12. Schindler began “producing” arms for the defense of Germany
By the late autumn of 1944, Schindler had opened a new factory in Brunnlitz, ostensibly for the production of anti-tank grenades for the defense of Germany. In order to maintain what was in fact a charade, Schindler had shipped from Plaszow raw materials and the machinery from his factory to the new location. As with other German industrial plants, the flow of raw materials was hindered by the destruction of the transportation network wrought by the allied bombing. The absence of production caused Nazi officials to question the efficiency of Schindler’s new plant, as they did with other manufacturers of needed war materials. Schindler was aware that it was necessary to maintain the appearance that his plant was productive, and contribute to the war effort if the workers under his protection were to survive the war.
To maintain appearances, according to some historians, Schindler purchased finished products on the black market and listed them on his books as materials finished in his factory. During this time several textile plants relocated to the Sudetenland, where there was a shortage of labor, and Schindler arranged to transfer workers from the remaining camps in Poland, including Auschwitz, to address the labor shortage. By the end of 1944, food for the workers, who were by then slave labor rather than employees, was provided by the SS and was insufficient to maintain health. Rations were subsidized by Schindler. He traveled to Krakow and closer to the approaching Eastern Front to obtain the armaments he presented as his own, food, and other necessary materials to maintain appearances before Nazi officials.