Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach

Confirmed findings

• Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach (1870–1950) chaired the Fried. Krupp AG supervisory board until 1943 and led the Reich Association of German Industry from 1931 to 1934. (Source: Deutsches Historisches Museum — LeMO, biography, lines 5–84: supervisory chair 1909–1943, industry presidency 1931–1934, 1933 fund, forced-labour aggregate, 1945–1950; Source: Harvard Law School Library — Nuremberg Trials Project, Flick trial transcript, 11 March 1948, HLSL sequence 2875 / printed p. 2867, lines 269–284, document D-151/NI-439: Krupp letter to Schacht of 30 May 1933)
• In a letter to Hjalmar Schacht dated 30 May 1933, he accepted leadership of an industry collection and described support for Hitler, the Nazi Party and Stahlhelm; he also chaired the Adolf-Hitler-Spende board. (Source: Deutsches Historisches Museum — LeMO, biography, lines 5–84: supervisory chair 1909–1943, industry presidency 1931–1934, 1933 fund, forced-labour aggregate, 1945–1950; Source: Harvard Law School Library — Nuremberg Trials Project, Flick trial transcript, 11 March 1948, HLSL sequence 2875 / printed p. 2867, lines 269–284, document D-151/NI-439: Krupp letter to Schacht of 30 May 1933)
• According to the German Historical Museum, the Krupp firm used at least 100,000 forced labourers during 1940–1945. This is a company-wide figure, including years after Gustav left the supervisory chair in 1943. (Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — Holocaust Encyclopedia, sections “Gustav Krupp and the Nazi regime” and “Gustav Krupp and the Nuremberg trials”, lines 98–121; Source: Deutsches Historisches Museum — LeMO, biography, lines 5–84: supervisory chair 1909–1943, industry presidency 1931–1934, 1933 fund, forced-labour aggregate, 1945–1950)
• IMT prosecutors charged him in 1945, but a medical commission found him unfit to stand trial. He was never tried or convicted and died on 16 January 1950. (Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — Holocaust Encyclopedia, sections “Gustav Krupp and the Nazi regime” and “Gustav Krupp and the Nuremberg trials”, lines 98–121; Source: Deutsches Historisches Museum — LeMO, biography, lines 5–84: supervisory chair 1909–1943, industry presidency 1931–1934, 1933 fund, forced-labour aggregate, 1945–1950; Source: International Military Tribunal medical commission — Yale Avalon Project, medical commission report of 7 November 1945, lines 16–31)

Place in the chain of responsibility

His leadership roles and deliberate organization of financial support for the regime are individually documented. The forced-labour total belongs to the company; it does not establish that Gustav personally ordered any particular use of forced labour or caused every counted harm. (Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — Holocaust Encyclopedia, sections “Gustav Krupp and the Nazi regime” and “Gustav Krupp and the Nuremberg trials”, lines 98–121; Source: Deutsches Historisches Museum — LeMO, biography, lines 5–84: supervisory chair 1909–1943, industry presidency 1931–1934, 1933 fund, forced-labour aggregate, 1945–1950; Source: Harvard Law School Library — Nuremberg Trials Project, Flick trial transcript, 11 March 1948, HLSL sequence 2875 / printed p. 2867, lines 269–284, document D-151/NI-439: Krupp letter to Schacht of 30 May 1933; Source: International Military Tribunal medical commission — Yale Avalon Project, medical commission report of 7 November 1945, lines 16–31)

Key events and mechanisms

• 1933 — chaired industry fundraising for Hitler and the Nazi Party, documented in his own letter. (Source: Deutsches Historisches Museum — LeMO, biography, lines 5–84: supervisory chair 1909–1943, industry presidency 1931–1934, 1933 fund, forced-labour aggregate, 1945–1950; Source: Harvard Law School Library — Nuremberg Trials Project, Flick trial transcript, 11 March 1948, HLSL sequence 2875 / printed p. 2867, lines 269–284, document D-151/NI-439: Krupp letter to Schacht of 30 May 1933)
• 1940–1945 — the Krupp firm used forced labour; Gustav left its supervisory chair in 1943. (Source: Deutsches Historisches Museum — LeMO, biography, lines 5–84: supervisory chair 1909–1943, industry presidency 1931–1934, 1933 fund, forced-labour aggregate, 1945–1950)
• 1945 — IMT charge and medical finding of unfitness; no judgment. (Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — Holocaust Encyclopedia, sections “Gustav Krupp and the Nazi regime” and “Gustav Krupp and the Nuremberg trials”, lines 98–121; Source: International Military Tribunal medical commission — Yale Avalon Project, medical commission report of 7 November 1945, lines 16–31)
• 16 January 1950 — death at Blühnbach. (Source: Deutsches Historisches Museum — LeMO, biography, lines 5–84: supervisory chair 1909–1943, industry presidency 1931–1934, 1933 fund, forced-labour aggregate, 1945–1950)

Postwar accountability

He was charged for the IMT in 1945, but a unanimous medical commission found him unable to stand trial. He was not tried or convicted and died in 1950. (Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — Holocaust Encyclopedia, sections “Gustav Krupp and the Nazi regime” and “Gustav Krupp and the Nuremberg trials”, lines 98–121; Source: Deutsches Historisches Museum — LeMO, biography, lines 5–84: supervisory chair 1909–1943, industry presidency 1931–1934, 1933 fund, forced-labour aggregate, 1945–1950; Source: International Military Tribunal medical commission — Yale Avalon Project, medical commission report of 7 November 1945, lines 16–31)

Limits of the evidence

Sources

The source set combines institutional, archival, trial or scholarly material from at least two independent publishers.

• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
• dhm.de
• Harvard Law School Nuremberg Trials Project
• Yale Law School Avalon Project