Today started like no other with a fire in my hotel! Four fire engines attended and put the fire out. Interesting no alarms went off and there were no messages to evacuate the building. I guess they are used to burning bodies from what I saw later that morning. I wanted to visit Dachau, as I went there in 1984 during Ockoberfest, but the site I visited then was not the same place I went to today... I spent over 3 hours wandering around and reading the literally hundreds of story boards. Couldn't help but think that this should be a compulsory excursion for everyone. Maybe if it was there would be no more wars. Putin included.... Dachau was not the worst concentration camp but it is where the SS learnt and practised their skills. My take home message was the fact that most of the perpetrators got away with their crimes. From there I went to the BMW museum and Welt (BMW World) to visit the birthplace of my recent and soon to arrive car in Australia. This is where the story of today gets interesting....
The expansion and fragmentation of the Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) production network attained previously unknown dimensions during the Second World War. BMW began life making plane engines. In 1939, the company had seven small plants, but by 1944 the number had grown to 54 sites, including manufacturing plants, and repair shops at the front. The two largest arms plants were Allach near Munich and Dürrerhof outside Eisenach. Both production facilities were built as "shadow works", i.e. buildings painted in camouflage and located in a sheltered position in wooded areas, according to the specifications of the Reich Air Ministry. BMW used forced labourers from 1939 and also concentration camp prisoners during the war, including many from the place I visited this morning - Dachau. These people suffered massive injustices and were subjected to great suffering. Many died while working. The company also benefitted by taking over confiscated foundry's and machine factories such as Thann/Bitschweiler, which operated as "Plant 5" of the BMW corporation from then on. The company became incredibly wealthy as a result. Henrich Himmler was from Munich and was a good friend of the boss. But they do make great cars.
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