Fritz Todt
| Fritz Todt | |
|---|---|
Reich Minister Fritz Todt in SA uniform, 1940
|
|
| Reich Minister for Armaments and Ammunition | |
|
In office 17 March 1940 – 8 February 1942 |
|
| President | Adolf Hitler (Führer) |
| Chancellor | Adolf Hitler |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Albert Speer |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
4 September 1891 Pforzheim, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire |
| Died | 8 February 1942 (aged 50) near Rastenburg, East Prussia Nazi Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Political party | Nazi (1922–1942) |
| Alma mater | Technical University of Munich |
| Profession | Civil engineer |
Fritz Todt (4 September 1891 – 8 February 1942) was a German engineer, senior Nazi figure, Reich Minister for Armaments and Ammunition, and the founder of Organisation Todt. He died in a plane crash during World War II.
Todt was born in Pforzheim in the Grand Duchy of Baden (today's Baden-Württemberg) to a father who owned a small factory. He studied at Technische Hochschule München and at Technische Hochschule Karlsruhe, receiving a Diplom degree in construction engineering from the latter. Later, he was awarded a Dr.-Ing. degree from the Technische Hochschule München with a thesis titled Fehlerquellen beim Bau von Landstraßen aus Teer und Asphalt (Sources of failure in building state roads from tar and asphalt).
In World War I, he initially served with the infantry and then as front line reconnaissance observer within the Luftstreitkräfte (the German Air Forces – DLSK), winning the Iron Cross. After his military service, he finished his studies in 1920 and joined at first the "Grün & Bilfinger AG, Mannheim" company and, later, the civil engineering company Sager & Woerner (1921).
He joined the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP), better known as the Nazi Party, on 5 January 1922. In 1931, he became an Oberführer (senior Colonel) in the Sturmabteilung (SA), which was then commanded by Ernst Röhm. That year, Todt also completed his doctorate (on "Fehlerquellen beim Bau von Landstraßendecken aus Teer und Asphalt" – "Sources of defects in the construction of tarmac and asphalt road surfaces").
...
Wikipedia