Extracts from a speech on the German war economy, including the economic benefit of the conquest of Poland, the preparation for war under the Four Year Plan, and Funk's secret work as plenipotentiary for economy

GERMANY IN THE FIGHT Published by
MINISTERIALDIRIGENT A. J. BERNDT, Reichministry of
Propaganda Lt. Col. Von Wedel
Supreme Command of the Armed Forces Publishing House Otto Stollberg, Berlin W 9, First October ' Issue No. 3, Pages 62-63.
FUNK on the organization of the war economy 14 Oct. 1939
Reichminister for Economy Funk, who stayed in Vienna for the opening of the first war fair [Kriegsmeese] of Greater Germany, spoke during a rally of the Eastern [Ostmaerkischen] Economy on the organization and tasks of the German war economy, and explained in his speech among other things:
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Now I wish to explain to you a few facts about the organization and the tasks of the German war economy in order, that you will be able to understand the necessity and the goal of our war economic measures. Generalfeldmarschall Goering emphasized with special vigor in his great, policy-making speech of 9 September how much depends on the fact, that the complete employment of the living and fighting power of the nation be secured economically as well as otherwise for the duration of the war. Just as in military armament, we have also in economic armament a great advantage over our opponents. Not only the political and the military, but also the economic calculations of our enemies were wrong and these calculations were thrown into complete confusion
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by the treaties made with Russia. It is known that the German war potential has been strengthened very considerably by the conquest of Poland. We owe it mainly to the Four Year Plan, that we could enter the war economically so strong and well prepared.
One can evaluate correctly what the Four Year Plan means for the economic preparation of war, only when one considers, that the Four Year Plan does not include only the food and raw material economy, only the entire industrial economic life, but that it also includes foreign commerce, money and foreign-exchange economy and finance, so that the entire economic life and production in Germany is authoritatively determined and executed by this plan. Although all the economic and financial departments were harnessed in the tasks and work of the Four Year Plan under the leadership of Generalfeldmarschall Goering, the war economic preparation of Germany has also been advanced in secret in another sector for well over a year, namely by means of the formation of a national guiding apparatus for the special war economic tasks, which had to be mastered at that moment, when the condition of war became a fact. For this work as well all economic departments were combined into one administrative authority, namely under the general plenipotentiary for economy, to which position the Fuehrer appointed me approximately one and a half years ago * * *