Fritz Todt (; 4 September 1891 – 8 February 1942) was a German construction engineer and senior figure of the Nazi Party. He was the founder of '' Organisation Todt'' (OT), a military-engineering organisation that supplied German industry with forced labour, and served as Reich Minister for Armaments and Ammunition in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

early in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, directing the entire German wartime military economy from that position. An engineer by training, Todt served in the ''

Luftstreitkräfte The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Combat Forces)known before October 1916 as (The Imperial German Air Service, lit. "The flying troops of the German Kaiser’s Reich")was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-langu ...

'' during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and was a recipient of the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

. He joined the Nazi Party in 1922 and the ''

Sturmabteilung The (; SA; or 'Storm Troopers') was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. I ...

'' (SA) in 1931. Steadily rising through the ranks, Todt became Inspector General for German Roadways after

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

came to power. In that capacity, he was responsible for the construction of the German autobahns. In 1938, he founded ''Organisation Todt'' and directed large-scale engineering projects such as the ''

Westwall The Siegfried Line, known in German as the ''Westwall (= western bulwark)'', was a German defense_line, defensive line built during the late 1930s. Started in 1936, opposite the French Maginot Line, it stretched more than from Kleve on the bor ...

'' (Siegfried Line) and the

Atlantic Wall The Atlantic Wall () was an extensive system of coastal defence and fortification, coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defense (military), d ...

. In 1940, he was appointed Reich Minister of Armaments and War Production. During World War II Todt made extensive use of forced labour, with as many as 800,000 labourers from German-occupied territories in the service of his organisation. Todt was killed in February 1942 near Rastenburg when his aircraft crashed shortly after take-off. He was succeeded as ''Reichsminister'' and head of the OT by

Albert Speer Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer (; ; 19 March 1905 – 1 September 1981) was a German architect who served as Reich Ministry of Armaments and War Production, Minister of Armaments and War Production in Nazi Germany during most of W ...

Early life and education

Todt was born in

Pforzheim Pforzheim () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany. It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the ...

in the

Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden () was a German polity on the east bank of the Rhine. It originally existed as a sovereign state from 1806 to 1871 and later as part of the German Empire until 1918. The duchy's 12th-century origins were as a Margravia ...

(now in

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

) to Emil Todt (1861–1909) and his wife, Elise, née Unterecker (1868–1935). His father owned a small ring factory. In 1910, he volunteered for one-year military service. From 1911 to 1914, Todt studied engineering at Technical Hochschule of Munich and

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

, graduating with a

Diplom A ''Diplom'' (, from ) is an academic degree in the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and a similarly named degree in some other European countries including Albania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...

degree in construction engineering from the latter.Stefan Kuh
Fritz Todt
Deutsches Historisches Museum online, 17. September 2015 (German) During

, he served initially with the infantry and then as front line

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

observer within the ''

'' (the German Air Forces – DLSK), winning the

. After the war he resumed his studies and graduated in 1920.

Career

In 1921, he initially worked on waterpower stations for the Grün & Bilfinger AG, Mannheim company and the same year for the civil engineering company where he worked until 1933. In January 1922, he joined the '' Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (NSDAP), or Nazi Party. In 1931, he joined the ''

'' (SA), which was then commanded by Ernst Röhm. He rose steadily through its ranks, attaining the rank of SA-'' Obergruppenführer'' in September 1938. In 1932, Todt completed his thesis at Technical Hochschule of Munich ''Fehlerquellen beim Bau von Landstraßendecken aus Teer und Asphalt'' ("Sources of defects in the construction of tarmac and asphalt road surfaces") and became a Doctor of Engineering ( Dr.-Ing.). On 5 July 1933, five months after

became ''Reichskanzler'', Todt was appointed ''Generalinspektor für das deutsche Straßenwesen'' (Inspector General for German Roadways). In November, this public authority was raised to the status of a "Supreme Reich Authority" (''Oberste Reichsbehörde'') outside the hierarchy of Reich Ministries; Todt was subordinated directly to Hitler. Alan S. Milward characterized this phase as follows: "His personal views on business questions and, what was more important, the success of the motorway project kept Todt in the inner circle of the Führer. At the same time, his deliberate pose as a technical expert, as a man without interest in internal power struggles, saved him from the adversaries of the more important party leaders for a long time". He was given the task of organizing a new construction company for the motorways ('' Reichsautobahnen''). He edited the journal ''Die Strasse'', which was a publication of his agency from 1934 to 1942. For his work on the autobahnen, Todt was recognized with the German National Prize for Art and Science by Hitler, next to Ernst Heinkel, Ferdinand Porsche and Willy Messerschmitt. Hitler donated the award during 1937, devised as a replacement for the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

, which Hitler forbade Germans from accepting starting during 1936. In December 1936, he became ''Leiter des Hauptamts für Technik in der Reichsleitung der NSDAP'' (Director of the Head Office for Engineering in the National Directorate of the NSDAP) and, in December 1938, ''Generalbevollmächtigter für die Regelung der Bauwirtschaft'' (General Plenipotentiary for the Regulation of the Construction Industry) in the Four Year Plan. At the beginning of

in Europe, he was also appointed to the rank of ''

Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...

'' of the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

. In May 1938, he initiated the '' Organisation Todt'' (OT), joining government firms, private companies and the ''

Reichsarbeitsdienst The Reich Labour Service (''Reichsarbeitsdienst''; RAD) was a major paramilitary organization established in Nazi Germany as an agency to help mitigate the effects of unemployment on the Economy of Nazi Germany, German economy, militarise the wo ...

'' (Reich Labour Service). OT used up to 800,000 forced labourers ('' Zwangsarbeiter'') from countries that Germany occupied during World War II. Todt was responsible for the construction of the "West Wall" (commonly named the " Siegfried Line" in English-speaking countries) to defend the ''Reich'' territory. On 17 March 1940, Todt was appointed ''Reichsminister für Bewaffnung und Munition'' (Minister for Armaments and Munitions) which meant he managed the entire military economy. In October 1940, Todt formed a colonial working group focused on road construction in preparation for what Nazi leaders saw as an imminent return of Germany's African colonies. Todt wanted to use Fascist Italy's empire as a model for the development of a Nazi colonial empire. After the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Todt was appointed to manage the restoration of the infrastructure there. In late July 1941, he was named ''Generalinspekteur für Wasser und Energie'' (Inspector General for Water and Energy). During that year, he became increasingly distant from the commanders of the ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

'', in particular from ''Reichsmarschall''

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

, the ''Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe'' (Commander-in-chief of the

). After an inspection tour of the Eastern Front, Todt complained to Hitler that without better equipment and supplies for the armed forces, it would be better to end the war against the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. Hitler rejected such an assessment and continued the offensive against the Soviets.

Death

On 8 February 1942, soon after take-off from the ''Wolfsschanze'' (" Wolf's Lair") airfield near Rastenburg, in

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

, Todt's Heinkel He 111 aircraft crashed and he was killed. He was buried in the Invalids' Cemetery in the Scharnhorst-Strasse in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. Posthumously, he became the first recipient of the newly created ''Deutscher Orden'' (" German Order"). It has been suggested that Todt had been the victim of an assassination orchestrated by Hitler, but that has never been confirmed. A possible motive for killing Todt was that he had flown to the Wolf's Lair to recommend that Hitler sue for peace with the

. Todt's production figures suggested that the German economy was not able to support the defeat of Russia and, by February, it was apparent Hitler's plan to rapidly subdue Russia in a Blitzkrieg was not succeeding. Todt's successor as ''Reichsminister'' was

, whom Hitler awarded an ''Org.Todt'' ring during May 1943. Speer was supposed to be on the same plane as Todt. In his autobiography, Speer mentioned a Reich Air Ministry inquiry into the airplane accident, which he said ended with the sentence: "The possibility of sabotage is ruled out. Further measures are therefore neither requisite nor intended". Speer, who was present but had declined to travel on the same flight because he had been kept up late the night before, talking with Hitler, thought that the wording was "curious".

Legacy

On 8 February 1944, the second commemoration of Todt's death, Hitler awarded the ''Dr.-Fritz-Todt-Preis'' as a Badge of Honor of the Nazi Party for "Innovative accomplishments, which are of great importance for the

Volk The German noun ''Volk'' () translates to :wikt:people, people, both uncountable in the sense of ''people'' as in a crowd, and countable (plural ''Völker'') in the sense of ''People, a people'' as in an ethnic group or nation (compare the E ...

community because of the improvement of their weapons, ammunition and military equipment, and the saving of labor, raw materials and energy". The Badge of Honor came with a material prize and a certificate, was awarded as a medal made of gold, silver, or steel. The Golden Award of Honor was presented by Hitler in person upon proposal by the responsible

Gauleiter A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...

, upon the joint proposal of Robert Ley, the director of the corresponding Deutsche Arbeitsfront and NSDAP leaders, and the director of the "Main office for Technology in the NSDAP", Albert Speer.

Major awards

* 1918

* 1937 Werner von Siemens Ring * 1938 German National Prize for Art and Science * 1939 Grand Cross of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...

Der deutsche Baumeister 12/1939. * 1942 German Order

References

External links

Tribute to Fritz Todt. Story RG-60.3910, Film ID: 2691
Deutsche Wochenschau, February 1942 (in German). Duration 8:35 min. Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive, USHMM. Funeral of Fritz Todt at 01:05:12. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Todt, Fritz 1891 births 1942 deaths 20th-century German architects Architects in the Nazi Party Burials at the Invalids' Cemetery Engineers from Baden-Württemberg German Army personnel of World War I German civil engineers Government ministers of Nazi Germany Holocaust perpetrators Luftstreitkräfte personnel Major generals of the Luftwaffe Military logistics of Nazi Germany People from Pforzheim People from the Grand Duchy of Baden Prussian Army personnel Recipients of the German Order (decoration) Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914) SA-Obergruppenführer Technical University of Munich alumni Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1942 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Poland Werner von Siemens Ring laureates