Fritz Todt

Fritz Todt
Todt in 1940
Reich Minister for Armaments and Munitions
In office
17 March 1940 – 8 February 1942
LeaderAdolf Hitler (Führer)
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAlbert Speer
Inspector General for Water and Energy
In office
29 July 1941 – 8 February 1942
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAlbert Speer
General Plenipotentiary for Regulation
of the Construction Industry
In office
9 December 1938 – 8 February 1942
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAlbert Speer
Head of the Organisation Todt
In office
May 1938 – 8 February 1942
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAlbert Speer
Inspector General for German Roadways
In office
5 July 1933 – 8 February 1942
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAlbert Speer
Personal details
Born(1891-09-04)4 September 1891
Pforzheim, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire
(in modern Baden-Württemberg, Germany)
Died8 February 1942(1942-02-08) (aged 50)
near Rastenburg, East Prussia, Nazi Germany
(modern Kętrzyn, Poland)
Resting placeInvalids' Cemetery, Berlin
Political partyNazi Party
Parent(s)Emil Todt (father)
Elise Unterecker (mother)
EducationTechnical University of Munich
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
ProfessionCivil engineer
Known forChief of Organisation Todt
CabinetHitler Cabinet
Civilian awardsGerman Order
Military service
Allegiance German Empire
 Nazi Germany
Branch/serviceLuftstreitkräfte
Luftwaffe
Years of service1914–1918
1939–1942
RankLeutnant of the reserves
Generalmajor der Luftwaffe (Honorary)
SA-Obergruppenführer
Battles/warsWorld War I
World War II
Military awardsIron Cross

Fritz Todt ([fʁɪt͡s toːt]; 4 September 1891 – 8 February 1942) was a German construction engineer and senior figure of the Nazi Party. He was the founder of Organisation Todt (OT), a military-engineering organisation that supplied German industry with forced labour, and served as Reich Minister for Armaments and Ammunition in Nazi Germany early in World War II, directing the entire German wartime military economy from that position.

An engineer by training, Todt served in the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I and was a recipient of the Iron Cross. He joined the Nazi Party in 1922 and the Sturmabteilung (SA) in 1931. Steadily rising through the ranks, Todt became Inspector General for German Roadways after Adolf Hitler came to power. In that capacity, he was responsible for the construction of the German autobahns. In 1938, he founded Organisation Todt and directed large-scale engineering projects such as the Westwall (Siegfried Line) and the Atlantic Wall. In 1940, he was appointed Reich Minister of Armaments and War Production. During World War II Todt made extensive use of forced labour, with as many as 800,000 labourers from German-occupied territories in the service of his organisation.

Todt was killed in February 1942 near Rastenburg when his aircraft crashed shortly after take-off. He was succeeded as Reichsminister and head of the OT by Albert Speer.