Dear probonopublico-ga,
Bryan,
Another interesting question to research. Some statistics on
production are available - it appears not all the records were
destroyed at the end of the war. The Allies were particularly keen to
seize the files as they were seeking to identify information on the
synthetic oil industry. German oil production was targeted by the
Allies in 1944 /45, and reports on the effectiveness of the bombing
campaign linked below.
The first document is ?The Role of Synthetic Fuel In World War II
Germany - implications for today?? by Peter W. Becker (B.A., North
Texas State University; M.A., Ph.D., Stanford University) is Associate
Professor of History at the University of South Carolina.
This is a very comprehensive article, fully sourced, which will
provide some statistics and information you require.
http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1981/jul-aug/becker.htm
The next document is from the United Kingdom?s Ministry of Fuel and
Power, which produced a report in 1947 on the German oil industry. The
index appears here:
Report on the Petroleum and Synthetic oil industry of Germany - index
http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/primary_documents/gvt_reports/MofFP/ger_syn_ind/mof-toc.htm
This part of the report, starting at page 2, provides statistics on
crude production and finished products, and details German oil
production during the war.
http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/primary_documents/gvt_reports/MofFP/ger_syn_ind/mof-sectef.pdf
The above documents came from a web site dedicated to the
Fischer-Tropsch process where coal was compressed into gas which was
mixed with hydrogen. From the same site, the documents below are
various Allied reports on their investigations at the end of the war.
Synthetic Oil Production in Germany, Interrogation of Dr. Butefisch,
British Intelligence Objectives Sub-Committee
http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/primary_documents/gvt_reports/BIOS/bios_1697.htm
Table II ? Total German production ? referred to by Dr. Butefisch
http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/primary_documents/gvt_reports/BIOS/bios_1697/bios_1697_tble2.pdf
All of the interviews of Dr. Butefisch appear here
http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/primary_documents/gvt_reports/BIOS/bios_1697/bios_1697_toc.htm
Report on German oil production, by R. Holroyd
"Most of the Rumanian/ Hungarian oil products were supplied direct to
the armed forces in the Eastern areas [...] The total Rumanian crude
production was said to be roughly 6,000,000 tons/year. [...] German
oil production: 1,920,000 tons/yeare, some 8-900,000 came from the
Austrian fields, 6-700,000 tons/year from the Hanover district,
2000,000 tons/year from Heide and the remainder from Baden and the
Polish frontier area. The German crudes, particularly those from
Austria which contained only 5-7% petrol, were particularly good for
lubricating oil production"
Page 15 of pdf
http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/Bureau_of_Mines/info_circ/ic_7370/ic_7370_sec18.pdf
Other references to the Report on the Investigation by Fuels and
Lubricants Teams at the I.G. Farbenindustrie A.G. Leuna Works,
Meresburg, Germany ? 1946
http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/Bureau_of_Mines/info_circ/ic_7370/ic_7370_toc.htm
http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/indexes/bios_item_no_30.htm
http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/primary_documents/gvt_reports/BIOS/biostoc.htm
"Of the total oil production of 6,180,000 tons in 1943 from all
sources, 3,088,000 tons was from Bergius hydrogenation and only
368,000 tons was produced by the Fischer-Tropsch process."
PETROLEUM (LONDON). Synthetic Fuels in Germany. I. Introduction. Vol.
9, 1946, pp. 74, 93.
http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/Bureau_of_Mines/abs_of_lit/lit-abs/2600/lit2628.htm
This document is described as The United States Strategic Bombing
Survey, Summary Report, (European War), September 30, 1945. It appears
on a personal web site, but appears to be genuine.
"The German oil supply was tight throughout the war, and was a
controlling factor in military operations. The chief source of supply,
and the only source for aviation gasoline, was 13 synthetic plants
together with a small production from three additional ones that
started operations in 1944. The major sources of products refined from
crude oil were the Ploesti oil fields in Rumania and the Hungarian
fields which together accounted for about a quarter of the total
supply of liquid fuels in 1943. In addition, there was a small but
significant Austrian and domestic production. The refineries at
Ploesti were attacked, beginning with a daring and costly low-level
attack in August 1943. These had only limited effects; deliveries
increased until April 1944 when the attacks were resumed. The 1944
attacks, together with mining of the Danube, materially reduced
Rumanian deliveries. In August 1944, Russian occupation eliminated
this source of supply and dependence on the synthetic plants became
even greater than before."
More appears on this page
http://www.anesi.com/ussbs02.htm#fdftoa
Discussion on the effectiveness of Allied air raids with references to
oil production.
http://etd02.lnx390.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-0413102-132317/unrestricted/06ch4theeffectivenessofthestrategicbombingcampaign.pdf
I hope this answers your question. If it does not, or the answer is
unclear, then please ask for clarification of this research before
rating the answer. I shall respond to the clarification request as
soon as I receive it.
Thank you
answerfinder
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