In the winter of 1939/40 - shortly after the occupation of Austria
by the German Reich - the plans have already been brought up and decided:
The most important tank factory of the Nationalsozialists should be built
for 65 Million Reichsmark in Saint Valentin.At this time Saint Valentin was located - as it is still today - at an important hub for the rail network and close to Linz, where there is still the most important steel factory on Austrian territory.
After its inauguration, the so-called Nibelungenwerk (Ni-Werk) was a draw for the then Nationalsocialistic prominince: Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring, Gauleiter Dr. Jury or Gauleiter Eigruber visited the Ni-Werk during the years 1942/43.
4.350 standard tanks (Panzer IV: 300 HP and five men crew) out of totally 8.200 tanks have been produced there until the end of the war - more than half of the German Reich's tanks. The trade and industry were working close together with the Nationalsocialists.
Hundrets of hectares (1 hectare = 2,5 acres) of forest have been bought of the then owners at a very low price.
Additionally, cheap labour force (human ressources in the true sence of word) was placed at the firm's displosal. Towards the end of the war, approximately 10.000 persons from 14 different nations worked at the Nibelungenwerk. The prisoners, which had to carry out their work under tremendous conditions, were mostly prisoners of war.
When the deaths among the prisoners increased, the inspecting doctor raised an objection. From now on, there were no dead-inspects anymore. Only the cause of death had to be given, which was done by the company. The declared causes of death were euphemistic paraphrases for the death machinery of the Nazis: »Heart weakness«, »pheunomia«, »heatstroke« or »exhaustion«.
