Baranowski, Frank Rüstungsproduktion in der Mitte Deutschlands 1929-1945

Southern Lower Saxony with Braunschweiger Land as well as northern Thuringia including the southern Harz region comparative examination of the temporally staggered development of two arms centres. At a time when warfare and armament throughout the German Reich were showing the first signs of decay, the imminent collapse of the fronts was becoming apparent and targeted air raids by the Allies were massively paralysing the control centres of the armament industry, there were quasi last-minute efforts to relocate important armament factories, namely those of the aircraft industry, to the southern Harz region. Unlike the armament factories in the greater Hanover area and the neighbouring conurbations, this development had begun comparatively late. The foundations for this had already been laid by the Reichswehr in the early 1930s with its efforts to create a close-meshed network of suppliers for its needs, despite the restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles.

A large number of long-established companies in particular benefited from this. They acquired arms contracts early on, which ensured their survival in economically difficult times, before they later became completely dependent on arms contracts. This resulted in an industrial density that remained unparalleled in the Reich and led to the founding of entire cities.