[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.asta.rwth-aachen.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Opitz_1-266x300.png\")
<\/p>\n
Bust in the WZL
AStA RWTH<\/h6>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/www.google.de\/maps\/place\/Werkzeugmaschinenlabor+WZL+der+RWTH+Aachen\/@50.7840864,6.047332,17z\/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x47c099ed49716ac7:0xe6e3735864e98453!8m2!3d50.7838592!4d6.0478363?hl=de” button_text=”Show on Google Maps!” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
This article concerns the career of Herwart Opitz, his role in the WZL and the RWTH, his involvement <\/span>in National Socialism as well as his role in the reappraisal and commemorative culture of the RWTH. <\/span>The aim is to understand why his involvement in the Nazi system was kept concealed for so long, both <\/span>by him and the university. At the same time, it asks the question how such a bust should be dealt with <\/span>today. Understanding Herwart Opitz as an individual poses a number of difficult challenges for <\/span>observers, such as the need for a source-based reappraisal and a political value judgment from today’s <\/span>perspective, or the weighing of individual guilt in a system that was upheld and supported by its <\/span>followers.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n So how can Herwart Opitz’s commitment during the Nazi regime be assessed from today’s sources? <\/span>What conclusions can be drawn about his personal political convictions? This is a question of both <\/span>historically correct reappraisal, which must be based on the available sources, and the difficult <\/span>question of how such a legacy can and should be evaluated today. How should monuments, such as <\/span>the Opitz bust in the WZL or correspondingly named lecture halls, be dealt with today?<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Herwart Opitz was born in Wuppertal in 1905. His scientific career began in 1925 at the Technical <\/span>University of Munich. In 1928, he passed his diploma examination at the Technische Hochschule Berlin <\/span>and moved to the WZL in October 1928 as an assistant to Adolf Wallich (then director of the WZL). He <\/span>received his doctorate there in 1930 with a thesis on the machinability of free-cutting steel. <\/span>5<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n In April 1933, Herwart Opitz joined the NSDAP and the “Sturmabteilung” (SA). <\/span>6<\/span><\/a> In April 1934, Opitz <\/span>took the position as chief engineer at the WZL, subsequently received his habilitation and in 1936 <\/span>succeeded Wallich as director of the WZL. .<\/span>7,8<\/span><\/a> In the SA, Opitz was promoted to “Sturmmann” in 1938. <\/span>This is comparable to the rank of \u201cPrivate\u201d (“Gefreiter”) in the German Army. <\/span>9<\/span><\/a> During the closure of <\/span>the RWTH, Opitz held the office of deputy leader of the lecturers’ association.<\/span>10<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n As the war ended, Opitz had to undergo a denazification procedure by the Allies. In April 1946 he is <\/span>dismissed from teaching and in December 1947 he received a classification notice, which certifies his <\/span>complicity. As a result, he is dismissed from the university service and was denied any financial support. <\/span>Nevertheless, in a renewed opening of the proceedings – to which he was not legally entitled – he <\/span>received a denazification notice on March 3, 1948, which allowed him to return to the university. As a <\/span>result, Opitz was reinstated by the RWTH. In the next years of his work, Opitz laid the foundations for <\/span>the present-day work of the WZL.<\/span>11<\/span><\/a> Under his leadership, the Aachen Machine Tool Colloquium (AWK) <\/span>was held for the first time. <\/span>12<\/span><\/a> In 1958\/59 and 1967-1969 Opitz is the principal of the RWTH. <\/span>13<\/span><\/a> In 1973, <\/span>Herwart Opitz becomes professor emeritus. <\/span>14<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.5″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Assessing Herwart Opitz’s role in the Nazi system and evaluating his personal guilt is made difficult by <\/span>incomplete sources. On the one hand, there is evidence of his membership in numerous Nazi <\/span>organizations, but on the other hand, there is a lack of testimony regarding his personal behavior and <\/span>ideological stance. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Opitz was a member of the NSDAP, but there is a lack of sources to determine what exactly motivated <\/span>his entry or his political convictions. The possibilities here range from ideological conviction to <\/span>opportunism regarding his own scientific career.<\/span>15<\/span> In addition to convinced supporters of National <\/span>Socialism, many opportunists also joined the NSDAP in order to be able to continue their scientific or <\/span>economic careers. In the period after 1933, people became members in such numbers that the <\/span>admission was stopped. Those who were already committed to National Socialism in the period before <\/span>the seizure of power in January 1933 were only a small minority compared to the party members who <\/span>only joined under the impression of political success. <\/span>16<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n In November 1933, about half a year before he began his work at the WZL, he joined the SA. At this <\/span>time, the SA is a party militia that uses terror and violence against its own population to enforce the <\/span>political goals of the NSDAP. As a result of internal power struggles however, the SA loses most of its <\/span>importance in 1934. It was ousted from key political positions and replaced by Himmler’s SS. From then <\/span>on, the SA played only a subordinate role in Nazi rule. It lost almost half of its members, 1.9 million, in <\/span>the period from June 1934 to September 1934. <\/span>17,18<\/span><\/a> “The numerically decimated SA [founded in June <\/span>1934] in particular as a military sports organization and veterans’ association, and during the Second <\/span>World War […] [it] assumes auxiliary functions for the Wehrmacht.” <\/span>19<\/span><\/a> (translated from German) As <\/span>Opitz moves into a free enterprise job, he also wants to pause his membership in the SA. He justified <\/span>his deferral by claiming that he no longer works for the RWTH but is now in a free enterprise position <\/span>and doesn\u2019t have time to commit to both. and his request was granted. From today’s perspective, it is <\/span>no longer possible to reconstruct what Opitz’s duties in the SA were, and in particular whether the <\/span>reason for his leave of absence was valid. <\/span>20<\/span><\/a> As head of the WZL, he rejoins the SA and is promoted to <\/span>“Sturmmann”.<\/span>21<\/span><\/a> This promotion was given to all members who had been members for more than 6<\/span> months and could demonstrate basic skills.<\/span>22<\/span><\/a> This is comparable to the rank of \u201cPrivate\u201d (“Gefreiter”) <\/span>in the German army. <\/span>23<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n In addition to the party organization memberships listed above, Opitz also completed a mandatory 10-<\/span>day workshop and then attended a course at the Lecturer\u2019s Academy (Dozentenakademie). This is one <\/span>of the requirements for obtaining the Habilitation. The evaluation of these events also has an influence <\/span>on the ongoing career options of the participants. They needed a positive evaluation in order to be <\/span>sworn in as a civil servant. Herwart Opitz received a very positive evaluation.<\/span>24<\/span><\/a>,25<\/span><\/a> This makes it clear <\/span>that an academic career under Nazi rule was tied to very specific conditions. Anyone who wanted to <\/span>be successful had to participate in the Nazi social order one way or another.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n During the closure of the RWTH due to the war, Opitz held the office of deputy of the Lecturers <\/span>Association.<\/span>26<\/span><\/a> According to the understanding at the time, the Lectures Association is “the front line of <\/span>the movement and is responsible for the permeation of the national Socialist spirit in all aspects of <\/span>university life” (translated form German)<\/span>27<\/span><\/a>, as the 1939\/40 course catalogue describes it. It is not <\/span>possible to reconstruct what tasks Opitz fulfilled during that time. Nevertheless, such an office was not <\/span>absolutely necessary for career reasons and can thus be evaluated as a “determined political <\/span>commitment,” (translated from German)<\/span>28<\/span><\/a> especially since this organization was intended for purely <\/span>ideological dissemination. Historically, however, this may not necessarily have been the case, as Ulrich <\/span>Kalkmann writes: “A generalizing conclusion according to which the assumption of an office in the <\/span>Dozentenbund proves the person in question to be an active National Socialist does not apply […].” <\/span>29<\/span><\/a>(translated from German)<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n As head of the WZL, he geared its tasks to the needs of the war. He cooperates with government <\/span>clients, researches fields relevant to re-armament, and receives funding from the “Reich Research <\/span>Council”, among others. Through his membership in the above-mentioned various Nazi organizations, <\/span>he ensured the continued existence of the WZL and the possibility to continue working and <\/span>researching.<\/span>30<\/span><\/a> In addition, Opitz and the WZL were significantly involved in armament research. In <\/span>1943, for example, he is appointed head of Working Group M in the main committee for armored <\/span>vehicles and tractors. <\/span>31<\/span><\/a> The WZL was so critical for armaments and war that Opitz is considered <\/span>indispensable at the beginning of the war. He insists on the same indispensability for his employees so <\/span>that they are not conscripted into the army.<\/span>32<\/span><\/a> This “protection” from wartime deployment can hardly <\/span>be regarded as an act of charity toward his employees nor as resistance to National Socialism. The WZL <\/span>was particularly concerned with armaments research. The indispensability of its employees was <\/span>therefore essential for the preservation of armaments research at the WZL, which was a high priority <\/span>for the National Socialist leadership. This was probably less a matter of special commitment to his <\/span>employees and rather a way to secure his own position and his own research as well as supporting the <\/span>Nazi military forces.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n In her dissertation, Cornelia Kompe lists statements by contemporary witnesses who report that Opitz <\/span>forbid the wearing of a uniform or expressing oneself politically. Ulrich Kalkmann considers such a ban <\/span>“virtually unenforceable in the Third Reich,” (translated from German) because many of Opitz’s <\/span>colleagues were also members of the SA and NSDAP.<\/span>33<\/span><\/a> He suspects expedience behind the ban. There <\/span>are no other sources for this behavior. Therefore, an evaluation as a political statement cannot be <\/span>definitively ruled out but must be viewed with the greatest caution. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The denazification procedure of Opitz is also debatable. Opitz was classified as an accomplice and <\/span>subsequently dismissed. He received no financial support and has no right to object to this verdict. <\/span>Even though this had been a final verdict, Opitz is tries to get his case reopened by any means <\/span>necessary, such as a special decree from the Minister of Social Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia. <\/span>According to Krebs and Tschacher, Opitz also presented a fake KPD membership in order to win this <\/span>case. <\/span>34<\/span><\/a> After being rejected twice by the military government, he achieved his goal. He received a <\/span>certificate of exoneration and is thus allowed to teach at RWTH again. However, this decision must be <\/span>seen in the context of the political situation at the time. The Western Allies feared the loss of important <\/span>key figures and highly qualified scientists to the Soviet Union in the beginning East-West conflict. In <\/span>German society and the new political leadership, there was little need for a complete reappraisal of <\/span>the Nazi era. The crimes committed were not investigated, and only rarely were individual perpetrators <\/span>convicted. Opitz was supported by all political parties and the trade unions.<\/span>35 <\/span><\/a> His memberships in the <\/span>National Socialist committees were at least for his denazification procedure “minderbelast[…][end]”<\/span>36<\/span><\/a>\u201cminimally incriminating\u201d (translated from German. By tampering his curriculum vitae with an alleged <\/span>KPD membership, Herwart Opitz was guilty of covering up his past. It can be assumed that Opitz was <\/span>aware of the seriousness of his entanglements and tried to relativize his memberships in the <\/span>aforementioned organizations by faking a communist party affiliation. Opitz thus received his <\/span>classification notice not because of his lack of involvement in the power apparatus of National <\/span>Socialism, but despite it. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n All in all, according to today’s sources, Herwart Opitz was at least an accessory to the system. As a <\/span>member of the NSDAP and SA, he supported the Nazi regime, although probably not in a central <\/span>position. He worked with his institute on armaments research for the National Socialists. Certainly, <\/span>Opitz’s involvement in the Lectures Association goes beyond that of a mere accessory. Even his <\/span>denazification cannot hide this fact since it was decisively influenced by political circumstances and <\/span>not by a consideration of guilt. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n However, there is no evidence that he was complicit in specific crimes. Nor is there any evidence of <\/span>Opitz’s personal ideological convictions. Only his falsified KPD membership testifies to a criminal <\/span>initiative of his own, if only to conceal his own entanglements. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n A variety of motives for Opitz’s actions are conceivable. Not every NSDAP and SA member was also a <\/span>convinced follower of Nazi ideology, which is why the exact intentions of the respective person can <\/span>hardly be reconstructed from membership alone. <\/span>37<\/span><\/a> Many people joined the Nazi organizations for <\/span>opportunistic reasons and participated in the regime in order to be able to continue their careers. This <\/span>A brief chronological outline:<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.asta.rwth-aachen.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Opitz-231x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTransfer of the chain of office
HArch Aachen, AMA, 1968, S.22.
image rights: Foto-Preim , Aachen<\/h6>\nOpitz’s involvement in the Nazi apparatus and (co-)guilt for National Socialist crimes: <\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.asta.rwth-aachen.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/3.2.8_ai-207x300.png\")
<\/p>\nOpitz during a speech
HArch Aachen, 3.2.8_ai<\/h6>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.asta.rwth-aachen.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/1.3.1_Kra-I-300x215.jpg\")
<\/p>\nOpitz (r.) with the former rector
HArch Aachen, 1.3.1_Kra 1<\/h6>\n