Transcript of some part of BIOS Report 273

Precisely: Part I, section 3

Second Report on

Hollerith record machines in Germany

pages 38 - 58

I. Preamble

II. Maschinelles Berichtewesen (MB) of Speer Ministry

1. Organisation

2. Location of Hollerith machines

3. Nature of work

III. Use of Hollerith Machines in the Wehrmacht

1. General

2. German Army

3. Suppliers

IV. Other Government and Party Agencies using Hollerith Machines

V. Individual users and suppliers

1. Hollerith machine users

2. Suppliers

VI. Index of Personalities

1. General

2. Staff of Hollerith Distric Office,

Frankfurt/Main

VII. Use of Hollerith machines in the occupation

I. Preamble

This report brings to light the fact that Hollerith machines are being used to a greater extent than previous information indicated. Both the Wehrmacht and government agencies as well as business and industry availed themselves of this vital control medium, now dispersed all over the Reich.

Circumstances prevented plans which called for wide-spread use of machine in Wehrmacht administrative units from materializing, but the scope of the project indicates the importance attached to it.

PW B was Hollerith GmbH dealer in Frankfurt from 1938 until he joined MB in August 1944. He was the Hollerith expert for the branch in Rüstungsinspektion IX.

PW C is a mathematician and statistician who worked for the Heerespersonalamt from 1931 and joined MB in November 1943 as liaison officer to the Feldwirtschaftsamt, OKW. He devised and organized statistical methods of utilizing record machines.

The information that follows is as of 1^st April 1945, when PWs were captured.

Note: The following contractions are used in this report:

H for Hollerith e.g. H-machines

for Hollerith machines, H-experts

for Hollerith experts.

MB for Maschinelles Berichtewesen of the SPEER Ministry, other machine record agencies are specifically designated, e.g. MB-Luft, MB-SS.

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Maschinelles Berichtewesen (MB) of the SPEER Ministry.

Central office. The central office for machine records of SPEER Ministry (Maschinelles Berichtewesen des Reichsministers für Rüstung und Kriegsproduktion) is located at Berlin SW, Kommandantenstr. 78. The telephone number is 164011.

The central office assumed its present form in 1937. Its functions consisted of handling administrative and personnel matters relating to the use of record machines. In the summer of 1942 a directive issued by Feldmarschall von Keitel called for plans and ideas to extend the scope of H-machines in other governmental agencies and to inaugurate their use in the Wehrmacht. MB was then made the central planning agency for all machines in use in government agencies. In addition to its previous functions, MB set up an H-machine station of its own to do special work for various other agencies.

1. Organisations

MB constituted a department (Amtsgruppe) in the Reichsministerium SPEER, Head of organisation was Obstlt Passow.., whose staff consisted of six Hollerith experts..... and PW A. Passow was also referred to as "Leiter MB/OKW". The agency was organised as follows:

Abt. I. Personal und Beschaffung (personnel and procurement). This section handled personnel and personnel procurement for MB and its branch offices. Head Herr Barrenstein

Abt III. Maschinen Steuerung (allocation control). This section allocated H-machines to private industry. Beyond fixing the order of applications on its priority list, the department did little in the way of systematizing control. Its decisions were often contested by the Rüstungslieferungsamt (Armament Supply Dept.) and relations between the two bodies were invariably strained. A constant shortage of machines rendered this section’s efforts ineffective. The section head Obstlt Dr. Springer.. The department probably had lists of all H-machine users in the Reich.

II. Maschinelles Berichtewesen (MB) of the SPEER Ministry continued)

Abt IV. Auswertung (statistics). This department compiled and evaluated statistics on H-machines, submitting its findings to SPEER. Regierungsrat Dr. Lauersen.., assisted by Dr. Grotius.., was in charge.

Abt V. Lochkartenbetrieb (punched card section). This section had charge of the H-machines working for MB. It was evacuated separately. A successor to Obstlt Huebner .., former head of the section, who volunteered for front-line duty in March ‘45, was never appointed.

Abt VII. Schulung (training). This section was inaugurated to train personnel for MB, but beyond a lecture course, it accomplished little. The office continued to rely on personnel trained by Hollerith for planning and executing its projects. Section head was Regierungsrat Baurat Herbst.. .

Branch Offices. In addition to the central agency in Berlin, MB had district offices (Bezirkstellen) in each Rüstungsinspektion. These branch offices handled district statistics and reproted them to the main office. Their reports were put at disposal of the Rüstungsinspektion upon request.

Organization of the branch office was similar to that of the central office, except that its departments were called Referate, instead of Abteilungen. The Referate were as follows:

II. Maschinelles berichtewesen (MB) of the SPEER Ministry (continued).

Referat I. Allgemeines (general office work)

Referat II. Nummerung (keys)

Referat III. Kartei (files)

Referat IV. Auswertung (evaluation)

Referat V. Betrieb (machine section)

The average Bezirksstelle had the following equipment.

1 Alphaboth Tabellier Maschine and Kartendoppler.

10 Alphabeth Locher and Prüfer

1 D-11 Tabelliermaschine mit Sumenlochung.

2-3 Sortiermaschinen

8 Magnet Locher and Prüfer

The numbers of machines available at a Bezirkstelle office varied with the size of the district served and the amount of work to be done.

The average Bezirkstelle had appr. 1-2 H-specialists and 40-50 other employees. 1-2 Wehrmacht officers were in charge of each branch office.

2. Location of H-Machines

According to PWs, most H-machines have been evacuated to bomb-safe areas or hide-outs. Locations given in the list below are those known to PWs as of 1 April ‘45. PWs point out that in some cases the machines may be subsequently have been removed. Specific addresses are given wherever possible; many of the towns listed are small that tracing the machines should present little difficulty.

Deliberate destruction of H-machines is held unlikely by PWs, although at least on instance of the removal of parts to put a machine out of commission is known to them. According to PWs, Obstlt Passow issued an order specifically stating that machines and equipment were not to be destroyed. PWs however, admit the possibility of attempts prior to Allied occupation to render the machines useless by removing such parts as the condenser and concealing them in the care of some inconspicious employee, at the same time destroying records of real value.

PW gives the last known location of the chief operations unit of Abt. V, MB, as Wendisch-Rietz, nr. Berlin. (Note: the name of Wendisch-Rietz, was changed by the Nazis to Märkisch-Rietz, but the town is still referred to by its old name and appears as such on GSGS maps). At Wendischh-Rietz a punching shop was set up in Otto’s Hotel, and the tabulating machines were installed in Schloss Schwarzhorn.

According to PW a total of 16 sets of tabulators, punchers, and sorting machines were kept at this station. later, half of these were shipped by rail to Neudietendorf, Nr. ERFURT, where they arrived about 20 March ‘45.

The sets were to be installed in the basement of the Riebeck Brewery, a hide-out selected when plans were made for the creation of a Central Wehrmachts Allotment Agency.

II Maschinelles Berichtewesen (MB) of the SPEER Ministry (continued)

PW give the following list present H-machines locations in conjunction with Bezirksstellen headquarters.

3. Nature of work

Records. Hollerith-machines punched card records of the various reports discussed below are located at Wendisch-Rietz, near Berlin (PR station Scharmüzelsee). These, in the opinion of PWs, are not likely to be destroyed outright or sabotaged later. Obtaining keys for their interpretation should not present a major problem PWs say. In each case keys were usually printed on the questionnaire relating to the subject covered, and no effort was made to keep them secret.

PWs point out that the Summenkarten (total cards) give only general data, e.g. on the subject of industrial firms they would not supply information on individual firms.

Employment Reports. Tabulation of employment figures and related data (Beschäftigungsmeldung) for business and industry was started in 1942. All industrial and business organizations submitted monthly status reports to the Bezirksstelle of their Rüstungsinspektion. The Bezirksstelle tabulated this data with H-machines, consolidated it, and sent the Summenkarten on to the main office of MB. On the basis of this data Abt IV in turn made employment reports covering the entire Reich for SPEER Ministry.

Firms were classified for employment report and other purposes as follows:

A - Engaged in war production

B - Firms belonging to the Wehrmacht

C - All other establishments with more than 10 employees

data was compiled on:

Sex of employees

Nationality (German or foreign)

Workers: skilled, semi-skilled, apprentices

Age groups

Military status

Hours worked

Workers used for actual production

Gains and losses of personnel

Reports on A and B industries were sent to Berlin on the 13^th of every month: reports on C on the last day of the month.

PWs do not know what specific purpose the reports served or how they were evaluated. They were forwarded to the Amtsgruppe Arbeitseinsatz of the Rüstungsamt, where a commentary was added.

Inasmuch as the employment reports did not cover professions and vocations, they did not give complete picture of the distribution of German manpower. The increase or decrease in the number of personnel employed in the major industries, however, provided a rough index of the manpower elsewhere.

The original punch cards of employment reports were filed in WENDISCHRIETZ, duplicates being kept at each Bezirksstelle. The employment file had a 3-digit key, conspicuously printed on each questionnaire submitted to the individual firms covered.

Report on Coal. Monthly reports were made on the coal situation and forwarded to Berlin. Only reports on consumption and estimated consumption of Class A firms using more than 20 tons per month were made. The purpose of these reports was to give the SPEER Ministry a basis for computing industrial coal requirements.

Keys for the coal reports were not classified They were available in any Bezirksstelle. The Information recorded on the punch cards included the following data: Kind of coal used, origin, method of transportation employed in hauling.

The coal reports total cards do not list firms individually and in PWs’ opinion are therefore only of historical value.

Military status Reports. (Wehrpflichtigenmeldung).

These reports were started in April 1943 and discontinued on 30 Nov. 44. They were designed to determine the number of men of combat age available for the fighting forces, in industrial and business organizations. Reports were to be made every three months on the basis of submitted questionnaires. It was found that the reports could not be kept up to date because of the failure of some firms to respond. Under these circumstances the information received was not sufficient to permit its use for drafting personnel for the Wehrmacht, and the project was abandoned.

Industrial Reports (Industrie Berichte).

These reports covered the number of workers in and the output of Class A (war production) firms. The reports appeared every three months for a period of a year and were discontinued in Dec. 44. According to PWs the project was not properly organized and lacked, among other things, a satisfactory key.

Pig Iron and Steel Statistics (Werkstoff Statistik). Beginning in mid-1944 every firm using more than a specific amount of iron and steel, was required to report its former stocks, gains and losses, and stocks on hand, as well as the estimated rate of consumption. For this purpose iron and steel were classified according to quality in appr 20 categories.

This survey was designed to give the Speer Ministry a basis for allocation. Reports were sent from Bezirksstellen to Berlin every three months. one copy and punch cards were sent to Reichsgruppe Industrie in Gera.

The key was printed on each questionnaire submitted. Reports for the last quarter of 1944 could not be completed, according to PWs.

Index of Firms (Reichsbetriebskartei). Every MB Bezirksstelle kept an index of all firms in its Rüstungsinspektion. The address of each firm was shown; the firms were classified according the product. The index was kept in the form of punch cards, duplicates of which were sent to the MB office in Berlin.

PWs doubt that camouflaged industries and firms were indexed.

Similar indexes, but not of the punch card types, are maintained at the Gauwirtschaftkammern and Rüstungsinspektionen.

Raw Materials Record (Rohstoffabrechnung). PWs are not entirely familiar with this project, the recording end of which was handled by MB at Wendisch-Rietz. Cards and documents relating to it were kept at Wendisch-Rietz, where KREMER (..) directed operations.

This project was started in 1939 for the Rüstungskontor GmbH (no details on this organization are available). The bookkeeping department of this organization moved from Berlin and set up in a barracks at Wendisch-Rietz. Only a "rear echelon" remained in Berlin, Kommandantenstr. 78. Head of the Rüstungskontor in Wendisch-Rietz was Herr Skierke.

Every firm engaged in war prouction reported its requirements in raw materials through Rüstungskontor GmbH, which allocated requested materials after a thorough study of each case. Reports of demand were transferred to punch cards so that allocations to individual firms, once established could proceed automatically.

Prof. Hetlage, Speer’s former deputy, played an important role in preliminary arrangements for this project.

!

The work is done with 2-3 sets of H-machines. PWs say that the decline in Germany’s resources was apparent from the dwindling numbers of cards received in present months. PWs believe the key for the priorities record was kept at Wendisch-Rietz.

!

Progress Reports of Ammunition Parts Products (Fertigungsbericht). These reprots were handled by Bezirksstelle IV and probably all other Bezirksstellen. The statistics were not evaluated by MB, which only performed the card punch process and forwarded the cards to the MB agency at Wittenberg-Lutherstadt (exact location unknown), the agency for which the work was done.

Wittenberg sent a quota card (Sollkarte) to the Bezirksstelle on which the production quotas of individual firms, listed according to government number (Reichsbetriebsnummer), were given. Each individual firm submitted a report of actual production with reasons why the quota was not fulfilled. This information was punched and sent to Wittenberg.

The report was called "Mun I - Bericht", and covered only firms producing ammunition parts. According to PWs a report called "Muni II" was also published but the Bezirksstelle was not identified with it.

"Mun I - Bericht" was first issued in 1942. Reports had to be in Wittenberg on 28^th of each month. The report was discontinued on 28 Feb:45 because of disruption of communications.

MB representatives in Wittenberg were Gefr WULFF and Heereskriegsrat WAGNER (no further details available).

!

The key was probably kept in Wittenberg. It consisted of a 21 letter "Kurzbezeichnung".

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III. Use of HOLLERITH MACHINES in the Wehrmacht.

1. General.

A directive of Feldmarschall von Keitel issued in the summer of 1942 provided that the MB was to draw up plans and make suggestions for the use of H-machines in the Wehrmacht.

!

Despite the directive the project encountered considerable opposition. High-ranking military officials, indisposed toward having their military records marred by "new-fangled ideas", discouraged the idea of putting administration on a machine-record basis. Opposition to the move also came from certain administrative officials, whose pleasant existence industy Schreibstuben was engaged, and who, according to PWs, preferred complicated and outmoded administrative processes to combat duty.

!

A report by US Gen. Brehon Somervall on the role of IBM machines in the American Army caused considerable excitement in the Wehrmacht administrative circles. Passow favored mobile H-machine units similar to those which the American Army had found efficient.

PWs point out, however, that widespread use of H-machines in the Wehrmacht was precluded by the limited number of Wehrmacht agencies and functions which were as yet on a business machines basis. Nevertheless, MB made some progress in introducing H-machines to the Wehrmacht.

!

All three PWs feel that MB apparatus was not properly utilized. PWs complain that H-machines were used to an average of only 20% of their capacity. They attribute failure to make full use of H-machines to the fact that Wehrmacht administration was far from being Hollerith-minded.

!

2. German Army.

Feldzeuginspektion (Fz In). The task of putting control of the various depots (Heersezeugämter) of the German QM General on a machine-records basis was started in March 1942. It was still in operation in April 45.

Under the new system stock reports of all Heeresämter were reported monthly by items to the Fz In in Berlin. The information was then transferred to punch cards. By means of H-machines consolidated reports on stocks, shortages, and gains and losses in individual items of weapons and equipment could then be made. The consolidated reports were used as a basis of stocks to the Heereszeugämter, and placing of orders to industry. Ammunition was not accounted for under this system.

As March 45 the machine records of the Feldzeuginspektionen were still located in Berlin-Düppel, as were the H-machines used bu the Fz In. PW A heard that it was planned to evacuate records and machines to salt mines via Stassfurt.

The following H-machines were used to maintain Fz In records:

2 D-11

2 Rechenlocher

1 American-model Tabelliermaschine, which had been captured in France

3 HSM sorters

30-40 Locehr and Prüfer

Completed records were filed with Fz In, OKH, in Jüterbog.

The work of putting the QM General on a machine-records basis was organized by Herbert THIEL (..), Regierungsrat HERBST (>>), and PW A, Lt. Schabacker (..), assisted by two specialists and 60 girls, was last charge of project.

A key for stock reports of Heereszeugämter was developed by PW A and HERBST by simply numbering the already-existent Heereszeugamt report forms. The key is printed on stock report forms of the Heereszeugämter.

High-ranking officials of Fz In were heard to say that with the increased difficulties caused by Allied bombing the use of H-machines was an invaluable measure. As a result, Hollerith personnel was exempted from the draft to some extent.

Zentral Archiv für Wehrmedizin (ZAW). HQ and H-machines of the ZAW were located in the Reichstag building, Berlin. The ZAW employed H-machines as follows:

A card was made out for every German soldier sho was in a military hospital. The soldier’s medical history was entered on the card. Each ailment had a keyed number, the appropriate number being punched on the soldiers card. The key used did not correspond with the numerical key of ailments used for the Soldbuch and for regular hospital records. The Hollerith key covered several hundred ailments.

H-machines were also used to transfer information from hospitals on to medical statistics cards. Information obtained from these cards and from individual case-history cards was used in medical statistical research. Statistics were thus obtained on such subjects as the length of cure of various diseases, the merits of certain hospitals and of types of therapeutic methods.

The only copy of the key for these medical records was in ZAW offices in Berlin. In the event that key could not be found it would have to be reconstructed by Stabarzt Dr. HOSEMANN (..), of the University of Berlin, the expert who worked on the development of the key.

Statistics on Military Vehicles (Chef WKW). An attempt to index all military vehicles was begun some time around the start of the war. The project was discontinued in Jan. 45, because status reports on vehicles, which were rarely correct, finally ceased coming in at all. The incomplete files were considered useless.

Indexing was done by MB in Wendisch-Rietz, where the complete records are presumably still located.

Statistical Survey of Officers Candidates.

A statistical survey on officer candidates, inaugurated in 1927, was put on a H-machine basis in 1937. A report of background data of each active officer candidate was prepared by MB for the Inspektion für Eignungsuntersuchung of the Heerespersonalamt. Included on each reports were the following facts: distinction of origin, profession of father, religion, number of sisters and brothers, place of birth, and home town. This data was to serve as a basis for determining what type of background produced the best officers.

Following the start of the war, identical reports were also made of all Reserve Officers. Reports on candidates and Reserve officers were filed both by name and by age group.

An MB staff maintained these records right in the Inspektion HQ. Duplicate files were maintained at the Kriegsschule, Potsdam-Bornstedt.

These records cover all German officer candidates, numbering appr. 150,000. Regular officers candidates were grouped by ages, while reserve officer candidates were indexed by by schools (Lehrgängen). The files did not, however, give information on the whereabouts or disposition of a candidate subsequent to the preparation of his individual report.

The keys, which are simple and not coded, use only one and to-digit numbers. The keys are printed on the original questionnaire completed by the candidates. All questionnaire dated 1942 and earlier are filed at the Heeresarchiv, Potsdam.

a bombproof site in Neudietendorf was chosen as central machine records office for allotments for the entire Reich.Construction work began in May 44.

The task of conversion, which PW A directed, began in May 1944 in Wkr III. In this Wehrkreis the 27 local bookkeeping offices (Standortgebührnisstellen) were consolidated into one central Wkr office, first located in Meseritz but transferred to the BLEIDORN Kaserne in Jüterbog because of Russian advance.

The next step in conversion to the Hollerith basis was the development of a key sustem covering all banks in Germany. Since allotment payments were made by banks or postal money order, according to the whishes of the beneficiary. A payment number (Besoldungsnummer) was assigned each soldier for whom allotments were paid. This number was to appear on each allotment check or money order. An additional card made out for each alloter, which was used until a change in the soldier’s status (e.g. promotion) occurred, had a twofold purpose: to advice the alloter of payments made, and for internal bookkeeping.

It was found that of the total of 400,000 allotments paid in Wkr III, 50% were paid by money order, 25% through saving banks, and the remainder through commercial banks.

Opposed by many Wehrmacht officials (apparently only grounds of self-interest, however) and by various banks, the conversion process required six months to be completed. There were also other obstacles: the supply of paper, approval of new check forms, and shortages in power and transportation facilities. PWs estimate, however, that as a result of experience gained in Wkr III, re-organization in other Wkr Gebürnisstellen could be accomplished within a period of months.

PW A claims to have organized the work of conversion in Wkr III and to have been consulted on the new, simplified Finance Law (Gebührnisgesetz) adopted by the Wehrmacht as of 1 Jan: 45. head of the Gebürnisstelle of Wkr III was Stabsintendant HENNING (..). Hollerith work there was in charge of Gerorg MICHEL (..) and six H-specialists, assisted by a working force of 40.

The following H-machines were used by the gebührnisstelle:

3 D-11

2 Bull tabulators

4 Hollerith sorters

2 Rechenlocher

2 Kartenmischer

25 Locher and Prüfer

A copy of the key covering commercial banks is now in the Gemeindehaus, Oberaula, among the personal belongings of PW A. According to PW A, other copies of this key can be found at the Central Office (Zentralinstitut) of Banks, Berlin, and at the Gebührenstelle Wkr III, Jüterbog.

Copies of the key covering the 5,000 savings banks are in the Deutsche Girozentrale, Berlin, at Jüterbog, and among the belongings of PW A.

Copies of the key for the approximately 20,000 Genossenschaften (cooperative societies) are at the Deutsche Zentralgenossenschaftkasse, Berlin, and at Jüterbog.

Plans for other Wkr Gebührenstellen. It was planned that the next Gebührnisstelle to be converted would be that of Wkr IX, which was located at Herschfeld H-personnel and H-machines for this work were to be supplied by Bezirkstelle IX and MB, situated in the Evangelisches Gemeindehaus, Oberaula, nr Herschfeld. The reorganisation process had been in progress for only a week when the town and PWs were captured on 1 April 45.

Acting on the authority of Feldmarschall Keitel’s order, Passow proceeded to organize machine record agencies for both Luftwaffe and Navy. Both passed from MB control as soon as the job was finished.

Luftwaffe. MB-Luft, the air force machine record agency, was located at Berlinchen, nr Berlin, with a branch at the Reichssportfeld in Berlin.

Head of MB-Luft was Fliegerstabsing HEIMERDINGER; Fliegerstabsing KLEIN is mentioned as a member of his staff. No details are available on either of these men.

Marine. The navy had an allotment office for naval peronnel at Nordhausen/Thüringen, and a finance office for personnel at Rudolfstadt, both using the H-system. Other naval offices equipped with H-machines were in Eberswalde, nr Berlin, and in Berlin, Nicolsburgerstr.

Government naval yards used H-machines which were under the control of MB-Marine. The machines were kept at the yards.

used H-machines. Prof. Rauschelbach was in charge of operations there.

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Continuing with pages 78-82

This section is only a small part of Dr. Lauersen’s (interrogation)report made in the Officers’ Transit Camp (Offiziersammellager) Turmweg, in Hamburg, date 31.8.1945. The subject was: Statistics in the Reich

The MB offices mentioned below were at the disposal of the MB Central Office for carrying out the tasks entrusted to it by many different enquirers:

MB-Bezirkstelle (District Office) I: Königsberg/Pr. Head Capt. Hilgenfeldt.

MB-Bezirkstelle II; Stettin Head: Major Janner

The Machinery was in Stettin-Krakow(?) and was transferred in March 1945 to Gustow in Mecklenburg. Whether this transfer was actually carried out, is not known to the undersigned. It is possible that some of the machines were accommodated in the Charlottenthal district near Krakow/Mecklenburg.

MB-Bezirkstelle III: Berlin, Head: Capt. Dr. Ott.

Until the end of November 1943 the MB District Office was established in the house of the Armaments Inspectorate III in Berlin. The Machine installations were then transferred to Zorndorf in Mark Brandenburg. A further transfer took place in February 1945 in a westerly direction. It is not known to the undersigned where the machines ultimatley got to. In all probably some of them were sent to Friesack north of Nauen, and others to Neudietendorf in Thuringia (between Erfurt and Gotha).

Mb-Bezirkstelle IV: Tetschen-Liebwerd, Head Capt. May

No transfer took place according the knowledge of the undersigned. Formerly the District office IV had its seat with the Armament Inspection IV in Dresden.

MB-Bezirkstelle V: Emsdetten, Head: Ing. Jacobs

Former seat Münster as far as is known to the undersigned, part of the "Machine-Park" of the MB-D.O.VI was transferred in Jan./Feb. 1945 to the Hanover District. Exact address he is unable to supply.

Bezirkstelle VII: Munich Chief: Major Rahl

Later transferred to Aichach (between Augsburg and Ingolstadt). The undersigned was informed by the district office, since dismissed by the Americans, that the MB Betriebstelle VII has been handed over to the American Authorities and that it has been affiliated to the Bavarian statistical Landesamt. Here Rahl further reported that all important statistical material and files were destroyed shortly before the Americans arrived at Aichach. Amongst these were also the results of the monthly regional employee returns, sent to Aichach by order of the MB-Zentrale (central office) by all MB-Bezirkstellen.

MB-Bezirkstelle VIII: Breslau Chief: Reg.Baurat Schneider

The machinery was in Trachtenberg near Breslau until January and was transferred from there into the district of Sorau. The machines were not, however, installed there, but transported to Tetschen-Liebwerd to the MB-Betriebstelle IV after a short time. The undersigned does not know whether some of them were brought to Neudietendorf.

MB-Bezirkstelle IX: Kassel, Chief: Captain Schulte

The MB-Bezirkstelle IX had been transferred from Kassel to Oberaula. Hersfeld district by the end of 1943. There was no further transfer of this office before the capitulation.

MB-Bezirkstelle X: Hamburg, Chief: Major Kruse

The machinery of this office was at Bentesdorf. All machines were there when the British troops marched in, and were confiscated by the occupation-authorities.

The Abwicklungsstelle (winding-up office) of the MB-Bezirkstelle X is in Hamburg at the Wehrkreis-Kommando X (Wi. V.O.) (Army district command). Some of the machines have been collected from Bentesdorf by a British party, as reported to the British liaison officer Lt. Barnett. The undersigned does not know where these machines were taken.

MB-Bezirkstelle XIa: Hannover, Chief: Capt. Dr. Spatzier

The machinery was transferred to Elze near Hannover. Probably no further transfer there has taken place.

MB-Bezirkstelle XIb: Magdeburg, Chief: Capt Speiermann

The machinery was in Gommern. A transfer to the west bank of the Elbe was planned in March 1945. The undersigned does not know whether this transfer was actually carried out.

MB-Bezirkstelle XII: Wiesbaden, Chief: Captain Schniewind

The machinery was in Bad Schwalbach. A transfer to Oberaula (MB-Bezirkstelle IX) was planned for the end of March/beginning of April 1945. The undersigned does not know whether the machines were actually collected. They probably did not arrive at Oberaula.

MB-Bezirkstelle XIII: Nürnberg (Nuernberg) Chief: Captain Dr.ing. Bahmeyer (Dr.eng)

The office was transferred from Nuernberg to Anzbach by the end of 1943. A further transfer was planned in April 1945. The undersigned does not know whether this transfer has actually taken place. In Anzbach were also some machines of the training department of the Mb-Zentrale, where engineers of the MB organization were trained. It was planned to transfer these machines too; the undersigned however cannot state whether this plan actually materialized.

The machinery was transferred to Langenlois. Probably no further transfer has taken place.

The machinery was dismantled by the end of March 1945 and packed for dispatch. The dispatch has not been carried out, however, so that it can be assumed that the machines in Zoppot have fallen into Russian hands.

As far as is known to the undersigned, no evacuation has been carried out.

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By order of Reichsminister SPEER, all departsments of the Reich Ministry Speer carried out a vigorous reduction of personnel in the first half of April 1945. The department MB was, according to orders, split up into a Group North and a Group South.