The organisation of forced labour in Italy (1943-1945)
The Paladino Organisation in 1944 and 1945
At the beginning of January 1944 the 'Paladino' was officially recognised not only by the Ministry of Defence but also by the Government.
On 4 January the press was able to publish the decree by which Mussolini officially instituted the General Labour Inspectorate, giving it considerable prominence:
1) The General Labour Inspectorate has been set up under the direct control of the National Ministry of Defence. 2) The General Labour Inspectorate has been given the task of organising the recruitment of Italian workers for military purposes and will be responsible for the propaganda, organisation, training for work and for all the assistance required by the workers who have enrolled. 3) The General Labour Inspectorate, in order to address and resolve all the problems regarding institutional procedures referred to in Article 2 of this decree, will collaborate with the various appropriate ministries and with the fascist labour organisations. It will rely on their specific knowledge relating to these problems, for which it enjoys full powers. The decisions made by the organs of the General Labour Inspectorate are definitive and cannot be appealed against. 4) When requested by the General Labour Inspectorate, the qualified ministerial experts and the fascist labour associations will transfer the minimum number of civil servants and other personnel necessary to ensure the best possible functioning of the ministry itself. 5) The General Labour Inspectorate is authorised to issue norms and dispositions within its sphere of operations. The heads of province and leaders of labour associations must follow the instructions issued by the General Labour Inspectorate where problems regarding the recruitment of labourers for work of a military nature are concerned. 6) As from today, all current laws and regulations regarding the enrolment of workers for military purposes are held to be valid provided that they do not conflict with this decree. […]”1
In practice, with this decree Paladino became the sole person responsible for organising recruitment and for deciding the use to which the workers would be put outside the factory environment. In other words: every type of labour involving the construction of fortifications or the maintenance of military structures, such as roads, trenches, bunkers, barracks and landing strips, was the responsibility of the Paladino Organisation, which also had the task of recruiting workers, allocating them to units, and conducting relations with private firms who supplied materials, mechanical and transport equipment and specialised personnel. In practice, the Paladino was also responsible for finding unskilled labourers to carry out heavy work requiring brute force.
This was a tactic typical of the Social Republic, that is, to set up new agencies under a plenipotentiary, with the result that these plenipotentiaries came into conflict both with the traditional bureaucracy and also with differing German plenipotentiaries. Moreover, the Italian agencies had to deal with not only their German counterparts but also with the military commanders of the Wehrmacht who, often at even the lowest levels, took it upon themselves to issue orders or to countermand those Italian orders already given.
Probably in order to facilitate relationships not only between the ruling body of the Inspectorate and the Capital of the RSI (and therefore with Mussolini) but also with the German authorities, on 27 December 1943 the headquarters of the Paladino had been moved to S. Bonifacio in the Province of Verona.2
On 26 January 1944, to emphasise the fact that the Inspectorate was a military organisation, its name was changed to “Military Labour Inspectorate”. At the end of January it was constituted as follows: seven interregional inspectors and two groups of battalions, 56 ordinary and 19 reserve.3
In that month it had been able to supply a workforce of 29,475 men for a total of 282,000 working days.
On 15 February 1944 the RSI passed a new law regarding the obligatory work service and as a consequence both volunteers and conscripts came under the jurisdiction of the Inspectorate.
At the end of March 1944 the number of workers had reached 42,444 and by the end of May had risen to 44, 435, of whom there were 1,282 officers and 837 non-commissioned officers. Between April and May the number of working days totalled 1,138,770.4 With the Allied advance in June and the fall of Rome, those battalions which had been employed in the “Rome Belt” were withdrawn to the Appenines to begin the construction of the Gothic Line. For this purpose, on 3 June 1944, “following unexpected orders which had arrived from Germany, [the Inspectorate] was put at the disposition of the army detachment commanded by von Zangen. This notice was given by General Toussaint to Colonel Buhlann, and also in this latest communication”.5
The Paladino was at that point totally under the control of the German Armed Forces, for which it continued to supply manpower throughout the territory of the Republic.
The organisational effort, considering the enormous difficulties faced, was truly remarkable. At the end of November 1943 the Paladino was organised in 5 interregional inspectorates with offices in Verona, Milan, Turin, Florence and Rome; 25 provincial inspectorates with offices in Verona, Treviso, Padua, Turin, Milan, Florence, Siena, Pistoia, Pisa, Arezzo, Bologna, Parma, Ferrara, Reggio Emilia, Rome, Aquila, Perugia, Macerata, Grosseto, Ascoli Piceno, Littoria, Rieti, Viterbo, Terni and Teramo. In total there were 55 battalions composed of 20,805 labourers. The battalions were based in Legnago, Rovigo, Mantova, Verona, Vicenza, Treviso, Padua, Venice, Turin, Alessandria, Vercelli, Biella, Novara, Casale Monferrato, Genoa, Cuneo, La Spezia, Savona, Milan, Piacenza, Como, Bergamo, Monza, Legnano,Pavia, Cremona, Varese, Lecco, Sondrio, Brescia, Firenze, Siena, Pistoia, Pisa, Arezzo, Bologna, Parma, Ferrara, Reggio Emilia, Apuania, Lucca, Forlì, Modena, Ravenna, Rome, Aquila, Perugia, Macerata, Grosseto, Ascoli Piceno, Littoria, Rieti, Viterbo, Terni, and Teramo.6
On 26 January the territorial organisation underwent a series of transformations: the inter-regional inspectorates were turned into inter-provincial inspectorates whilst the provincial inspectorates were dissolved. The Paladino was therefore made up of inter-provincial inspectorates with offices in Verona for the Triveneto (Veneto, Trentino-Alto-Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia), Milan (Lombardy), Turin (Piedmont), Genoa (Liguria), Bologna (Emilia), Florence (Tuscany) and Rome (Marche, Umbria, Abruzzo and Lazio). On 31 January 1944 there were seven interregional inspectorates made up of 56 ordinary and 19 reserve battalions. Most of the workers came under Rome (17,406), followed by Florence (5,768), Verona (3,564), Bologna (1,881), Genoa (438), Milan (278), and Turin (140). The number totalled 29,475. The administration was run by its own inspectorate, set up on 16 February 1944.
By 29 February 1944 the workforce had increased: there were 1,114 officers, 522 non-commissioned officers and 34,201 labourers of whom 3,983 were based in Verona, 1,042 in Milan, 620 in Turin, 587 in Genoa, 4,713 in Bologna, 5,945 in Florence and 17,312 in Rome.
At the end of March the workforce was distributed as follows: 1,201 officers, 683 non-commissioned officers and 42,444 labourers, of whom 3,070 were based in Verona, 1,523 in Milan, 1,235 in Turin, 867 in Genoa, 6, 111 in Bologna, 6,668 in Florence and 22,970 in Rome.
With a break-out predicted on the southern front, General Toussaint began to prepare for the transformation of the territorial Inspectorate into a mobile force, with a more elastic structure similar to a military one. Toussaint's project was discussed in a meeting held in Verona at which the most important relevant German officials were present (Kretzschmann, Buhlmann, Jache and Hafner). It proposed the formation of battalions made up of 660 men divided into three companies and six “centuries”. The battalions would have their older workers stationed at fixed points whereas the younger workers, aged between 16 and 46 years, would form mobile units. On 10 June the order arrived that all labourers were to be moved towards the “work zone”, that is, to construct the Gothic Line. Marching orders arrived on 15 June. “An order has come from the German authorities, passed from Col. Buhlmann to the interregional Inspectorates by means of couriers, stating that at midnight on the 16th all battalions are to be ready to leave within three hours of receipt of instructions, arranged in advance by the German authorities, without their having previously consulted the Inspectorate.”7
Apparently these orders spread panic among the labourers. According to Toussaint, who sent for Paladino to come to his headquarters, a large number of workers had deserted fearing that the transfer was in fact a deportation to Germany, and asked him to create some counter-propaganda to reassure them. Notwithstanding the attempts to contain this desertion, at the end of June the inter -provincial Inspectorate based in Rome was dissolved and with it the thirty battalions based in the provinces in Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany.
The lack of overall documentation relating to the Inspectorate means that it is not possible to analyse what happened in the following months. The organisational chart of November 1944 only permits an understanding of the reorganisation carried out in the autumn of that year. The Inspectorate was organised in macro regions: in the Triveneto with its headquarters in Verona (in the Communal Schools, San Pietro di Lavagno); in Lombardy, with its headquarters in Milan (via Vincenzo Monti n.5); and in Piedmont and Liguria with its headquarters in Turin (via Accademia Albertina n.24). Evidently in Emilia the Inspectorate was no longer present, possibly having been substituted entirely by the Todt. The three Inspectorates were in turn subdivided into six inter-provincial Inspectorates with headquarters at S. Pietro di Lavagna (I°); Castelnuovo Veneto (II°); Milan (III°); Brescia (IV°); Turin (V°); and Casale Monferrato (VI°). There were in all 30 battalions. Taking into consideration the fact that the medium strength of each battalion was generally speaking between 300-400 men, the total strength of the Inspectorate could not have been more than between 10,000-12,000 workers.8
What appears to be fairly clear from existing documentation is that the Paladino had simply become an appendix of the Todt, and operated under the direct control and command of the German hierarchy.9
Amedo Osti Guerrazzi (2016)
“Il Giornale d’Italia”, 4 gennaio 1944.
Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Segreteria particolare del Capo della Polizia RSI; b.27.
note 3
Diario Storico della Organizzazione Paladino, p.6
note 5
Diario Storico della Organizzazione Paladino, pp.7-8.
note 6
Diario Storico della Organizzazione Paladino, 3 giugno 1944.
note 4
Diario Storico della Organizzazione Paladino, pp.7-8.
note 9
Lutz Klinkhammer, L’occupazione tedesca in Italia, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino, 1997, p.146.
note 7
Diario Storico della Organizzazione Paladino, 15 giugno 1944.
note 8
Archivio dell’Ufficio Storico dello Stato maggiore dell’Esercito, fondo I1, b.44.
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.