Bertha Krupp
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Bertha Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach (29 March 1886 – 21 September 1957) was a member of the
Krupp The Krupp family (see pronunciation), a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, is notable for its production of steel, artillery, ammunition and other armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG (Friedrich Krup ...
family, Germany's leading industrial dynasty of the 19th and 20th centuries. As the elder child and heir of
Friedrich Alfred Krupp Friedrich Alfred Krupp (17 February 1854 – 22 November 1902) was a German steel manufacturer and head of the company Krupp. He was the son of Alfred Krupp and inherited the family business when his father died in 1887. Whereas his father had ...
she was the sole proprietor of the Krupp industrial empire from 1902 to 1943, although her husband,
Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Gustav Georg Friedrich Maria Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach (born Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach; 7 August 1870 – 16 January 1950) was a German foreign service official who became chairman of the board of Friedrich Krupp AG, a heavy industry congl ...
, ran the company in her name. In 1943 ownership of the company was transferred to her son Alfried.


Biography

Bertha Krupp was born in
Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...
, home of the Krupp family and their company since the 16th century. Her mother was Baroness Margrethe von Enden. At the time of Bertha's birth the company was owned and managed by her grandfather
Alfred Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...
. Upon his death the following year, her father Friedrich inherited ownership and control. Her sister Barbara was born in 1887 (d. 1972), but the absence of a male heir put the future of the company in doubt. Friedrich Krupp died in 1902, leaving Bertha as the heiress to the Krupp interests. However, it was considered unsuitable for a woman to exercise control over the vast Krupp coal, steel and state-connected armaments empire.
Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...
personally led a search for a suitable husband for Bertha and successfully proposed Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach, a professional diplomat of good family and a familiar figure at the Kaiser's court. They were married on October 15, 1906 and Bertha became sole owner of the company with Gustav adding the name Krupp to his surname and assuming executive control of the company. Barbara received a large cash settlement in lieu. Gustav and Bertha had eight children: Alfried (1907–1967), Arnold (1908-1909), (1910–1940), (1912–1998), (1913–1987), (1916–1985), (1920–2005) and (1922–1945). Of these only Alfried as the eldest son took the surname Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach. The others used the surname von Bohlen und Halbach. Claus and Eckbert were killed on active service in World War II, and Harald spent ten years in captivity in the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the Krupp company manufactured large mortars that the German army used to bombard forts in Belgium and France. German troops nicknamed these ''Dicke Bertha'' ("Big Bertha") after Bertha Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach. Allied troops used the translated name, " Big Bertha," to refer to all German long-range artillery, particularly those that shelled
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in 1918.Triana, J. Ruiz, J
The secret weapon of the great war, Revista Cubana de Física
35(1) 2018, págs. 60-66.
However, "Big Bertha" entered the lexicon due to the
Paris Gun The Paris Gun (german: Paris-Geschütz / Pariser Kanone) was the name given to a type of German long-range siege gun, several of which were used to bombard Paris during World War I. They were in service from March to August 1918. When the guns w ...
, a piece of German artillery which was constructed of three artillery barrels welded together. It had a range of 75 miles and its appearance was a major surprise to Parisians in 1917 who had previously only come under attack from German aircraft, since previous artillery reached a maximum of thirty miles. After Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach suffered a stroke in 1941, his health declined sharply. In 1943
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
issued a decree known as the ''
Lex Krupp The Lex Krupp was a document signed into law on 12 November 1943 by Adolf Hitler that made the Krupp company a personal company with specially regulated rules of succession, in order to ensure that the Krupp family enterprise remain intact. Histor ...
'', which passed full ownership of the Krupp empire—which was vital to Germany's war effort—from Bertha to her son Alfried, who then assumed control of the company. Bertha took Gustav to a family estate in
Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
, where they remained until the end of the war. In 1945 Gustav was indicted as a war criminal, but was declared medically unfit to stand trial. He died in 1950. Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach was indicted on charges of
crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...
in relation to the Krupp company's use and mistreatment of concentration camp inmates as slave labour in Krupp factories—particularly at the Berthawerk, a factory near the Markstadt forced labour camp, which was named after Bertha. He was sentenced to twelve years in prison and the confiscation of all his property. He served five years in prison before being freed in 1951 when the US High Commissioner in Germany,
John J. McCloy John Jay McCloy (March 31, 1895 – March 11, 1989) was an American lawyer, diplomat, banker, and a presidential advisor. He served as Assistant Secretary of War during World War II under Henry Stimson, helping deal with issues such as German sa ...
, granted clemency, after deciding that there was no danger of a Nazi revival. In 1951 Bertha Krupp returned with Alfried to Essen, where Alfried resumed control of the company and rapidly restored it to a dominant position in the German economy, (although it no longer made armaments). She had become a much-loved figure in the city, known for her charitable work and her frequent visits to injured or ill Krupp workers and their families. Bertha Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach died in Essen on 21 September 1957. She was buried in the family crypt outside the city.


Legacy

By the time of Bertha's death she had 5 living children, and many grandchildren, but only Alfried and his only child
Arndt Arndt or Arnd is a German masculine given name, a short form of Arnold, as well as a German patronymic surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Arndt Bause (1936–2003), German composer of popular songs *Arndt von Bohlen und H ...
had the right to use the Krupp surname.
Arndt Arndt or Arnd is a German masculine given name, a short form of Arnold, as well as a German patronymic surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Arndt Bause (1936–2003), German composer of popular songs *Arndt von Bohlen und H ...
(1938–1986) had, in 1966, refused to take his family's inheritance, so he lost the right to the Krupp surname. Because of that, with the death of Bertha in 1957 and, later, with the death of her son Alfried in 1967, the Krupp surname became extinct. (Any members of the family with the Krupp name are cousins whose common ancestor dates back to the early 19th century or earlier.)


References


Further reading

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, Bertha 1886 births 1957 deaths
Bertha Bertha is a female Germanic name, from Old High German ''berhta'' meaning "bright one". It was usually a short form of Anglo Saxon names ''Beorhtgifu'' meaning "bright gift" or ''Beorhtwynn'' meaning "bright joy". The name occurs as a theonym, s ...
People from the Rhine Province