WIX Archives
Re:The ethical dilemma inherent in German use of slave labor
Posted by Rob Burr on Sun Jul 28, 2002 06:59:34 PM
In reply top Re: The German engine situation posted by Ray Crawford on Wed Jul 24, 2002 04:11:14 PM
Hey Ray,
That's an excellent point that you've made about German use of slave labor. I too cannot overlook the fact that, while the Allied hardware was made by free men and women, the German machinery was being produced by slaves living in atrocious conditions. Kind of cools my enthusiasm for owning/restoring a BMW 801 or DB 600 series engine.
Either you can turn a blind eye to all this, or accept that your new toy was originally paid for in blood. Case in point: Fw190's use some felt in their cockpits, felt that was made from the hair of Jewish women on their way to the gas chamber. How, pray tell, are you going to reproduce that little item in a 'historically accurate manner', without vomiting everytime you look inside the cockpit of the plane?
Rob
: Hello All,
:
: Here's my two cents worth.
:
: I read on a website (of course I forgot which one it is)
: that the French had found out post-war that German engine
: parts production suffered from poor quality control.
: If you took a part from factory A and tried to assemble it
: with a part from factory B (this is starting to sound lik
: e an Algebra problem!) it wasn't at all odd for the parts
: to not fit properly. Of course, if I was hunched over my v
: ertical mill trying to concentrate on my work and I kept b
: eing interrupted by "it's the Eighth Airforce again!" or "
: The RAF is bombing us!" or "Time to move again, the Russia
: ns are within spitting distance!", I'm sure I too would ha
: ve turned out sub-standard parts.
: Anyway, I personally would feel a lot more at ease if I kn
: ew my engine parts hadn't been made under these conditions
: , or even worse (for the parts and the workers),
: by slave labor.
:
: Ray