Carl Zeiss, which is branded as ZEISS, is one of the oldest and most successful optics manufacturers in the world. However, the German company was heavily involved in partnering with the Nazi regime back in World War II. This article contains essential pieces of evidence that need to be reminded. Read below about the link between ZEISS and the concentration camps during the Third Reich.

The story that needs to be told

We wrote a decent amount of articles regarding the exceptional lenses of ZEISS, especially its professional high-end ultra polished and beautiful cinema glass. There is no doubt that ZEISS offers excellent cinematography solutions for filmmakers. On the other hand, the company has a shady past regarding World War II. In the years of the Nazi dictatorship, ZEISS was increasingly focused on equipping the German armed forces. However, this article is going to focus on the forced labor that ZEISS has utilized during the War.

Important notes:

It’s crucial to emphasize that during World War II, almost EVERY German company cooperated with the Nazi regime against their will. There weren’t many choices back then. However, very few companies have utilized forced labor for their productions and profit. ZEISS is one of them. Disclosure: As a son of a Holocaust survivor, I wrote this article with a personal touch and perspective. However, It’s not about being vindictive. It’s about to tell the story of those who can’t. In continues to section 1: Even German companies that massively supported the Nazi regime, have changed. The board of directors has changed, and so the owners. Nevertheless, it’s essential to tell the facts, since this history must be preserved.

Camera companies during the Third Reich

I have reached out to Yad Vashem, which is the world Holocaust remembrance organization, in order to get shreds of evidence for cinema companies that were involved in the Nazi regime (1933-1945). I knew that the German army had utilized ARRI cameras, so I asked Yad Vashem to check ARRI first. According to their records, there is no evidence for the involvement of ARRI.

Moreover, ARRI did not serve the Third Reich besides just using their cameras by the German soldiers. Unfortunately, I got confirmation regarding ZEISS. It appears the ZEISS has been involved by helping the Nazi regime regarding finance and utilization of forced labor, as explained below.

The evidence and records are taken from The Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933–1945 Volume 1.

ZEISS-Ikon AG as a branch of Flossenburg concentration camp

Zeiss-Ikon AG (formed in 1926 as a part of the Carl Zeiss Foundation) has established a subcamp in their factory (Goehle-Werk) on October 9, 1944. The formation of a subcamp in the ZEISS Goehle-Werk was part of the plan to establish a series of armaments-related subcamps of Flossenburg in Dresden (City in eastern Germany).

Flossenburg itself was a major concentration camp (see pictures above). About 100,000 prisoners passed through Flossenburg and its subcamps. Around 30,000 people died in Flossenburg, from malnutrition, overwork, or executions, or during the death marches.

The subcamps refer to those outlying detention centers that came under the command of the main concentration camp run by the SS within the Third Reich. The survival conditions in the subcamps were, in many cases, more miserable than those in the main camps. Moreover, the Goehle-Werk wasn’t the only subcamp that belonged to ZEISS. Another Flossenburg subcamp was established two weeks later at ZEISS-Ikon’s second factory (Werk-Reick).

ZEISS-Ikon AG plants as subcamps for forced labor

The goal of ZEISS subcamps was to fill the needs of armaments production. The war caused all the ZEISS-Ikon factories to switch over to making war-related products such as special devices for the German Luftwaffe (German Air-Force). However, the ZEISS-Ikon Goehle-Werk was planned from the beginning as a war plant (industrial buildings of steel-reinforced concrete “bombproof,” with small windows and reinforced staircases), dedicated for munitions production and was initially established in 1940–1941.

The subcamps refer to those outlying detention centers that came under the command of the main concentration camp run by the SS within the Third Reich. The survival conditions in the subcamps were, in many cases, more miserable than those in the main camps. The Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933–1945 Volume 1

ZEISS’ forced labor: Numbers

On October 18, 1944, 200 female workers were allocated to the ZEISS Goehle-Werk, an additional 300 women had been transported from Auschwitz on October 28, 1944, and yet another 200 were transported on December 14.

According to prisoner statements, the prisoners were guarded by female SS members who were armed with rubber truncheons, which they used. Some of the guards had previously worked at ZEISS-Ikon. The women were housed on one level of the factory, and they worked two or three levels below.

The ZEISS Werk Reick, located in the southeastern part of Dresden, was one of four ZEISS-Ikon AG plants in Dresden. Like the ZEISS-Ikon Goehle-Werk, it became the site of a subcamp in October 1944. However, unlike the other subcamps with female prisoners in Dresden, the Werk Reick is less well known. That may be because of no trial was held, in contrast to the case of the Goehle-Werk. The camp evacuation took place in mid-April 1945 after the allies occupation.

Moreover, there was evidence that during the war (1941-1944), ZEISS has utilized thousands of forced labor workers, which comprised about 30% of all its employees. Furthermore, according to reports, ZEISS also provided direct economic support to the national and local Nazi-party organizations (Reference: 6. Carl Zeiss. Die Geschichte Eines Unternehmens. Band 2, 2000).

More information and references can be found in The Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933–1945 Volume 1.

We have to distinguish between companies that didn’t have any choice, to those that took advantage of the situation to utilize forced labor workers

Conclusions

It’s completely acceptable and logical that a company needs to adapt itself during tough times in order to survive. However, we have to distinguish between companies that didn’t have any choice, to those that took advantage of the situation to utilize forced labor workers. The Nazis abducted approximately 12 million people from almost twenty European countries. Many workers died as a result of their living conditions. At its peak, the forced laborers comprised 20% of the German workforce. According to reports and trials being made after the War, only a few workers have died in ZEISS plants. Nevertheless, the company rehabilitated itself and continued to grow, as opposed to its forced workers who lived with mental scars resulted from their traumatic experience.

Today, Carl ZEISS AG is a successful company with impressive records and achievements regarding cinematography and photography. Furthermore, the company is active in four business segments with high revenue: Industrial Quality and Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets, and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology in almost 50 countries. ZEISS has 30 production sites and around 25 development sites worldwide, with approximately 29,000 employees.

However, ZEISS owes its success to those men and women who made unbelievable sacrifices by becoming forced labor of the Nazi regime against their will.

We’ll update the article in case of a response from ZEISS.