Wilhelm Zangen

Wilhelm Zangen (born 30 September 1891 in Duisburg – died 25 November 1971 in Düsseldorf) was a German industrialist and supporter of the Nazi Party.

Zangen had a strong business brain and by his late 30s he was one of the leading figures in the German business world.[1] In December 1934 he became chairman of Mannesmann mills in Düsseldorf, a role he held until 1957. In this position Zangen oversaw the use of slave labour in the company's tube rolling mills.[1]

He joined the Nazi Party and SS in 1937 and was awarded the title Wehrwirtschaftsführer.[1] Other positions he filled under the Nazis included head of the German Industry Association, Vice-President of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Düsseldorf and deputy chair of the Berlin-based Reich Economic Chamber, as well as directorships of a number of companies.[1]

After the war Zangen was briefly imprisoned for his use of slave labor and his involvement in arming the Nazi regime.[2] He served only four months of his sentence.[3] He continued with his role at Mannesmann, serving as overall company chairman from 1957 to 1966.[1]

Bibliography
  • Wistrich, Robert S. (2001). Who's who in Nazi Germany (3 ed.). Routledge. ISBN 0-415-26038-8.

References
  1. Wistrich (2001), p. 183
  2. Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History, Theories, and Political Significance, MIT Press, 1995, p. 480
  3. S. Jonathan Wiesen, West German Industry and the Challenge of the Nazi Past, 1945-1955, UNC Press Books, 2004, p. 28


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