Nazi Billionaires

The Dark History of Germany's Wealthiest Dynasties

By: David de Jong

Narrated by: Michael David Axtell

A groundbreaking investigation of how the Nazis helped German tycoons make billions off the horrors of the Third Reich and World War II—and how America allowed them to get away with it.

In 1946, Günther Quandt—patriarch of Germany’s most iconic industrial empire, a dynasty that today controls BMW—was arrested for suspected Nazi collaboration. Quandt claimed that he had been forced to join the party by his archrival, propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, and the courts acquitted him. But Quandt lied. And his heirs, and those of other Nazi billionaires, have only grown wealthier in the generations since, while their reckoning with this dark past remains incomplete at best. Many of them continue to control swaths of the world economy, owning iconic brands whose products blanket the globe. The brutal legacy of the dynasties that dominated Daimler-Benz, cofounded Allianz, and still control Porsche, Volkswagen, and BMW has remained hidden in plain sight—until now.

In this landmark work of investigative journalism, David de Jong reveals the true story of how Germany’s wealthiest business dynasties amassed untold money and power by abetting the atrocities of the Third Reich. Using a wealth of untapped sources, de Jong shows how these tycoons seized Jewish businesses, procured slave laborers, and ramped up weapons production to equip Hitler’s army as Europe burned around them. Most shocking of all, de Jong exposes how America’s political expediency enabled these billionaires to get away with their crimes, covering up a bloodstain that defiles the German and global economy to this day.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Must read, well delivered story

Dark past captured in a well documented manner. Great narration and delivery of sensitive content. Must read.

Great detail, muddled conclusion.

Great detail of the life and times of these business moguls. The last few chapters in the final section included sloppy innuendo conflating reasonable opposition to the Euro, euro-skepticism, and questioning of the Merkel immigration policies with “far right” policies. The book overall was well worth my time but the slop at the conclusion could have been trimmed.

History is wildly and deeply imperfect and as this book clearly illustrates, often grossly unfair.

Fascinating & Horrific

Well-researched & tragically sad.

Besides the horrific ways these companies benefitted & thrived on the backs of slave labor, the fact that these opportunistic industrialists suffered almost no repercussions - even in this 21st century - makes every death at their hands more insidious.

interesting and informative.

its a good book about the economics behind the nazi regime. i found it interesting to read. the book focus on the finence and the rich familys and that makes it a uniqe read.

Brilliant!

Are we currently seeing the same thing play out among American billionaires? It’s a must read!