How dependent was Nazi Germany on iron ore from Sweden?
score:6
The Plan R 4 article lists the following source:
Ziemke, Earl F. (2000) [1960]. "Chapter 2, The German Decision to Invade Norway and Denmark"., Command Decisions, United States Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 70-7.
Quoting from the source, emphasis mine:
With due allowance for Hitler's tendency to play by ear, it can be said that the German interest in Norwegian neutrality at the beginning of the war was sincere. For Germany the advantages were substantial. Of the approximately six million tons of Swedish magnetite iron ore which Germany imported annually, about half passed through the Norwegian ice-free port of Narvik.
So while the numbers don't really match up (6 vs. 9 millions), the overall claim that Swedish ore was a significant ressource for Germany is legit.
Extending regarding the comment on total numbers:
This site lists 1937 worldwide iron ore production. It doesn't list its sources, but it looks far too detailed and matches with my knowledge of these matters at a glance, so I doubt the numbers are made up.
Copying the numbers (in per cent of global production) for iron ore, sorted:
- USA, 38.0
- USSR, 14.3
- France, 11.7
- Sweden, 9.3
- Rest of British Empire, 5.9
- UK, 4.4
- Greater Germany (incl. Austria, Czech Protectorate), 4.1
- Japan (incl. occupied territories), 2.2
- Rest of French Empire, 1.8
- Latin America, 1.4
- Norway, 0.7
- Italy, 0.5
- Yugoslavia, 0.3
- China, 0.2
- Hungary, 0.1
- Rumania, 0.1
- Greece, 0.1
The overall global production for 1937 is given as 98.0 million metric tons.
In light of those numbers, I'd say six million tons of annual imports are pretty significant, especially since France is not yet conquered.
Upvote:2
It is not the number of tonnes that matter it is the quality of the iron ore. Wiki notes that the Swedish iron ore was of very high quality whereas German iron or was not. This matters for the following reasons:
- You can't build good tanks, ships etc with low quality iron ore. Without Sweden's high quality iron ore Germany's own iron ore was of limited use
- Mixing the iron ore's also made the steel making more efficient
- high quality iron ore actually contains a lot more iron per tonne
Upvote:2
Iron ore comes as Hematite, Goethite, Limonite, etc, and Magnetite.
Basically Fe2O3 for the others and Fe3O4 for Magnetite. Plus contaminants.
Fe3O4 contains more iron per molecule than Fe2O3. Purified it comes to about 67% iron and 33% oxygen. Fe2O3 comes in at around 63% iron.
But, as dug out of the ground, Hematite etc. can be pretty close, with little contaminants, while Magnetite can be anything from 20% valuable mineral to 40% valuable mineral.
Removing the waste from Magnetite involves grinding fine, to around 30-40 micron, consuming huge quantities of energy, plus very costly separation equipment. In many cases Hematite/Goethite can be dug out of the ground, crushed these days to -1.25 inch +1/4 inch (lump), and -1/4 inch (fines), and shipped.
Saying how much ore has come out of the ground is misleading if you have to separate out and throw away two thirds of it. Typically, you ship ore fit for the furnace, i.e. refined (Magnetite), or high grade (other).
You can't put fine ground Magnetite into a furnace. It has to be turned into pellets, which is another energy intensive process. Sometimes the fine ground refined ore is shipped to somewhere with low energy costs for pelletising.
More post
- 📝 What did Russia do about Caucasus oil after the collapse of the Soviet Union?
- 📝 What distinguished the Republican Party of Liberia from the True Whig Party?
- 📝 Does somebody know anything about the original "Tour de Croy" tower?
- 📝 How did Soviet soldiers resist tanks during the battle of Shumshu?
- 📝 How long did Jews in hiding take to reveal themselves at the end of WW2? What was their reception?
- 📝 Was Fascism tied to any Specific Ideology Before Nazism and Italy's Fascist Party?
- 📝 Was Jesus unique from the point of view of contemporaries?
- 📝 What were the borders of Egypt from 1798 to 1803?
- 📝 How was South African infrastructure before 1994?
- 📝 What language did Nazi German occupying forces speak in France?
- 📝 How effective were the Mongol siege equipment?
- 📝 Why did Stalin keep the famine of 1932 a secret?
- 📝 Is Attila The Hun's Throne actually located in The Veneto?
- 📝 What was a plausible timetable for a train journey across Europe in 1870?
- 📝 How do we know the patricians of Rome?
- 📝 Did the rebels in the American War of Independence acknowledge English Civil War rebel groups as an influence on their thinking?
- 📝 Is Jacques Le Goff's statement about medieval labor mechanization not leading to qualitative progress true?
- 📝 Why did the United States Army force Nez Perce to give up their own land?
- 📝 Why were bows referred to as "Indian Artillery"?
- 📝 How did currency exchange work in the Middle Ages, especially if the coins are not recognized?
- 📝 What happened with North African oil during the Second World War?
- 📝 Was there a particular area of Victorian London in which bookshops were concentrated?
- 📝 Is the UK the last Allied nation closing the bases established in post-WW2 Germany?
- 📝 The greek 'daktylos'
- 📝 What is the last historical mention of people worshipping the Roman gods?
- 📝 Was it militarily possible to "island hop" the Philippines if not for MacArthur?
- 📝 Were sermons in the Middle Ages devoted to Old Testament or New Testament subjects?
- 📝 When did we stop diluting wine?
- 📝 Has any U.S. Vice President cast a tie-breaking vote against their own administration?
- 📝 How common was travelling before the invention of the steam engine?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 How dependent was Nazi Germany on iron ore from Sweden?
- 📝 How was life in the Iron Age different from life in the Middle Ages?
- 📝 From 1936-45 what was the prescribed punishment in Nazi Germany for failing to join or participate in the Hitler Youth?
- 📝 How did Nazi Germany finance itself during WW2?
- 📝 How was Germany able to hold itself together, while Austria-Hungary could not?
- 📝 How did Nazi Germany produce such an impressive portfolio of officers for WW2?
- 📝 How long was a sea journey from England to East Africa 1868-1877?
- 📝 How was titanium transported from Soviet Union to Area 51 for Oxcart?
- 📝 How difficult was to escape from a naval battle after engaging into one during the Age of Sail?
- 📝 Was the option of setting up a Jewish state in defeated Nazi Germany ever considered?
- 📝 How did the civilian population of Nazi Germany react to Operation Overlord?
- 📝 Was the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age violent?
- 📝 Why and how were east Brandenburg, Pomerania and Silesia taken away from Germany after WW2?
- 📝 PhD dissertations from Nazi Germany
- 📝 How much of Nazi iconography came from Hitler?
- 📝 How was the transfer of personnel from British women's military services managed?
- 📝 Why did antique guns and swords from the Franco-Prussian War make part of the demilitarization program to which Germany was subjected?
- 📝 How close did Germany come to interdicting Soviet oil shipments from the Caucasus in 1942?
- 📝 How widespread was dueling in the United States from its formation to 1860?
- 📝 How was debt handled in the change over from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian?
- 📝 What was American anti-tank doctrine during WWII on paper, and how did it differ from in practice?
- 📝 How economically profitable for Nazi Germany were the occupied countries in Western Europe?
- 📝 How long was a coach journey from Coburg to St Peterburg in 1790s?
- 📝 Why didn't Nazi Germany destroy document archives while retreating from occupied territories?
- 📝 How effective was the (Western) Allies bombing campaign over Germany in drawing down the Eastern Front Luftwaffe?
- 📝 How much were Jews allowed to take with them from Nazi Germany?
- 📝 How was real estate from Germans expelled after WWII redistributed?
- 📝 How long would it take a Victorian to travel from central Germany to the UK?
- 📝 How much in total did Nazi Germany spend on their war machine
- 📝 Was Nazi Germany still burning books in 1935?