"Chemicals in the Hindenburg Munitions Program: The Limits of 'Total War' in Germany, 1916-1918"

Time: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Place: 6th Floor Conference Room, Chemical Heritage Foundation

This talk will discuss the chemical problems of German munitions production during the latter part of World War I, 1916–1918. It pays special attention to the so-called Hindenburg Program, which in the late summer of 1916 set the ambitious and controversial goal of doubling German munitions production by the spring of 1917 through an attempt at total economic mobilization. Despite huge problems and long delays, the chemical industry ultimately achieved its quantitative goal—a year late, and only an illusory success, gained by sacrificing the overall quality of German explosives. Even worse, as the Germans could not produce enough shell casings to use all the new explosives, their sacrifice in quality was largely wasted. This was one of the mistakes that cost Germans the war.