Albert Speer: The Good Nazi Trivia Quiz

Answer: Architecture

After gaining his architectural diploma, Speer worked as an assistant to his mentor and teacher Professor Heinrich Tessenow at the Institute of Technology in Berlin. At the time, there were two prominent student movements. The smaller Communist Movement and the growing ranks of National Socialists.

The institute had become a center of activity for NSDAP participation and it was the students here that encouraged Speer to attend one of Hitler's student addresses. Captivated immediately by the man himself and not so much party ideals, Speer signed up soon after.

It was 1931 and Speer was Member Number 474,481.

Answer: 1934 Nuremberg Party Rally

Speer was elevated in position following the death of Hitler's architect Paul Troost and received the commission to upgrade and decorate Zeppelin Field for the upcoming party rally. He had a massive white marble platform constructed and surrounded the field with 150 searchlights that created pillars of blue light that reached for the sky.

The effect was surreal; add into it 100,000 fanatic uniformed party members and another hypnotic Hitler speech. The famous 'Cathedral of Light' description came from British Ambassador Sir Neville Henderson. Goering initially refused to let Speer use the searchlights as it used most of Germany's reserves (pf searchlights) but Hitler signed off saying 'the world will think we have them in abundance!'

Answer: Fritz Todt

This was by no means a small assignment as Dr. Todt held the post of three separate ministries. The Todt Organization was charged with building the Atlantic Wall including U-Boat bunkers. He was also responsible for roads (Todt created the autobahn), railways, waterways, power plants, labour, armaments and munitions. Immediately prior to this, Speer had been working under Todt primarily to correct transport problems in occupied Southern Russia.

After a field inspection he met with Todt at Hitler's East Prussian headquarters. Dr. Todt offered Speer a seat on his plane that was leaving in the early morning. Speer accepted the ride but later sent notice that he would not make the flight due to exhaustion.

The aircraft exploded soon after takeoff killing Dr. Todt. That morning in the bunker, Hitler promoted the inexperienced Speer to direct all of Todt's assignments.

Answer: Ballistic Missile

Rocket scientists Dornberger and von Braun were instrumental in the development of propulsion technologies with their vision of one-day launching man into space. Unfortunately they were working in wartime Germany and this technology had a more sinister purpose.

The final results produced the destructive V2 missile. Speer later regretted his hand in developing the V2, stating that the enormous resources would have been better spent building aircraft (largely from a results point of view). Von Braun and his team surrended to the allies and would later be instrumental in the United States space program with their work on the Apollo rocket.

They were to see their visions realised.

Answer: Martin Bormann

After years of having his actions undermined by Bormann it was Speer who had the final satisfaction. During his last visit to the Chancellery Bunker (see info Q9) in the final days of the war, Bormann pleaded with Speer to persuade Hitler to escape from Berlin and thus save his own life. Speer did the opposite.

When Hitler asked his advice whether or not to leave or die in the bunker, Speer told him to stay. Bormann's skeletal remains were found in Berlin in 1972. He was sentenced to death by Nuremberg Tribunal, in absentia.

Answer: Ruhr

Like Speer, the architect of this attack, Barnes Wallis, believed that target bombing was paramount in reducing the enemy's effectiveness to rebuild and rearm, and the perfect target were the dams containing the hydro electric plants and the water supply for Germany's industrial heartland on the Ruhr Valley.

The strike was mostly a success but the timing was poor. Speer was able to rebuild the dam and repair the turbines before crucial rains came in to refill the dam. Further strikes to the dams would have been disastrous for Germany, but the RAF saw it as too great a risk.

Another result from this raid was that the Germans had to transfer 50,000 workers from the Atlantic wall in order to repair the dams quickly.

Answer: No

In the democratic United States and Brittain, women filled the factories for the war effort and Russian woman occupied many positions as well as front line duties. Speer tried unsuccessfully to get Hitler to mobilise German woman. Even in his dictatorial position, Hitler was always paranoid about popular opinion and stated that mobilising women would have an adverse effect on morale and give the impression that Germany was desperate.

He had no hesitation using women from captured territories, and the result in armament increases largely came from the imported slave labour.

Answer: Nero Decree

For a time Speer got away with his refusal to destroy Germany's industry by playing on Hitler's own maniacal visions that soon the German Army would push back the invaders and that industry and bridges, etc. would be required. He even went to the front to convince army commanders that the decree would be the death of future Germany. Most commanders saw sense and promised to destroy only what was necessary in their strategic withdrawal. General Heinrici gave Speer his full support and ordered wavering subordinates not to follow Hitler's orders.

Answer: Yes

Incredibly, after months of defiance to Hitler's orders and a plot to gas Hitler in his bunker, Speer still felt compelled to visit Hitler at a time when Goering, Himmler and others had long since fled. He understood the reality, that this man had destroyed Germany, 50 million lives - and already felt remorse for his part, yet such was the strange devotion and strength of relationship that he held for Hitler that he would risk his life to see him one last time.

Answer: Twenty years imprisonment

Albert Speer was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity for the use of slave labor in the munitions industry and his condoning of the use of concentration camps for slave laborers who were 'slackers.' What saved Speer from the noose was that during this period he made genuine efforts to improve working conditions, living quarters and food rations to prisoners in his factories.

He was also one of the few nazi leaders who openly accepted blame for the crimes of Hitler and his leaders (though pleading to very limited knowledge of the holocaust). Speer served his full sentence and died of a cerebral haemorrhage aged 76.