Commenting on the gravity of the task of fighter production, and the importance of the months of April and May 1944, he said—
“That will be decided in six to eight weeks. If we succeed in this, then we will once again have time to carry out all the other tasks and jobs of this war and can also achieve greater successes in other fields.”
Were the “other fields” tasks to be accomplished in the sowing of seeds of the Reich’s culture?
The defendant has said that he knew nothing about the living conditions of the foreigners. It is obvious that he knew something, for he said—
“I also ask you to be of considerable assistance in the question of lodging in connection with the question of the relationship between our military personnel at the airfields and the workers. If we bring the people over to work, we also have to provide them with places to live. As far as foreigners are concerned, this has to be done in some suitable way. They cannot be put together with our people, just like that. But they should not be so far away from the airfield that one cannot get them to work at all.”
No, don’t let them live with the native workers, but be sure that they live close enough to the factory so that they can put in their 72 hours a week!
The importance of the fighter program is emphasized when he said—
“There are no laws of bureaucracy, there are no regulations, there is nothing at all as important as the task of winning the war.”
The defendant could not agree with anything that Hitler stood for after March 1943. He was trying to get out, but here he speaks of Hitler and his henchmen—men who, he said, were leading Germany to certain catastrophe:
“It is quite surprising how the population has endured this thing so far and how it always gets on its feet again when it is led in the proper way by true leaders who, thank God, are present among the people through the Party and the rest of the leadership. But you must not forget, gentlemen, war nerves have reached a point which cause us in the leadership group worry.”