BMW underwent a transition throughout the National Socialist era, going from a mobility company to an arms manufacturer, and eventually becoming one of the most significant businesses involved in the German war economy. The manufacturing of cars and motorcycles was still going on, but the majority of the company’s sales came from the aero-engine business. To accommodate the need for armaments, new locations were created and manufacturing was dramatically increased. About order to meet the production targets set by the authorities during the war, the company management showed no moral qualms in using a large amount of forced labor and prisoners in concentration camps. Numerous people died from hunger and tiredness while working under such appalling conditions. In addition to bearing a heavy share of the blame for these incidents, BMW surely feels guilty for having committed these crimes. As a result, BMW took part in compensation payments and ordered two academic dissertations to look into this troubling chapter in its own history. The BMW Group is steadfastly dedicated to an inclusive society free from prejudice and discrimination.
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The Holocaust and BMW
On its 100th anniversary in March 2016, the German automaker BMW issued an apology for its involvement in World War II and expressed its “deep regret” for providing Nazis with vehicles and employing slave labor.
On March 16, 1916, the Bavarian Motor Works, also known as Bayerische Motoren Werke, was established in Munich. BMW created the engines for Nazi fighter aircraft like the Focke Wulf FW190 during World War II. The high-performance BMW engines, which replaced the original Mercedes engine, gave German aircraft an aerial advantage over the British and French.
The business claimed that during the National Socialist era of the 1930s and 1940s, BMW AG only served as a supplier to the German arms industry. Forced workers, criminals, and prisoners from concentration camps were hired to help with the production of BMW aero engines as demand escalated.
According to the business, BMW “with the release of a book titled “BMW – A German History,” became the first industrial company to start a public discussion on this period of its history. BMW joined the “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” foundation, which was established in 1999 to provide compensation to former forced laborers.
The Quandt family, who acquired a controlling stake in BMW after the war, further taints the company’s past. Following the publication of a study it had commissioned from historian Joachim Scholtyseck, the Quandt family admitted involvement in Nazi crimes in 2011. The study showed that Gunther Quandt and his son Herbert were responsible for using slave labor, acquiring Jewish businesses, and doing business with the highest levels of the Nazi party.
Gunther Quandt acquired the bulk of the stock in AFA, a business that made batteries for the German military, in 1923. In 1933, he joined the Nazi Party, and four years later, Hitler gave him the role of Wehrwirtschaftsfuhrer, or head of the armed economy.
By using the Nazi effort to “Aryanize” Jewish-owned businesses, Gunther was able to purchase businesses. He then employed an estimated 50,000 slave laborers in his factories that made weapons such ammunition, rifles, artillery, and U-boat batteries. Herbert served as the director of an AFA subsidiary in Berlin that employed Polish women who had been relocated from Auschwitz as well as other female slave laborers.
the author Ray Massey “German automaker BMW apologizes for its involvement in the Second World War and expresses “deep regret” for giving the Nazis automobiles and exploiting slave labor, according to the Daily Mail (March 7, 2016).
What airline is this? BMW owners are incensed by the $18 monthly fee for heated seats.
BMW, a German automaker, acknowledged on Monday that it had “deep regret” for the “enormous suffering” that it had contributed to during World War II by utilizing Nazi slave labor.
BMW AG worked exclusively as a supplier to the German arms industry under the National Socialist dictatorship of the 1930s and 1940s, according to the manufacturer, which made the regretful admission at a celebration in Munich commemorating the illustrious automaker’s 100th birthday.
BMW used Nazi slave labor to provide airplane and motorbike parts for the Nazi war effort during World War II.
Gunther Quandt, the owner of BMW, and his son Herbert reportedly made friends with Hitler and benefited from the Holocaust by receiving enterprises that had been taken from Jews who had been transported to death camps.
“Forced laborers, criminals, and prisoners from concentration camps were hired to help with the production of BMW aviation engines as demand rose. It is still really regrettable how much pain this resulted in and how many people were forced to work “The automaker, whose business name is Bayerische Motoren Werke, or Bavarian Motor Works, said.
Officials claimed that they are continuing efforts that were started in 1983 to confront the organization’s troubled background.
According to a statement from the firm, “BMW AG became the first industrial corporation to launch a public discourse about this chapter of its history with the release of a book entitled “BMW – Eine Deutsche Geschichte (BMW – A German History)”.
The BMW Group has aggressively promoted tolerance, respect, and understanding of other cultures ever since the 1990s.
What did BMW do in World War Two?
By the start of World War II, the Focke Wulf FW190, one of the best German Nazi fighters, is powered by a BMW 801 radial engine, according to Kinney. “Once more, BMW is a key actor in the development and performance of aircraft fighters during the Second World War.”
What occurred to BMW after World War Two?
Heavy bombing of BMW’s plants occurred throughout the conflict, and after the war, production of motor cars and airplanes was forbidden at the company’s remaining West German sites. Once more, the company made bicycles, pots, and pans to survive. BMW resumed making motorcycles in 1948.
What is the BMW’s history?
In 1917, the Munich company Rapp-Motorenwerke was transformed into BMW. Before being refounded as BMW AG in 1922, the firm was incorporated as Knorr-Bremse AG in 1920. It was the successor to the 1916-founded Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG. Therefore, 1916 is regarded as the founding year of BMW.
What aircraft did BMW produce during World War Two?
The BMW 801 was a potent German 14-cylinder air-cooled 41.8-liter (2,550 cu in) radial engine that was produced by BMW and utilized in a number of German Luftwaffe aircraft during World War II. The twin-row engine produced between 1,560 and 2,000 PS in its production versions (1,540-1,970 hp, or 1,150-1,470 kW). With more than 61,000 engines built, it was Germany’s most prolific radial engine during World War II.
The German transport and utility aircraft’s current radial types were to be replaced by the 801 at first. A prerequisite for high performance designs at the period was an inline engine due to its reduced frontal area and resulting lower drag, which was universally accepted among European designers[citation needed]. After Kurt Tank successfully adapted a BMW 801 to a new fighter design he was developing, the 801 gained notoriety as the engine for the renowned Focke-Wulf Fw 190. The BMW 801 radial also paved the way for the adoption of what is now known as an engine control unit: its Kommandogerat engine management system replaced a number of the aviation engine management control parameters of the time, enabling proper engine operation with just one throttle lever.
How did BMW get to prominence?
Another important factor in BMW’s current success is quality and dependability. They value excellence in all they do, including customer connections, product and brand recognition, service, and product quality. Their independence in the corporate sector is another factor contributing to their success.
When did BMW cease producing engine for airplanes?
MUNICH, West Germany (AP) BMW, the West German manufacturer of luxury automobiles, announced Thursday that it is resuming a business it left 31 years ago by forming a joint venture with Britain’s Rolls-Royce PLC to produce aviation engines.
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG announced that it would buy Kloekner-Humboldt-Deutz AG’s (KHD) aerospace technology division and combine the business into a joint venture with Rolls-Royce.
According to BMW, the company’s goal to diversify into new, yet connected, industrial sectors is reflected in the company’s return to airplane engines. The business chose not to provide information about the upcoming transactions.
According to Rolls-Royce, both partners would jointly own the KHD aerospace division.
BMW announced that it will own 50.5 percent of the aviation engine company, which will have its headquarters in Oberursel, close to Frankfurt. The remaining will belong to the British aircraft engine manufacturer.
The joint venture will develop, produce, and market jet engines with a maximum thrust of 20,000 pounds, which power small civilian and military jets with a maximum passenger capacity of roughly 100.
The partnership, known as BMW-Rolls-Royce, will work alongside the British company’s own Tay and Trent jet engine programs, according to a second news release. However, it declared that none of its current engine operations would be integrated into the project.
In order to address evolving airframe and re-engineering needs in the 75-seater-plus (aircraft) class, BMW-Rolls-Royce will next start designing and developing new engines with less than 20,000 pounds of thrust, according to a statement from Rolls-Royce.
According to a BMW spokesman, the KHD aerospace division, known as KHD Luftfahrttechnik GmbH and based in Oberursel, generates around $98 million in revenue each year and employs roughly 900 people.
According to George Shapiro, an analyst at Salomon Brothers Inc. in New York, the project seems to be Rolls-attempt Royce’s to strengthen its position in the aircraft engine market.
He stated, “I’ve always thought of Rolls-Royce as kind of the weak third-party participant.”
According to him, General Electric Co. and the Pratt & Whitney branch of United Technologies Corp. each control 40% to45% of the global engine market, while Rolls-Royce holds a 15% to 20% share.
The new business will be prepared for rapid expansion over the following five to ten years, according to BMW officials, who declined to provide sales projections.
According to insiders in the European aircraft sector, the joint venture may set its sights on annual sales of up to $595 million over the following ten years.
However, the experts warned that in order to achieve that target, the two parent businesses would likely need to spend up to 1 billion marks, or $595 million, on expansion.
Through World War II, BMW constructed aircraft engines, and by the end of the conflict, it was producing turbines for the recently invented jet airplane.
By selling its operations to the significant West German engineering giant MAN AG, which eventually combined them with Daimler-Benz AG, the Munich-based company exited the aircraft engine market.
The integrated engine operations initiative between Rolls-Royce and BMW is in line with industry trends. Earlier this year, Daimler-Benz decided to combine its operations for civil jet engines with those of Pratt & Whitney.
The arrangement between Daimler and Pratt & Whitney is being contested in court by General Electric, which claims it violates their joint engine development agreement with Daimler.