Interesting version of DWM's company history

Vlim · 09-19-2009, 12:47 PM

Alf,

Yes, the founding family of the Loewe company was (and is) of Jewish origin. The management of DWM was largely Jewish as well. One of the reasons why the Quandt family did well in the 1930s was that they weren't. Quandt did rely upon the capital of Jewish bankers and financers, though.

An interesting, and largely unresearched, development was that when Hitler came to power in 1933, the management of large corporations were arrested and interned for a couple of months. DWM's (and AEG, Varta, etc...) Günther Quandt spent some months in jail and also baron Paul von Gontard (former DWM, Daimler-Benz, etc..) was arrested in the same time. According to the memoires of Goebbels (who had married Günther Quandt's ex-wife, Magda), the arrests were the result of tax evasion charges.

Personally, I think these arrests only served to show the German captains of industry who were in charge now. The message largely being 'work with us, shut up and make money, or face the consequences'.

The Jewish owners and board members were forced to abandon their jobs and many fled abroad. Those who chose to stay rarely survived.

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09-19-2009, 12:47 PM	#14
Vlim Moderator Lifetime LugerForum Patron Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Europe Posts: 5,053 Thanks: 1,036 Thanked 3,991 Times in 1,205 Posts	Alf, Yes, the founding family of the Loewe company was (and is) of Jewish origin. The management of DWM was largely Jewish as well. One of the reasons why the Quandt family did well in the 1930s was that they weren't. Quandt did rely upon the capital of Jewish bankers and financers, though. An interesting, and largely unresearched, development was that when Hitler came to power in 1933, the management of large corporations were arrested and interned for a couple of months. DWM's (and AEG, Varta, etc...) Günther Quandt spent some months in jail and also baron Paul von Gontard (former DWM, Daimler-Benz, etc..) was arrested in the same time. According to the memoires of Goebbels (who had married Günther Quandt's ex-wife, Magda), the arrests were the result of tax evasion charges. Personally, I think these arrests only served to show the German captains of industry who were in charge now. The message largely being 'work with us, shut up and make money, or face the consequences'. The Jewish owners and board members were forced to abandon their jobs and many fled abroad. Those who chose to stay rarely survived.