Rüstungsstab
| (Armament Staff) | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 1, 1944 |
| Preceding agency |
|
| Dissolved | May 8, 1945 |
| Jurisdiction |
V-2 rocket program Heinkel He 162 fighter aircraft production |
| Agency executives | |
| Parent agency | Reich Ministry of Armaments and War Production |
Rüstungsstab (Armament Staff) was a Nazi German governmental task force whose aim was to increase production of military equipment and munitions during the final year of World War II. Established in August 1944 on the basis of the Jägerstab (Fighter Staff), it was composed of government and SS personnel, as well as representatives of the armament manufacturers.
Jägerstab played a key role in the exploitation of slave labour for the benefit of Germany's industry and its armed forces, the Wehrmacht. The task force supported the Luftwaffe's Emergency Fighter Program, including the development of the "people's jet", Heinkel He 162.
The Jägerstab (Fighter Staff) was established on 1 March 1944 by the order of Albert Speer, the Minister of Armaments and War Production in the Hitler Cabinet, with support from Erhard Milch of the Reich Aviation Ministry. Its goal was to increase the production of fighter aircraft to counteract the Allied campaign of strategic bombing. Speer and Milch played a key role in directing the activities of the agency, however, the day-to-day operations were handled by Chief of Staff Karl Saur, the head of the Technical Office in the Armaments Ministry.
The Jägerstab had been given extraordinary powers over labour, production and transportation resources. The task force immediately began implementing plans to expand the use of slave labour in the aviation industry. The progress achieved through the work of the Jägerstab was seen as a success by the German authorities.The cooperation between the Reich Ministry of Aviation, the Ministry of Armaments and the SS proved especially productive. Although intended to function for only six months, already in late May Speer and Milch discussed with Goring the possibility of centralising all of Germany's arms manufacturing under a similar task force. On 1 August 1944, Speer reorganised the task force into the Rüstungsstab (Armament Staff) to apply the same model of operation to all top-priority armament programs. Karl Saur stayed on as chief of staff.
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