A memo from the Milch papers in the RL 3 files
State Secretary for Aviation / Inspector General of the Luftwaffe June 19, 1943.
7 copies
To be submitted to the Reichsmarshall
1.) The labour situation in the aviation industry is becoming critical. The drafting of essential German personnel into military service can no longer be offset. The total percentage of foreign workers has reached a level that cannot be exceeded without compromising both the quality and the volume of production. More than half of all productive workers are already foreign nationals. At the Junkers aircraft plants, work on the Ju 52 is currently overseen by only six German foremen and inspectors; everyone else is Russian. The BMW 801 is being manufactured by a workforce that is 75% Russian, and the Ju 87 by one that is 90% Russian.
1.) The labour situation in the aviation industry is becoming critical. The drafting of essential German personnel into military service can no longer be offset. The total percentage of foreign workers has reached a level that cannot be exceeded without compromising both the quality and the volume of production. More than half of all productive workers are already foreign nationals. At the Junkers aircraft plants, work on the Ju 52 is currently overseen by only six German foremen and inspectors; everyone else is Russian. The BMW 801 is being manufactured by a workforce that is 75% Russian, and the Ju 87 by one that is 90% Russian.
2.) During the months of April and May, there has been no influx of German or foreign workers into the aviation industry; conversely, there has been a consistent and significant monthly attrition.
3.) I therefore request that the following be ordered:
a) All designers and technical draftsmen must be made available to the aviation industry since at the current time entire aircraft models/families are undergoing modification, with an improved design for various components. The primary bottleneck currently lies in the design and in the execution of specific tasks.
b) Full exemption [from military service] is required for all:
Toolmakers,
Fixture builders,
Gauge makers,
Set-up personnel,
Electricians,
Foremen/Supervisors,
Inspectors,
Leading hands (foremen).
c) Authorization to recall up to 10,000 skilled workers from military service for the aviation industry, based on requests for specific individuals by name.
d) Full exemption for:
The Me 262 jet fighter,
The 003 jet engine series,
Night fighters,
Bomb-aiming equipment from the firm Zeiss,
...effective immediately, continuing through the end of 1944.