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Old October 19th 03, 06:43 PM
Keith Willshaw
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"Michael Petukhov" wrote in message
om...
http://www1.iraqwar.ru/iraq-read_art...=16866&lang=ru

(in russian)

The article discuss the oil balance of NAZI Germany in 37 - june 44.
The funny side is that some 50% of oil and petrolium products
were supplied by US based companies (the standard oil of New Jersey,
the standard oil of California and the Davis oil company) mainly via
Spain. This includes 100% of oil supply for NAZI subs operating in
Atlantic. All these operations were authorised by US government.

Michael


Prior to 1939 the USA was indeed the largest supplier of
oil to Germany, from 1939 to this route was blocked due
to the RN blockade of German ports. From 1939 to the start
of operation Barabarossa the largest supplier of oil to Germany
was the USSR.

After this date Germany was reliant on Rumanian supplies
and synthetic fuel. While some smuggling from Spain via
France may have occurred it was minimal. For one thing
Spains imports were very carefully monitored and for another
the infrastructure meant large scale transportation of oil
was impossible. With Spain having a different railway gauge
and no possibility of water transport oil would have to go by trucks
over the Pyrenees

What is certain is that Germany was desperately short of
oil throughout the latter part of the war and the western allies
launched a bombing campaign that devastated the German
oil industry. Oil was so short by 1944 that draft animals
were used to tow aircraft around the Luftwaffe airfields.

By 1944 less than 20% of the fuel used by the German
military machine came from crude oil, the remainder came
from synthesising oil from coal using the Bergius process
and the Fischer-Tropsch process at plants that were
mostly run by IG Farben

Troll Rating 7/10

A good effort but not good enough.

Keith