above show s, t en S ta ff e ln of the NSKK-Brigade TQDTand two Ab teil un gen of the Leg ion SHEER se rv ed the OT i n Fra nce, Ho llandand Belgium.

Great reforms took pl ac e at th e end of 1943* In th is ye ar so manyfo re ig ne rs had ente red i n to the s er vi ce of the Legion STEER tha t adangerous si tu a ti o n was thr ea ten ing the ex is te n ce of NSKK u n it s. Theheads of the transpo rt in the se rv ic e of the OT were faced i n i t i a l l yw ith two p o s s i b i l i t i e s . They could open the doors of the NSKK to a l lfo re ig n er s or disband th e NSKK form ation s bec au se of the sho rtage ofGerman pe rso nn el. The so lu ti o n was found in a compromise. Themembers o f the Leg ion SESER wh ich form erly haa been, or ga nized i nAbtei lungen , were d irect ly incorporated in to the Staffe ln of theNSKK-Gruppe TODT. The p ic tu re a s of from January 1944 * onwards showsth at 14 S t a ff e ln w ere employed i n the West (No. 60 - 73) and noAb teilun gen . These S ta ff el n were composed predominately offore ign leg ionar ies with on ly the lead ing execut ive and adminis t ra t ivep o si ti o n s reserved fo r person s of German o ri g in . The example from

OBL Sftd (ST. NAZAIRE) w i l l i l l u s t r a t e w e l l the pr op or tio n of German tofo re ig n pe rs on ne l. There, the NSKK-Kraftwagenstaffel 67 employed118 Germans, 380 Frenchmen and 265 R us sia ns . The pre sen t s it u a ti o ni s such th at i t i s most unu sual to fin d a German dr iv er working


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outside the "boundaries of the Reich.

The fo re ig n e rs in the employment of th e NSKK-Gruppe TCDTar e composed at the pres en t time of two c la ss e s of p er so nn el ,

1. The l e g i o n a r ie s , th a t i s , members of th e Legion SEEER, and

2. the so-cal led NSKK-Freiwil l ige, that is , short ternremployees, such as non-uniformed dr iv e rs , te ch ni ci an s,and menial help.

73 Other Transport Organizations

Besides the three main t ra ns po rt organ iza t ion s discussed above,sometimes ot he r tr an sp or t u n it s served the OT. In Norway, forin s ta n c e , we have th e NSKK-Transportbrigade Luft (o r NSKK-MotorgruppeLuftwaffe) ca rry in g su pp lie s for the a i r - f i e l d s , and NSKK-Transportbr ig ad e Heer working fo r the German army. Both of th es eorg an iza tion s were als o placed a t the se rvi ce of the OT. The seatra ns po rt fo r the OT was provided by the T ra n sp or tf lo tt e araisKwi th HQ at GRONINGEN, under Einsatzleiter Grosskapitftn SEYD, employing>in March 1944> about 10,000 men. This t ra n sp o rt u n it i s a ls o knownto have worked in R us sia , It a l y and Norway. T ra n sp o rt fl o tt e SHIERwas o ri g in a ll y ca lle d Binneflflotte (inla nd waterway F le e t) and wascharged with providingflRRLTN wi th coal a long the r iver and canalsle ad in g to the c a p i t a l . T ra ns p or tf lo tt e SEEER combed a l l Norway fo rseamen and t ra in e d them i n th e Spe ersch ule fo r Seamen a t SANDEFJQRD.

74* Requis i t ion ings of Pr iva te Vehic les

When NSKK moved int o occu pied t e r r i t o r i e s in the se rv ic e ofthe OT, i t bro ug ht along German-made v e h ic l e s . In co ur se oftimehowever, w it h th e growth of the OT un de rta ki ng s, th e number ofex is t i ng vehic les proved to be e nt i r e l y inadequate for the new ta sk s.To s a ti s fy the in cre ase d needs of tr a n sp o rt , the NSKK was allowedto buy or h ir e ve hi cl es in the occupied t e r r i t o r i e s . Prom the NSKK,the t ran spo rt was assigned to various bu i ld in g en te rp ris es accordingto need. The ce nt ra li ze d handling of motor ve hi cl es did not however,produce sa ti sf ac to ry r e s u lt s . Xn February 1944 > i t was decided toput the OBL's in charge of transport under the terms of a specialTranspor tver t rag (Transpor ta t ion Co nt ra c t ) . Al l the pr iva tev eh ic le s which had been take n over by the NSKK were t o be re tu rn edto the OBL's. In orde r to augment t h e i r motor pa rk, the co n tr a c to rswere empowered to buy or to h ir e lo c a l l o r r i e s . The l o r r i e s ownedby the OT could a lso be hire d through th e NSKK at a se t hou rly r e n t a l .The new arrangement enabled the QBL's to ex er c is e d ir e c t c o n tr o l ove rth e ir own ve hic les and to hir e ve hi cle s without bot he rin g about havingto w ait for per m its or assignments from the NSKK. The l a t t e r continu edto run i t s own ve hi cl es chi ef ly for the genera l use of the va rio us

co ns tru ct i on un i t s . I t s chief func t ion, however, was th at of anorg aniz at io n in co ntr ol of a l l dr ive rs in the serv ice of the OT.

Some ca se s a re known in which the OT hi re d v e h ic le s from th el o c a l m i l i t a r y a u t h o r i t i e s . Thus in Jan uary 1944, QBL CHERBOURGasked for the loan of 100 lo rr i e s from M il i tarb efeh lsha berFrankreich Gruppe Verkehr.

75* ypes of Motor Vehicles

In France 95% of the l o r r i e s and bu ses were French, (Re nau lt ,Hotchkiss and Citroen) the rest were German, (Opel and Mercedes),American (Ford and C he vro let ), and I t a l i a n (F i a t ) . Only about 20$of the vehicles were Hblzgas (Producer Gas) driven in early 1944,bu t th is number must have incre ased l a t e r owing to the shorta ge>f .petrol .

1 % %$^


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As ea rl y as the beginn ing of 1943 the qu al it y of the motorveh icle s used by NSKK l e f t much to be desi re d . Thus, out of549 t ranspor t l o r r i e s used in OBL CHERBOURG in May 1943, on ly318 were in r e l a t i v e l y good shape, 217 were in r ep air shops for

replacement of sp are pa r t s and 5 were in the process of be ingtransformed in to wood-burning ve hi cl es . The st at e of ve hic lesin OBL ROUEN was supposed to be even 3Q f 0 worse than in OBLCHERBOURG. There i s no doubt th at in the cours e of time theconditions must have worsened considerably.

An ord er of 24th March 1944, provided th at ve hi cl es used fo rtra ns po rt of men should, in case of inv asi on , be placed a t the d ispo salof the Army,

c) Sig na ls Communications

76. Signal Communications Services

A ll wire and w ir e le ss communication wi th in the OT uni ts was froman GBL le ve l upwards, in the hands of the se ct io n Nachrichtenwesen,known also variously under the names "Nachrichtendienst" and"Nachrichtenftihrung". The execu tive st af f in the communicationsse cti on was under the lead ers hip of a Nachrichtenftlhrer or Nachrichtenl e i t e r . The c l e ri c a l st af f in the sec tion Nachrichtenwesen wascomposed pr im ar ily of "Nachrichtenmadel" who were under the su pe rv is ionof a Nachr ichten ft thre rin I (An ord er from OTZ forbade the employmentof Nachrichtenmfldel below 21 ye ars of age in the occupied t e r r i t o r i e s(Pron te insa tz ) )

At th e p re se nt time OT sig nal communications in Germany aredi re ct ed from Einsatzgrup pe HQ le v e l, where Nachrichtenwesen i s aReferat (Sub-section ) of Abteilung Bau (Construction S ec tio n).

A ll o f f i c i a l mail addressed to an OT un it such as an OBLwas f i r s t turned over to the Geschaftszimmer where i t was opened andre g is te re d in a "Briefeingangsbu ch". Then i was placed on the deskof the Ob erbau leiter from where i t was d is tr ib ut ed to the chie fsof the vario us se ct io ns . The reserv e procedure took place in thecase of l e t t e r s sen t out by the OBL.

All sections had to keep an orderly file following a scheme(Aktenplan or Geschflftsplan) approved by the Obe rb au le ite r. The ri g h tof sig natu re was given only to the Oberbau leiter, h is a ss is ta nt , thech iefs of sections and to the Ab sch nitt sba ule iter. All l e t t e r s had

to end w ith the g re e ti ng "Heil HITLER11

. Otherwise the name ofHITLER was not allowed to be mentioned. Whenever necessary he was tobe referred to as n de r Ftth rer" , o r , more form ally, as "Der Ftthrerdes Grossdeutschen Reich es". (In d i r e c t speech the Germans had touse "Mein Ftthrer" and for eig ne rs "F uh re r" ).

In co un tr ie s where mail s ervi ce was not we ll organized, as inRu ssia, the inter-OT correspondence was taken car e of by means ofsp ec ia l c ou ri er s. Even in Prance co ur ie rs were used on sp ec ial duty run s.

L et te rs very r ar el y quote the geographic addresses of the OT u n it s .They are forwarded through the Army P o st a l Service and conseq uen tlybe ar Feld pos t (APO) numbers. L et te rs of the alphab et were atta ch ed toth e FRY (German ab bre v ia ti on, eq uiva lent to the American term APOnumber) to denote su b- di vi sio ns of a given u n it . Thus, for example,FPN 05925 represents OBL CHERBOURG and FPN 05925 E or 05925 E0resp ectiv ely represent the firms Eise nri eth and Ensle Oster tag bothemployed by the OBL CHERBOURG.


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d) Health and Medical Services

77 . Medical Services

The OT provides medical service for all its members whetherthey are OT-Eigenes Personal (OT organic personnel) orPirmenangehttrige (Firm personnel). This service is controlledby the section Sanit&tswesen composed of German and foreign personnel.Originally all the doctors were German, bu t, in the course of time,the shortage o f qualified German medical men became so acute thatforeign doctors were freely accepted into the OT Medical Service.The picture as of 1944 shows foreign doctors surpassing in numberthose of German origin. The rank given foreign doctors, however,was very low, none bein g able to attain a grade higher than thatof a Haupttruppfahrer, (equivalent to that of a Mas ter Sergeant inthe American Army).

The organization of the medical service in the various OTunits can be best described by quoting some examples. OBL CHERBOURGwhich comprised about 15,000 men employed 1 chief doctor,2 assistant doctors, 7 foreign doctors, 1 dentist, 10 medical aid menand 4 nurses. Einsatz Seefalke in ROME was composed of 4 doctors,10 medical aid men , 6 Sankra (Ambulances) wi th drivers, 4 assistantdrivers, 1 administrative officer, 15 Italian doctors and50 Italian nurses. In the organizational scheme for Rus sia ,A Sanitatseinheit (Medical Uni t) wa s composed of 1 doctor and10 medical aid men; 1 Sankra (Ambulance) and 1 lorry were attached

to each unit of the size of an OBL. Every third or fourthSanitBtseinheit had as its chief a dentist instead of a doctor.

Every 0T man is covered by medical insurance which varies fo rthe different classes of personnel working for 0T. The insuranceis collected by the Deutsche Krankenkassen 0T (0T Health InsuranceCompanies), one to each Einsatzgruppe and a U part of theKrankenkassenverband 0T (0T Health insurance Association) inBERLIN. (J3ee H I E ) .

0T has its own hospitals (Lazarette) and dispensaries (Reviere

and Grossreviere) staffed chiefly with foreign personnel.Characteristic of the attitude of the 0T to foreigners is the factthat the hospitals have separate wards for German nationals and forforeigners. Sometimes existing hospitals in the occupied territorieswere placed directly at the service of the 0T. 0T personnel, bei ngpart of the Wehrmacht, can also be treated in the Array, Navy andAir Force hospitals, but their bills have to b e covered by the 0T:moreover the foreign manpower in the 0T i s, as a rule, not grantedWehrmacht facilities in this respect.

There are also mobile units for First Aid Treatment as wel l as

travelling dental clinics to take care of men who , presumablybecause of the urgency of work , cannot leave the construction sites.

Several convalescent homes (Erholungsheime and Kurho tele)beautifully situated in the mountains are at- the disposal of 0Tpersonnel (e.g. Schloss St. M&rgen in LSNGSEE, for NSKK-OT personnel;Island of Mainauon Lake Constance).

78* Sanitary Conditions

Although the Germans are rather proud of their achievements in

improving the sanitary conditions of the camps, the reports at ourdi sp os al 3how th at the p ic tu re is not so rosy as pain ted by Germanpropaganda. While the Germans have cl ea ne r ba rra ck s and ge ne ra llyl iv e under a l l round b e t te r san i ta ry condi t io ns than the fo re ig ne rs ,the co nd itio ns in some of the camps for the l a t t e r were ap pa ll i ng .The delousing process was one of the perpetual tasks of the personnelorganized in the so-called "Entwesunftstruppe", mobile units which

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tfhTheading "i de nt if yi ng scars or wounds 11 , "right arm am putated").The res ul ti ng shortage of personnel forced the SK orga niza tionto look for replacements among the fo re ig n group s. In the EGW,for in st an ce , most of the fo rei gn SK personnel was re cru ite d fromamong the French, Dutch and Flem ish n a ti on a ls , and came from theranks of the co ll ab or at io ni st s. Men accepted for the SK weretrained for a period of s i x weeks or (i n a short 3 weeks cours e)i n spec ia l SK camps such as the ones at EICHKAMP near BERLIN, at th eOT Reichsle hrla ger (Reich Tra in in g Gamp) JttEISACH, or at ST. CIXJUD nearPARIS. The trai nin g co n si st s of courses in Nazi in do ct rin at ion , andin the handling of AA guns and sear ch lig ht b a t t e r i e s , and small armssuch as the MG (machine-gun) and the MP (automat ic p i s t o l ) . Evenaf ter the completion of th ei r sc hoo ling and between duty assign me nts,the SK has to fol low a da il y rout ine p ra ct ice in the use of theseweapons. The SK i s divid ed int o un it s as fo ll ow s:

a) SK-Kameradschaft. A un it of about 8- 12 men under a Kamerad

3chaftsfahrer with the rank of from SK-Rottenftthrer to SK-Truppftthrer. The un it i s giv en the narne of i t s Kameradschaftsfflhrer.

b) SK-Zug. Composed of 3 - 6 Kameradschaften or of about 35 - 60men under a Zugftthrer wit h the rank of from SK-Truppfuhrer toSK-HauptruppfOhrer. The pl at oo ns are numbered consec u t iv el ywithin each Ber eits cha ft. (See c) below ).

c ) SK -Bereit aohaft . Composed of 2 - 3 SK-ZQge or of about120-150 men under a Be rei ts ch af tsf tth rer wit h the rank of fromOT Frontftthrer to OT Oberfrontftthrer. The Be re it sc ha ft

re ce iv es a number of men chosen by t he Ab teil ungsf llhr er(s ee d) below) and i s u su al ly attach ed to an OT se ct or onOBL l e v e l . Some Ber eit sch aft en inc lu de , according to need,a NachrJchtenkameradschaft (Communications Unit ) composedof a Funker (Radio Man), Bli nk er, (Ligh t Si gn al s Oper ator),Fernsprecher (Telephonist). Meldehund (Messenger Dog) andBrieftaube (Carrier Pigeon;.

d) SK-Abteilunff. A un it under the lea de rsh ip of an Ab tei lun gsftthrer wit h the rank of from OT Hauptfrontft lhrer to OTStabsfrontfQ hrer. I t i s attach ed to an Einsatzgrup pe, and i tc o n si s t s of as many Be rei tsc ha fte n as are needed in theEinsatzgruppe* In some ar ea s, such as in Southern Rus si a,more than one SK-Abteilung was attached to an Einsatzgruppe.SK-Abt. 11 was attached to Einsatzgruppe West or SK-Abt. 21to EG- Wiking. In Southern Ru ss ia SK-Abt. 72 was 'a tt ache d toEG Russland-Sttd. Enla rging the example, SK- Ber eits cha ft11/5 stands for the 5th Ber eits cha ft of the 11th Abt. Thispa rti cu lar Be reit sch aft was working fo r the Ein sat z (formerlyOBL) ROUEN in 1944, and supe rseded , in th at s ec to r , the24th Hundertschaft of the Schutzkorps, ev id en tl y an ol de rorga niza tion which has been d is so lv ed towards the end of 1943.

The Schutzkommandofahrung which forms part o f the Frontftthrung a tOTZ (now Amt Bau-OTZ) BERLDMLs the highes t SK authority. TheSchutzkommandoftthrer i s a ls o head of the Ers a tz ab t, (SK ReplacementU n i t ) , Wachabt (S peci a l Guard Duty Un it ) , BERLIN, and Transport-SK,employed in Germany.

SK u ni ts are b i l l e t e d , fed and paid by the OBL HQ to which theyare at ta ch ed . Weapons are rece ived d i r e c t l y from the SchUtzkommandoftthrung in Ber li n; mun itions and pers onn el equipment ar e, however,distributed by the various Einsatzgruppen.

For the SK-ranks see Table I l i a .

Two ot he r s p ec ia l u n i t s , (Sonderkommandos) which be lo ng to theSecurity Service, were organized out of the existing Schutzkommando for


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p a r t i c u l a r t a s ks . [ftiey aretaiown as the Ordnungskommando and theSt re i f enkonmando.

The Ordnungskommando was composed of men of the regular SK and

cre ate d in German occupied t e r r it o r y for the task of helping theFeiagendarmerie (Military Fblice) of the local Feldkommandanturen(M ili ta ry D i s t r i c t Commands) in apprehending fug itiv e foreig n worke rs.These men do not form permanent units but are picked for what theGermans c a l l "Razzien" (r aid ing p a rt ie s ) when the occasion a ri s e s.The Ordnungskonmando may include Germans, Dutch, Flemings, Danesor Frenchmen; men of any one n a t io n a li ty , however, are not sen t ou tagain st th e i r own countrymen. The le ader of the Ordnungskommandoinv ar iab ly i s a German. The fug itiv es so recaptured are temporarilyheld in an An ha ltla ge r; strongLy fended off and w el l guarded by are inf or ce d guard , cal le d SK-Wachnannschaft and picked from th e l o c a lSchutzkommando

The S tr e if end ie ns t employing SK-Streifenkommandos was intro ducedin SGS7 a f te r the Alli ed in va sion , for the same purpose of apprehendingfu g it iv e workers as the Ordnungskonmando, except th at i t acted a lsoagainst German deserters.

Late st re po rts indicate th at the SK has been redesignatedSchutzkommando 3PEER, and tha t re c ru it in g fo r i t i s ac ti ve ly beingcarried on by the SS.

81. SS-VerbinaunR3ftihrung (SS-OT Liaison)

The th ir d type of s ec ur ity servic e i s tha t provided by the33-Verbindungsftlhrung (SS-OT L ia is on) . This of fi ce i s found on a l llevels from OTZ in BERLIN down to a Bau leitu ng (below OBL le v e l i tbecomes an A us se ns te ill e (Branch Office)) and forms an in te g ra l p a rt ofOT ad m inis tra tion . I t i s a sec tion of the same standing as , forexample, < Frontffthrung, Technik, o r Verwaltung, st af fe d by members ofthe SS under the head of an SS-Verbindungsffchrer. (SS Liaison o f f ic e r ) .The members of th is se cti on re ta in th e ir old SS ranks but also obtainOT ran ks, usua lly - but not ne ce ss ari ly - of a corresponding grade.O ri gi na ll y the SS-Verbindungsftlhrung was att ac he d to OT uni ts for the

purpose of field security or elementary counter-intelligence work.The SS-Verbindungsftthrung a t the QBL CHSR3QURG for exam ple, l i s t s i t stasks as follows:

( i ) C oun ter- in t e ll igence , s abot age, po l i t i c a l t r ansg res sionsand c rimes , check-up on German and fore ign OT members.

( i i ) Id en tif ic at io n papers for German and foreign memberspermit t ing the entry to construct ion s i t e s .

( i i i ) Do ssier of a l l OT members in OBL Cherbourg.,

(iv ) Capture of fu gi tiv e workers.

The SS-Verbindungsftthrung i s al so known to have ar b it ra te d dif fer en cesbetween the German co nt ra ct or s and French sub -co ntr ac tor s, inv est iga tedblack market a c t i v i t i e s , supervised much of the a c ti v it y between theOT and off ic es , firms and ind ivi du als of the occupied co un tri es .The SS-Verbindungsftthrung in France worked hand i n hand with theD is z ip li n a rs te ll e , SK, Feldgendarroerie and the loc al French poli ce .At the pre sen t time, the SS-OT li a is o n through it s assignment ofp o l it ic a l po lic e, may be said to con tro l every phase of OT a c it iv it y .

This s ubject i s disc uss ed a lso in the s ect ion Liaison" (IIG-) below.82. Feldgendannerie (Military Police)

The fou rth type of se cu ri ty serv ice - in occupied te r r it o r y i s th a t of the Feldgendarm erie (M ili ta ry P o li c e ) . In Eqajacjpjr ~f$r t ^y.

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example, units of the Feldgendanaerie were attached to theFeldkommandanturen for the purpose of police supervision of thelo ca l population. In th is connection, they also did the actualtracking down of OT d es er te rs , afte r having been furnished w ith

data by the SS-Verbindungsffthrer. The Feldgendarmerie moreoverworked in co-operation with the SK.

83. SS-Poli zei Regiment TQDT (S S-P olice Regiment TODT)

The f if t h type of secu rity serv ice is or rather was, provided bySS-P olize i Regiment TQDT* ffo thing Mich i s known about the a c t i v i t i e sof th is u n i t / Two independent sou rces mention a Kdo (Kbmmando)of the 1st Bn of Pol. Regt. TODT at CHERBOURG under a Leutnant derSch utzpoliz ei und Kdo.-FQhrer DITTMER. Another l e s s re l ia b le sourcerep orts a Bn. of the 28th Regt. P o l i z e i TCDT st ati oned at ANNECY inApril I944 (coming from Yu goslav ia) and composed of personnel ofPo lis h, Au strian, Yugoslav and Czech n at io n al ity . I t s continuedfunc tion at the present time in the se rv ice of the OT i s p roble m atic al.

84. Technische Nothilfe (Technical Qnergency Corps)

The sixth type of security service of which theOT may avai l i t s e l fat the proper place ^nd time i s the Technische No th ilf e (Teno : Tech nicalBnergency Corps). This type of sec ur ity serv ice w i l l be disc usse d inLia ison (IIG-) 1 se ct io n , as far as OT-SK l i a i s o n i s concerned.

85. Sicherheitsdienst (SD : Security Service)

Fi na lly , the Sich erh eitsdie nst (SD 1 Security Serv ice) ente rs intothe a c t iv i t i e s of the OT, mainly because of the masses of for eig n manpower employed by the l a t t e r . Normally the he lp of the SD in t h i srespect i s en li st ed only on sp ec ia l occasions when manpower raid s ofmajor proportions are made in occupied territory, or in cases of thesuspected presence of subversive elements with in the OT. SD-OT li a i so ni s normally est ab li sh ed through the SS-OT Verbindungsfuhrer at theproper le v e l. The SD i s discus sed from the point of view of p o l i t i c a lliaison, in IIGc94

Handbook of the ion TODT 102

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Transcript of Handbook of the ion TODT 102