Giant corporations that collaborated with war criminals during WWII

Chase Manhattan Bank - The bank was involved in seizing assets from French Jews who were captured by the Third Reich. Even after the war, the reparations and payouts that were supposed to be given to survivors and descendants were allegedly ripped off through transfer fees. Chase Manhattan later merged with JP Morgan, which has its own close ties to the Nazi regime.

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The Coca-Cola Company - Coca-Cola played a surprisingly large role in Nazi Germany. The company had hundreds of bottling plants in the country. Coke was apparently a staple drink of the population.

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Fanta - However, when America joined World War II, the Coca-Cola name could not openly support the Third Reich. So, they re-branded the soft drink as Fanta, and continued to make profit.

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Hugo Boss - Ever wonder who designed the SS uniforms? Before styling men's suits, Hugo Boss was outfitting Nazi soldiers.

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Hugo Boss - The German fashion brand was founded in 1924, and made uniforms for soldiers, postal workers, and police officers. It wasn't until 1950 that the brand moved into luxury men's fashion.

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Ford Motor Company - How close were Henry Ford and Adolf Hitler? Ford is cited several times in the dictator's biography, and Hitler allegedly had a portrait of the American manufacturer in his office.

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Ford Motor Company - In 1988, it was discovered that the Nazi regime had provided the Ford factory in Cologne, Germany with 1,200 Russian slaves for production purposes.

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International Business Machines (IBM) - IBM provided Nazi Germany with punch card machines that were the precursors to computers.

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International Business Machines (IBM) - It was discovered that IBM worked with SS officers. Their machines were used to record the movement and execution of victims throughout the Holocaust.

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Associated Press -

The Associated Press (AP) is one of the most trusted news organizations in the world. But what did the company's ethics look like in 1943?

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Associated Press - According to German historian Harriet Scharnberg, the Associated Press was one of the few international press agencies that was allowed in the country during the Nazi regime. That's because AP was allegedly filling US newspapers with Nazi propaganda.

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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios - Germany has always been a large market for American film studios. So much so that the word "Jew" was erased from many Hollywood films during the rise of the Nazi regime.

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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios - However, MGM had the most significant involvement with the Third Reich. The studio donated prints of 11 different films to the German relief effort after the invasion of Poland. One MGM executive was even pressured into divorcing his Jewish wife.

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General Motors Company - Similar to Ford, General Motors (GM) was a significant aide to the Nazi war effort. The company provided raw materials like rubber, which allowed the army to wage such a powerful war against opponents.

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General Motors Company - The company was actually sued by Holocaust survivors for damages because of their hand in the Nazi war machine.

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Kodak - The American technology company manufactured military equipment, such as detonators and triggers, for the Nazi war effort.

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Kodak - The company even continued to produce for Germany after the US entered the war.

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Siemens - Siemens is the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe. During World War II, the giant corporation largely benefited from Nazi-supplied slave labor.

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Siemens - Siemens operated a factory within the Auschwitz concentration camp that used over 80,000 prisoners to make machine tools.

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Volkswagen - Another car company that has history with Hitler, Volkswagen produced vehicles for the German war effort.

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Volkswagen - Volkswagen turned to slave labor to produce their automobiles, and reportedly used over 15,000 prisoners.

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Bayer - Bayer is a German pharmaceutical company that is known for creating aspirin and antibiotics.

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Bayer -

However, the company has strong links with the Nazi war machine. SS captain Helmut Vetter, who is infamous for performing heinous medical treatments on female prisoners, was a Bayer employee.

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Dow Chemical Company - Dow Chemical is a large American chemical manufacturing company.

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Dow Chemical Company - During World War II, Dow provided raw materials and technological innovations to the Nazi regime, even after the US entered the war.

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BMW - BMW is yet another automobile manufacturer with an excellent modern reputation. However, not long ago the conglomerate was profiting off of forced labor.

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BMW -

During WWII, the company reportedly used over 50,000 prisoners to manufacture everything from arms and ammunition to U-boat batteries and artillery.

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Chase Manhattan Bank - Chase Manhattan Bank (now Chase Bank) is one of the largest and most trusted banks in the world. However, they have a heinous history with World War II.

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The Coca-Cola Company - Coca-Cola played a surprisingly large role in Nazi Germany. The company had hundreds of bottling plants in the country. Coke was apparently a staple drink of the population.

3 / 29 Fotos

Fanta - However, when America joined World War II, the Coca-Cola name could not openly support the Third Reich. So, they re-branded the soft drink as Fanta, and continued to make profit.

4 / 29 Fotos

Hugo Boss - Ever wonder who designed the SS uniforms? Before styling men's suits, Hugo Boss was outfitting Nazi soldiers.

5 / 29 Fotos

Hugo Boss - The German fashion brand was founded in 1924, and made uniforms for soldiers, postal workers, and police officers. It wasn't until 1950 that the brand moved into luxury men's fashion.

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Ford Motor Company - In 1988, it was discovered that the Nazi regime had provided the Ford factory in Cologne, Germany with 1,200 Russian slaves for production purposes.

8 / 29 Fotos

International Business Machines (IBM) - IBM provided Nazi Germany with punch card machines that were the precursors to computers.

9 / 29 Fotos

International Business Machines (IBM) - It was discovered that IBM worked with SS officers. Their machines were used to record the movement and execution of victims throughout the Holocaust.

10 / 29 Fotos

Associated Press -

The Associated Press (AP) is one of the most trusted news organizations in the world. But what did the company's ethics look like in 1943?

Getty Images

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General Motors Company - The company was actually sued by Holocaust survivors for damages because of their hand in the Nazi war machine.

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Kodak - The American technology company manufactured military equipment, such as detonators and triggers, for the Nazi war effort.

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Kodak - The company even continued to produce for Germany after the US entered the war.

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Siemens - Siemens is the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe. During World War II, the giant corporation largely benefited from Nazi-supplied slave labor.

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Siemens - Siemens operated a factory within the Auschwitz concentration camp that used over 80,000 prisoners to make machine tools.

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Volkswagen - Another car company that has history with Hitler, Volkswagen produced vehicles for the German war effort.

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Volkswagen - Volkswagen turned to slave labor to produce their automobiles, and reportedly used over 15,000 prisoners.

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Bayer - Bayer is a German pharmaceutical company that is known for creating aspirin and antibiotics.

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Bayer -

However, the company has strong links with the Nazi war machine. SS captain Helmut Vetter, who is infamous for performing heinous medical treatments on female prisoners, was a Bayer employee.

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Dow Chemical Company - Dow Chemical is a large American chemical manufacturing company.

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Dow Chemical Company - During World War II, Dow provided raw materials and technological innovations to the Nazi regime, even after the US entered the war.

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BMW - BMW is yet another automobile manufacturer with an excellent modern reputation. However, not long ago the conglomerate was profiting off of forced labor.

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BMW -

During WWII, the company reportedly used over 50,000 prisoners to manufacture everything from arms and ammunition to U-boat batteries and artillery.

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Giant corporations that collaborated with war criminals during WWII

The dark history of Nazi Germany meets the business world

17/12/24 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE World war ii

When money is on the line, does big business turn a blind eye to war crimes? While it may be hard to understand how companies could have possibly collaborated with the Nazis during World War II, learning those that did were some of your favorite brands is even worse.

From American companies such as Coca-Cola and Ford to European staples like BMW and Siemens, discover in this gallery the huge businesses with histories involving the Holocaust.