English Translation

Security service of the Reichsführer-fh Prag-Bubentsch, the 10.5.1944 SD section Prague Sachsenweg telex 774-44 secret L - VA 398 14.p. 1718 secret! to 4-upper group leader 4 Minister of State K.H.F r a n S te k 1 D Prague 11. MAY 1944 06 Betr.: Non-war important production - First Brno Ma- schinenfabrik A.G. Vorg.: Last lecture, ordered report. For a long time, the achievements of the First Brno Machine Factory A.G. for pure armor have been criticized in circles of technical engineers and operating leaders of the armaments industry. It is stressed that the peace programme of the First Brnos still occupies a substantial part of the total production, although this company, in-house, would be very well suited to the expansion of the military manufacturing sector. e.g. the production rate for Reichsbahn, mining, export and civil sector amounted to 47%. Attempts to change this relationship have already been made from the outside as well as by engineers of the company, but these were dismissed by Director-General Hödl with the very open statement that he did not have a tank factory, but a machine factory and that he wanted to keep. Even when a hall for the tank production was to be made available to another large armament plant in one of the company's branches, H. spread similar remarks. However, since nothing had to be changed, he had to give his consent later. This attitude of H. is generally known in the arms industry. Typical examples of what has been said are the following individual cases: The Erste Brünn Maschinenfabrik rejected in September v.J. a request from the Klöckner aircraft plants in Gurein for the installation of some boilers first of all, on the grounds that this was not a business for them and that they needed their fitters otherwise, although it was known that the construction project of Klockner works had a special classification. On the other hand, the M. x11C-16/42 141 289/44g