Hugo Schneider Aktiengesellschaft-Metalwarenfabrik
- HASAG
History
Hugo Schneider Aktiengesellschaft-Metalwarenfabrik was one of the privately owned German companies that used concentration camp prisoners as forced laborers. HASAG manufactured armaments and was the third largest of such companies, after I.G. Farben and the Herman Goering Works. In 1932 a Nazi Party member and SS Officer named Paul Budin became general manager of HASAG. In 1933 the company became the German army’s regular ammunitions supplier. In 1943 HASAG was officially designated as a Wehrmachtsbetrieb, a company working for the armed forces. In 1939 its classification was raised to that of Rüstungsbetrieb, meaning armaments company. In 1940 Budin was made responsible for the production of all light ammunition for the air force and infantry; his responsibilities were expanded in 1942. In 1944 HASAG was assigned a contract to produce infantry rocket launchers. During the Second World War HASAG had eight factories inside Germany, and also opened its doors in Poland. Two types of workers were employed at these factories. The first group included civilian worker from all over Europe, especially the Slavic countries. Some of these employees volunteered to work for HASAG, but most were forced laborers. The second group of workers consisted of concentration camp prisoners.
Places
Founded in Germany, active in Germany and Poland.
Sources
Encyclopedia of the Holocaust / R. Rozett, S. Spector. – Jerusalem, 2006. – p. 257