Wirtschaft und Verwaltungshauptamt

Wirtschaft und Verwaltungshauptamt 

The Wirtschaft und Verwaltungshauptamt was the principal economic and administrative bureau of the SS. Founded on 1942-02-02 and based in Berlin, this organization was a huge corporate enterprise with extensive power. Headed by Oswald Pohl, the WVHA not only exploited slave labor (500,000 to 600,000), but arranged for inmate transfers with German corporations. German companies had to apply for slave labor and wait for approval before inmates were transferred. Colonel Gerhard Maurer headed the DII Department, which processed German corporate requests for concentration camp labor. There were twenty major concentration camps and 165 sub camps for slave and forced labor under its control. The WVHA was also responsible for all booty stolen from camp inmates and concentration camp construction.