The organisation of forced labour in Italy (1943-1945)
The Paladino Organisation from its creation until the end of 1943
In September 1943, given the utter administrative chaos and the fact that the Germans had begun rounding up men either to send to Germany or to use in the building of fortifications in Italy, it became imperative to create structures which impeded the indiscriminate exploitation of the workforce on the part of the Wehrmacht.
The idea of setting up an Italian organisation with the scope of supplying manpower to the German Armed Forces was proposed by General Francesco Paladino of the Engineers, who put forward his plan to Marshal Graziani, the Minister of Defence of the Social Republic, on 1 October 1943.
Paladino
“Substitute with volunteers those labourers who should have reported for work in one of the various categories nominated by the German authorities; these workers were intended to collaborate with the German authorities in repairing roads and railways, and in general carry out other work of either a civil or military nature.”1
Two days afterwards on 3 October Paladino met the German authorities at the Albergo Quirinale in Rome to put forward his idea, remaining in close contact with Graziani with whom he had agreed every move. On 6 October Paladino met Zimmerman, and they reached an agreement on a variety of matters, such as the workers' pay, food, lodgings and equipment. The wages were fixed at 12,50 lire net a day, with an additional 20 lire for a wife, 5 for a child and 10 for every dependent parent. Equipment and food were to be provided by the Italians themselves wherever possible, “otherwise they were to be supplied by the Germans”.2 In order to control the tens of thousands of workers there were to be 600 non-commissioned officers and lieutenants, 200 captains and 67 majors. The Inspectorate was to be divided into 15 provincial sections (commanded by 15 colonels or majors) each with 15 officers with differing responsibilities, 15 medical officers, 15 administrative officers and 15 interpreters3, hence a very streamlined organisation, almost skeletal, would manage what was predicted to be a workforce which would number several tens of thousands.
On the same day Graziani officially appointed Paladino as the director of the “General Labour Inspectorate.” Its first central headquarters were located in Rome at via Quattro Fontane 15, where at the outset, according to the organisation's “Historical Diary”, there was an almost total lack of equipment: “two small rooms, three tables, four chairs, a portable typewriter...which had been borrowed, and three men doing their best in the given circumstances!.”4
On 8 October, through the General Labour Inspectorate, Graziani personally organised the recruitment of 90,000 labourers in the provinces of Aquila, Ascoli, Frosinone, Grosseto, Littoria, Macerata, Perugia, Pescara, Rieti, Roma, Teramo, Terni, Viterbo e Chieti.5
The recruitment was by means of announcements posted on walls which read as follows:
“The present situation imposes the binding necessity of carrying out work on roads, railways and other structures, in order to guarantee the continued transport of provisions and other essentials and to relieve the unemployment and suffering of the workers and their families, which could worsen with the onset of winter. For this reason I have decided to set up groups of workers organised by officers from the Engineers, in collaboration with the major national civil companies, who will be responsible for discipline, provisions, and the moral and physical well being of the workers. For this purpose a General Labour Inspectorate will be set up which will oversee the organisation and discipline of the workers. Any healthy male capable of carrying out such work, irrespective of age, may enrol. He will receive board and lodgings and a daily wage of 12,50 lire net as well as l.20 or his wife, l.5 for each child and l.10 for every dependent parent. Those interested should report to the Mayor's office, which will send a list of those who have been accepted to the relative prefect on a daily basis. Those workers who enrol will be exempted from any future call-up to the Armed Forces and will be employed within national boundaries, whenever possible in their own region. This recruitment will take place as from today. It will close as soon as the figure of 90,000 has been reached. Marshal R. Graziani, Minister of National Defence.”6
Given that the prefects were under the control of the Home Office, on 8 October the Minister, Guido Buffarini Guidi, sent them a circular informing them that a high-grade officer from the Engineers would be arriving in each province to organise the “Paladino” and that he wished to be informed of the number of workers enrolled.7
The Radio of the RSI (Repubblica Sociale Italiana - Italian Social Republic) publicised the announcement in a short broadcast which combined the need for workers to clear, repair and carry out maintenance work on the roads with the need to ensure that provisions would be able to arrive in the major cities. Furthermore, the broadcast assured that “ The organisation is strictly Italian, run by Italian experts attached to major enterprises and commanded by Italian officers from the Engineers, who will look after the welfare of, and will offer assistance to, the workers and their families, for whom the law regarding insurance cover for accidents in the workplace will be valid.”8
On 10 October the newspapers published the information that the organisation of the General Labour Inspectorate would be carried out exclusively by the National Ministry of Defence, that is, under Graziani, who would “carry out this new task by means of suitable central and peripheral institutions.”9
This decision had evidently been taken without consulting the other Italian ministries which, up to the time of the armistice, had been responsible for the mobilisation of civilians, in particular the Ministry of Corporations. In the early days this series of announcements had generated a great amount of confusion and and a climate of uncertainty amongst the Italian workerforce who, evidently fearing deportation to Germany, were of the opinion that showing up at the recruitment offices, whether they be military or civil, was an extremely risky business.
In a memorandum sent to Graziani on 12 October, Paladino started out by saying that “where both the voluntary and obligatory enrolment of workers are concerned there have been many setbacks, due to the simultaneous appearance of announcements, posters, press releases and radio broadcasts. As a result there are considerable doubts as to whether, following the latest announcement by Marshal Graziani, the workers will report to the recruitment office, because they are afraid of falling into a trap, and because they have little faith in what is taking place, given the lack of a common voice as far as the propaganda has been concerned .”10
On 12 October Paladino had a meeting with three civil servants from the Ministry of Corporate Economics in order to “eliminate a number of specific setbacks in the enrolment of workers.”11 In this meeting it was decided that in every town hall and provincial government office three types of recruitment centre should be set up: one for the Todt, one for the Paladino and one for workers to be sent directly to Germany (Sauckel Organisation). The meeting closed with a compromise. It was confirmed that the recruitment would be directly controlled by the Ministry of Defence, but the executive body would be the offices of the Ministry.
Again, in the memorandum of 12 October which he sent to Graziani, Paladino listed the proposals for solving the problem which had been agreed during the meeting with the three civil servants from the Ministry of Corporate Economy: the entire organisation was to be handed over to the Ministry of Defence; recruitment was to be carried out through the Ministry of Corporate Economy; the ordering of building materials would need to be be co-ordinated through the Federation of Building Constructors in order to avoid superimposition with the Todt organisation, and lastly it would be necessary to resolve the question of pay in order to avoid competition with the German agencies.12
On the same day, 12 October, Paladino sent a circular to the provincial Labour Inspectors with the “primary instructions”. In this circular the General invited them to use tact when dealing with prefects and associated German officials, incited them to overcome the diffidence of the workers, and above all asked them to obtain from the German authorities lists of those workers aged between 18 and 33 years who had already been recruited. Finally he asked for the workers to be treated in the best possible manner, most importantly at the moment in which they arrived in the recruitment centres13. In the same period Paladino sent out another circular which gave general instructions as to how the workers should be organised. Briefly, the base unit was the “Centuria”, made up of one hundred workers under a subaltern. Three of these units made up a company, under a captain, and three companies a battalion, under a higher-ranking officer.14 Therefore in practical terms a battalion would consist of 900 men, with nine subalterns, three captains, and either a colonel or major alongside another official with special responsibilities. To stimulate the Provincial Inspectors into action a reward of 10,000 lire was envisaged for those who had managed to recruit 8,000 men by the end of October.
Despite all the propaganda efforts, in practice the “Paladino” organisation remained in the hands of the Germans. On 18 October the General sent out a circular to all the Provincial Inspectors announcing that Major Aldo Bianchini of the Engineers had been given the task of liaising with the German military authorities (obviously with the XIV Army). But the important part of the circular was as follows: “For a rapid result the Provincial Inspectors are asked to adhere immediately to the request for work emanated by the German Headquarters through their so-called Senior Officer without going through this General Labour Inspectorate”.15
After having overcome many difficulties (as is recorded in a letter dated 19 October sent by Graziani to Bishop Bartolomasi), by that same date the Inspectorate had already set up fourteen provincial inspectorates and had enlisted “a conspicuous number of workers”.16
According to the “Historical Diary”, “The two successive months [following the setting-up of the Inspectorate] indicate a rapid growth of the Institution. As the number of voluntary workers grows, the take-up, initially restricted to the provinces around Rome, is tending to move gradually northwards, so that at this point in time, the end of 1943, the Organisation has a solid framework, which includes five inter-regional inspectors for Lazio, Umbria, Abruzzo and Marche (the so-called Rome belt) and 25 provincial inspectors for Tuscany, Piedmont, Lombardy and Venice region, with 55 battalions of workers. The labour force has risen to 20,805 and the number of working days has reached the remarkable total of 142,000. This result is to everyone's benefit: it satisfies the requirements of the German and Italian Armed Forces, of the Todt organisation and of Italian civil bodies.”17
Amedeo Osti Guerrazzi (2016)
Note 1
Diario storico della Organizzazione Paladino, 1 ottobre 1943.
Note 2
Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Presidenza del consiglio dei ministri RSI, b.84bis
Note 3
Diario storico della Organizzazione Paladino, 6 ottobre 1943.
Note 4
Diario storico della Organizzazione Paladino, pp.1-2
Note 5
Diario storico della Organizzazione Paladino, 8 ottobre 1943
Note 6
Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Segreteria particolare del Capo della Polizia RSI, b.27.
Note 7
Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Presidenza del consiglio dei ministri RSI, b.84bis.
Note 8
Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Presidenza del consiglio dei ministri RSI, b.84bis
Note 9
“Il Lavoro fascista”, 9-10 ottobre 1943.
Note 10
Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Presidenza del consiglio dei ministri RSI, b.84bis.
Note 11
Diario storico della Organizzazione Paladino, 12 ottobre 1943.
Note 12
Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Presidenza del consiglio dei ministri RSI, b.84bis.
Note 14
Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Presidenza del consiglio dei ministri RSI, b.84bis.
Note 15
Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Presidenza del consiglio dei ministri RSI, b.84bis.
Note 16
Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Presidenza del consiglio dei ministri RSI, b.84bis.
Note 17
Diario storico della Organizzazione Paladino, 12 ottobre 1943, p.3.
Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Presidenza del consiglio dei ministri RSI, b.84bis
The workers' re-education camps (AEL) were set up in 1940 by the Gestapo in order to re-educate individuals accused of acts of industrial sabotage or who, for some reason, were held to be “reluctant” to work. In effect, these camps were also a means of exploiting forced labour. It has been estimated that in Germany and the German-occupied territories around 200 Arbeitserziehungslager had been set up in which around 500,000 people had been imprisoned.
During the Second World War the Germans established prisoner of war units known as Bau-und Arbeits Battaillon (shortened to B.A.B.). The B.A.B. were made up on average of 600 prisoners of war who were used as forced labour. The distinguishing feature of these forced labour units was that they were mobile; unlike the prisoners who were being held in the Stalag, these workers were not stationed in a specific location but were moved around according to necessity.
The I.G. Farben Company was founded in 1925 from the merger of several different German industries. During the Second World War it was the main producer of chemicals for Nazi Germany. I.G. Farben made more use of forced labour than any other industry, particularly during the construction of the plants at Auschwitz. The directors of I.G. Farben were among the accused at the Nuremberg Trials of 1947/48. At the end of the war the decision was taken to split up the industry into its original component parts.
The Arbeitskommando were work camps detachments for prisoners who had been captured by the Germans. Usually made up of a few hundred prisoners, they were set up near to places of employment (factories, mines, agricultural establishments etc.). They were run from a central Stalag (prisoner of war camp), which may have been responsible for hundreds of work detachments. The work detachments for Allied prisoners of war were visited on a regular basis by representatives of the Red Cross.
The Military Work Inspectorate was set up in October 1943 with the aim of organising a workforce which was to construct territorial defences for the Italian Republic of Salò and repair the damage caused by air raids. Known as the “Organizzazione Paladino” (Paladino Organisation) after its founder and commanding officer, and operating in strict collaboration with, and at times directly employed by, the Germans, it took on several tens of thousands of workers.
The Todt Organisation was begun in Germany at the end of the 'Thirties with the aim of setting up a workforce which would build military defences. The idea of Fritz Todd, who was also its director until his death in 1942, during the war it exploited forced labour in German-occupied countries. In Italy it played a fundamental role in the construction of defences along the Appenines in support of the Wehrmacht, employing tens of thousands of men.
Born in Scilla (Reggio Calabria) in 1890, he volunteered for the Corps of Engineers as a telegraphist in 1907. In 1908 he rose to the rank of sergeant, a rank he held throughout the War in Libya. In 1914 he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and during the First World War he was made captain.
Afterwards he remained in the Armed Forces and in 1932 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1936 he took part in the War in Ethiopia, during which he was promoted to the rank of colonel.
In the Second World War, he returned to Italy after participating in the Greek campaign and was assigned to the Bolzano Corps. In 1942 he was promoted to brigader general. After the armistice he joined the Italian Social Republic for which he created the Military Labour Inspectorate.
He finally retired in 1945 and in 1970 he was awarded the honorary grade of major general.
He died in 1974.
Fritz Sauckel, born in 1894, was a local Nazi party official. In 1942 he was nominated plenipotentiary for the organisation of work throughout all the German-occupied territories. In practice, he was responsible for the compulsory engagement of forced labour. In Italy his organisation tried to round up hundreds of thousands of men to send to the German Reich, with scarce results. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to death, the sentence being carried out in 1946.
Albert Speer, born in 1905, was an architect who enjoyed an excellent personal relationship with Adolf Hitler. Even though he was not an ardent Nazi, he was the brains behind the staging of the Party parades, thereby assuring for himself the esteem and trust of the dictator. In 1942, after the death of Fritz Todt, he was put in charge of the Ministry of Arms and Munitions, which oversaw the Todt organisation. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to twenty years imprisonment. He died in London in 1981.
A German prisoner of war camp. The living conditions in the Stalag varied considerably according to the nationality of the prisoners (Allied, Russian, Italian military internees, etc.)
Fritz Todt was a German engineer who was responsible, in the 'Thirties, for building the motorway system as desired by Hitler. At the end of the 'Thirties he set up the Todt Organisation, with the aim of supplying forced labour to be used in the building of defences along the French border. During the war his organisation oversaw the use of forced labour in the occupied territories. He died in a plane crash in 1942.
The Gemeinschaftslager, like the Wohnlager, were unsupervised camps for foreign workers, while the Arbeitslager were supervised. Generally speaking, the concept of forced labour is applied only to the latter, but at the present time historians are undoubtedly tending to review the concept of forced labour, extending it to include work situations which are apparently free but in reality are forced. More specifically, the current discussion tends to be orientated towards a concept of forced labour which includes these three distinctive elements:
- from a legal point of view, it is impossible for the worker to dissolve the relationship with his employer
- from the social point of view, the possibilities of significantly influencing employment conditions are limited
- there is a high mortality rate, which indicates a higher than average workload and a provision of means of sustenance below the necessary requirements.
See: [https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/geschichte/auslaendisch/begriffe/index.html]
The workers' re-education camps (AEL) were set up in 1940 by the Gestapo in order to re-educate individuals accused of acts of industrial sabotage or who, for some reason, were held to be “reluctant” to work. In effect, these camps were also a means of exploiting forced labour. It has been estimated that in Germany and the German-occupied territories around 200 Arbeitserziehungslager had been set up in which around 500,000 people had been imprisoned.
During the Second World War the Germans established prisoner of war units known as Bau-und Arbeits Battaillon (shortened to B.A.B.). The B.A.B. were made up on average of 600 prisoners of war who were used as forced labour. The distinguishing feature of these forced labour units was that they were mobile; unlike the prisoners who were being held in the Stalag, these workers were not stationed in a specific location but were moved around according to necessity.
The I.G. Farben Company was founded in 1925 from the merger of several different German industries. During the Second World War it was the main producer of chemicals for Nazi Germany. I.G. Farben made more use of forced labour than any other industry, particularly during the construction of the plants at Auschwitz. The directors of I.G. Farben were among the accused at the Nuremberg Trials of 1947/48. At the end of the war the decision was taken to split up the industry into its original component parts.
The Arbeitskommando were work camps detachments for prisoners who had been captured by the Germans. Usually made up of a few hundred prisoners, they were set up near to places of employment (factories, mines, agricultural establishments etc.). They were run from a central Stalag (prisoner of war camp), which may have been responsible for hundreds of work detachments. The work detachments for Allied prisoners of war were visited on a regular basis by representatives of the Red Cross.
The Military Work Inspectorate was set up in October 1943 with the aim of organising a workforce which was to construct territorial defences for the Italian Republic of Salò and repair the damage caused by air raids. Known as the “Organizzazione Paladino” (Paladino Organisation) after its founder and commanding officer, and operating in strict collaboration with, and at times directly employed by, the Germans, it took on several tens of thousands of workers.
The Todt Organisation was begun in Germany at the end of the 'Thirties with the aim of setting up a workforce which would build military defences. The idea of Fritz Todd, who was also its director until his death in 1942, during the war it exploited forced labour in German-occupied countries. In Italy it played a fundamental role in the construction of defences along the Appenines in support of the Wehrmacht, employing tens of thousands of men.
Born in Scilla (Reggio Calabria) in 1890, he volunteered for the Corps of Engineers as a telegraphist in 1907. In 1908 he rose to the rank of sergeant, a rank he held throughout the War in Libya. In 1914 he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and during the First World War he was made captain.
Afterwards he remained in the Armed Forces and in 1932 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1936 he took part in the War in Ethiopia, during which he was promoted to the rank of colonel.
In the Second World War, he returned to Italy after participating in the Greek campaign and was assigned to the Bolzano Corps. In 1942 he was promoted to brigader general. After the armistice he joined the Italian Social Republic for which he created the Military Labour Inspectorate.
He finally retired in 1945 and in 1970 he was awarded the honorary grade of major general.
He died in 1974.
Fritz Sauckel, born in 1894, was a local Nazi party official. In 1942 he was nominated plenipotentiary for the organisation of work throughout all the German-occupied territories. In practice, he was responsible for the compulsory engagement of forced labour. In Italy his organisation tried to round up hundreds of thousands of men to send to the German Reich, with scarce results. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to death, the sentence being carried out in 1946.
Albert Speer, born in 1905, was an architect who enjoyed an excellent personal relationship with Adolf Hitler. Even though he was not an ardent Nazi, he was the brains behind the staging of the Party parades, thereby assuring for himself the esteem and trust of the dictator. In 1942, after the death of Fritz Todt, he was put in charge of the Ministry of Arms and Munitions, which oversaw the Todt organisation. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to twenty years imprisonment. He died in London in 1981.
A German prisoner of war camp. The living conditions in the Stalag varied considerably according to the nationality of the prisoners (Allied, Russian, Italian military internees, etc.)
Fritz Todt was a German engineer who was responsible, in the 'Thirties, for building the motorway system as desired by Hitler. At the end of the 'Thirties he set up the Todt Organisation, with the aim of supplying forced labour to be used in the building of defences along the French border. During the war his organisation oversaw the use of forced labour in the occupied territories. He died in a plane crash in 1942.
The Gemeinschaftslager, like the Wohnlager, were unsupervised camps for foreign workers, while the Arbeitslager were supervised. Generally speaking, the concept of forced labour is applied only to the latter, but at the present time historians are undoubtedly tending to review the concept of forced labour, extending it to include work situations which are apparently free but in reality are forced. More specifically, the current discussion tends to be orientated towards a concept of forced labour which includes these three distinctive elements:
- from a legal point of view, it is impossible for the worker to dissolve the relationship with his employer
- from the social point of view, the possibilities of significantly influencing employment conditions are limited
- there is a high mortality rate, which indicates a higher than average workload and a provision of means of sustenance below the necessary requirements.
See: [https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/geschichte/auslaendisch/begriffe/index.html]
The workers' re-education camps (AEL) were set up in 1940 by the Gestapo in order to re-educate individuals accused of acts of industrial sabotage or who, for some reason, were held to be “reluctant” to work. In effect, these camps were also a means of exploiting forced labour. It has been estimated that in Germany and the German-occupied territories around 200 Arbeitserziehungslager had been set up in which around 500,000 people had been imprisoned.
During the Second World War the Germans established prisoner of war units known as Bau-und Arbeits Battaillon (shortened to B.A.B.). The B.A.B. were made up on average of 600 prisoners of war who were used as forced labour. The distinguishing feature of these forced labour units was that they were mobile; unlike the prisoners who were being held in the Stalag, these workers were not stationed in a specific location but were moved around according to necessity.
The I.G. Farben Company was founded in 1925 from the merger of several different German industries. During the Second World War it was the main producer of chemicals for Nazi Germany. I.G. Farben made more use of forced labour than any other industry, particularly during the construction of the plants at Auschwitz. The directors of I.G. Farben were among the accused at the Nuremberg Trials of 1947/48. At the end of the war the decision was taken to split up the industry into its original component parts.
The Arbeitskommando were work camps detachments for prisoners who had been captured by the Germans. Usually made up of a few hundred prisoners, they were set up near to places of employment (factories, mines, agricultural establishments etc.). They were run from a central Stalag (prisoner of war camp), which may have been responsible for hundreds of work detachments. The work detachments for Allied prisoners of war were visited on a regular basis by representatives of the Red Cross.
The Military Work Inspectorate was set up in October 1943 with the aim of organising a workforce which was to construct territorial defences for the Italian Republic of Salò and repair the damage caused by air raids. Known as the “Organizzazione Paladino” (Paladino Organisation) after its founder and commanding officer, and operating in strict collaboration with, and at times directly employed by, the Germans, it took on several tens of thousands of workers.
The Todt Organisation was begun in Germany at the end of the 'Thirties with the aim of setting up a workforce which would build military defences. The idea of Fritz Todd, who was also its director until his death in 1942, during the war it exploited forced labour in German-occupied countries. In Italy it played a fundamental role in the construction of defences along the Appenines in support of the Wehrmacht, employing tens of thousands of men.
Born in Scilla (Reggio Calabria) in 1890, he volunteered for the Corps of Engineers as a telegraphist in 1907. In 1908 he rose to the rank of sergeant, a rank he held throughout the War in Libya. In 1914 he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and during the First World War he was made captain.
Afterwards he remained in the Armed Forces and in 1932 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1936 he took part in the War in Ethiopia, during which he was promoted to the rank of colonel.
In the Second World War, he returned to Italy after participating in the Greek campaign and was assigned to the Bolzano Corps. In 1942 he was promoted to brigader general. After the armistice he joined the Italian Social Republic for which he created the Military Labour Inspectorate.
He finally retired in 1945 and in 1970 he was awarded the honorary grade of major general.
He died in 1974.
Fritz Sauckel, born in 1894, was a local Nazi party official. In 1942 he was nominated plenipotentiary for the organisation of work throughout all the German-occupied territories. In practice, he was responsible for the compulsory engagement of forced labour. In Italy his organisation tried to round up hundreds of thousands of men to send to the German Reich, with scarce results. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to death, the sentence being carried out in 1946.
Albert Speer, born in 1905, was an architect who enjoyed an excellent personal relationship with Adolf Hitler. Even though he was not an ardent Nazi, he was the brains behind the staging of the Party parades, thereby assuring for himself the esteem and trust of the dictator. In 1942, after the death of Fritz Todt, he was put in charge of the Ministry of Arms and Munitions, which oversaw the Todt organisation. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to twenty years imprisonment. He died in London in 1981.
Fritz Todt was a German engineer who was responsible, in the 'Thirties, for building the motorway system as desired by Hitler. At the end of the 'Thirties he set up the Todt Organisation, with the aim of supplying forced labour to be used in the building of defences along the French border. During the war his organisation oversaw the use of forced labour in the occupied territories. He died in a plane crash in 1942.
The workers' re-education camps (AEL) were set up in 1940 by the Gestapo in order to re-educate individuals accused of acts of industrial sabotage or who, for some reason, were held to be “reluctant” to work. In effect, these camps were also a means of exploiting forced labour. It has been estimated that in Germany and the German-occupied territories around 200 Arbeitserziehungslager had been set up in which around 500,000 people had been imprisoned.
During the Second World War the Germans established prisoner of war units known as Bau-und Arbeits Battaillon (shortened to B.A.B.). The B.A.B. were made up on average of 600 prisoners of war who were used as forced labour. The distinguishing feature of these forced labour units was that they were mobile; unlike the prisoners who were being held in the Stalag, these workers were not stationed in a specific location but were moved around according to necessity.
The I.G. Farben Company was founded in 1925 from the merger of several different German industries. During the Second World War it was the main producer of chemicals for Nazi Germany. I.G. Farben made more use of forced labour than any other industry, particularly during the construction of the plants at Auschwitz. The directors of I.G. Farben were among the accused at the Nuremberg Trials of 1947/48. At the end of the war the decision was taken to split up the industry into its original component parts.
The Arbeitskommando were work camps detachments for prisoners who had been captured by the Germans. Usually made up of a few hundred prisoners, they were set up near to places of employment (factories, mines, agricultural establishments etc.). They were run from a central Stalag (prisoner of war camp), which may have been responsible for hundreds of work detachments. The work detachments for Allied prisoners of war were visited on a regular basis by representatives of the Red Cross.
The Military Work Inspectorate was set up in October 1943 with the aim of organising a workforce which was to construct territorial defences for the Italian Republic of Salò and repair the damage caused by air raids. Known as the “Organizzazione Paladino” (Paladino Organisation) after its founder and commanding officer, and operating in strict collaboration with, and at times directly employed by, the Germans, it took on several tens of thousands of workers.
The Todt Organisation was begun in Germany at the end of the 'Thirties with the aim of setting up a workforce which would build military defences. The idea of Fritz Todd, who was also its director until his death in 1942, during the war it exploited forced labour in German-occupied countries. In Italy it played a fundamental role in the construction of defences along the Appenines in support of the Wehrmacht, employing tens of thousands of men.
Born in Scilla (Reggio Calabria) in 1890, he volunteered for the Corps of Engineers as a telegraphist in 1907. In 1908 he rose to the rank of sergeant, a rank he held throughout the War in Libya. In 1914 he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and during the First World War he was made captain.
Afterwards he remained in the Armed Forces and in 1932 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1936 he took part in the War in Ethiopia, during which he was promoted to the rank of colonel.
In the Second World War, he returned to Italy after participating in the Greek campaign and was assigned to the Bolzano Corps. In 1942 he was promoted to brigader general. After the armistice he joined the Italian Social Republic for which he created the Military Labour Inspectorate.
He finally retired in 1945 and in 1970 he was awarded the honorary grade of major general.
He died in 1974.
Fritz Sauckel, born in 1894, was a local Nazi party official. In 1942 he was nominated plenipotentiary for the organisation of work throughout all the German-occupied territories. In practice, he was responsible for the compulsory engagement of forced labour. In Italy his organisation tried to round up hundreds of thousands of men to send to the German Reich, with scarce results. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to death, the sentence being carried out in 1946.
Albert Speer, born in 1905, was an architect who enjoyed an excellent personal relationship with Adolf Hitler. Even though he was not an ardent Nazi, he was the brains behind the staging of the Party parades, thereby assuring for himself the esteem and trust of the dictator. In 1942, after the death of Fritz Todt, he was put in charge of the Ministry of Arms and Munitions, which oversaw the Todt organisation. He was tried at Nuremberg and condemned to twenty years imprisonment. He died in London in 1981.
Fritz Todt was a German engineer who was responsible, in the 'Thirties, for building the motorway system as desired by Hitler. At the end of the 'Thirties he set up the Todt Organisation, with the aim of supplying forced labour to be used in the building of defences along the French border. During the war his organisation oversaw the use of forced labour in the occupied territories. He died in a plane crash in 1942.