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Title: BMW dynasty breaks silence over Nazi past
Source:
UK Telegraph
URL Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new ... ks-silence-over-Nazi-past.html
Published: Sep 29, 2011
Author: Fiona Govan
Post Date: 2011-09-29 14:13:17 by Sebastian
Keywords: None
Views: 1632
Comments: 1
The dynasty behind the German car manufacturer BMW has broken its silence over its dark Nazi past and admitted to using forced labourers in its factories and profiting from the "aryanisation" of Jewish businesses. The Quandt family empire, which became a major shareholder in BMW after the Second World War building it up to become one of the most desirable car brands, launched a project to investigate its Nazi-era activities after unpleasant revelations were aired in a 2007 TV documentary. The ensuing research using company files from the 12-year period of the Third Reich has established the depth of collaboration between the family patriarch, Günther Quandt and his son Herbert, and Hitler's regime. "The Quandts were linked inseparably with the crimes of the Nazis," concluded Joachim Scholtyseck, the Bonn historian who compiled and researched the study, "The family patriarch was part of the regime." The 1,200 page report provides details of the practises common at Quandt family factories where an estimated 50,000 slave labourers from concentration camps were used to supply arms contracts to the regime. Hundreds of these labourers died from working in the inhumane conditions and others were executed. The Quandt family empire, which became a major shareholder in BMW after the Second World War building it up to become one of the most desirable car brands, launched a project to investigate its Nazi-era activities after unpleasant revelations were aired in a 2007 TV documentary. The ensuing research using company files from the 12-year period of the Third Reich has established the depth of collaboration between the family patriarch, Günther Quandt and his son Herbert, and Hitler's regime. "The Quandts were linked inseparably with the crimes of the Nazis," concluded Joachim Scholtyseck, the Bonn historian who compiled and researched the study, "The family patriarch was part of the regime." The 1,200 page report provides details of the practises common at Quandt family factories where an estimated 50,000 slave labourers from concentration camps were used to supply arms contracts to the regime. Hundreds of these labourers died from working in the inhumane conditions and others were executed.
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#1. To: Sebastian (#0)
You can say that again.
-------------------------------------
Why don't you make like a tree and get out of here?
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