Although best known for tires, Continental, based in Hanover, also makes a wide range of auto parts such as electronic sensors and brakes. It invests heavily in autonomous driving technology. The company has a large presence in the United States, with 19,000 employees and 60 factories and other facilities.
Continental was founded in 1871 by Jewish bankers and had many Jews in high positions when the Nazis took it over in 1933. By 1938, when Germany was preparing for war, they were all forced.
While the German army supplied tires, bulletproof fuel tanks, gas masks, and combat tank brakes, Continental and its subsidiaries also produced consumer products such as shoe soles and hot water bottles that helped meet the regime’s commitment to delivering prosperity. German people.
The first forced laborers at Continental were French or Belgian citizens as prisoners of war. Often, workers were exposed to toxic chemicals without protective clothing, the study found.
When powerful German men were enlisted in the army, and a severe shortage of labor ensued, Continental took advantage of prisoners in concentration camps. They were sometimes forced to work in abysmal underground conditions where production facilities were relocated to escape Allied bombing raids.
In the suburb of Ahlem in Hanover, for example, 750 prisoners worked simultaneously in a former mine in extremely humid, cold and dark conditions under the supervision of cruel SS guards. The prisoners slept full in horse stables, and hundreds died.
Continental also produced soles for shoes, a critical issue in wartime due to an acute shortage of natural rubber. To test the durability of various types of synthetic rubber soles, Continental enlisted the help of the SS, according to correspondence between the feared Nazi organization and business members.
