When Adolf Hitler and the “Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei” (NSDAP – Nazi Party) came to power in 1933, they indorsed a cross country highway plan which had been originally conceived during the Weimar period in 1926. This massive project, involving thousands of workers and millions of marks in costs, was given to Fritz Todt, a 42-year-old German engineer and early NSDAP member who Hitler named as the Inspector General of the German roadways.
Hitler had earlier degreed that all unemployed young men and women in the Reich were to serve a mandatory 6-month service in the “Reichsarbeitsdienst” (RAD — National Labor Service). Todt worked in conjunction with the RAD leadership to
