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German Petroleum Geologists in World War II
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, 79th EAGE Conference and Exhibition 2017, Jun 2017, Volume 2017, p.1 - 5
Abstract
In the 1930s, Alfred Bentz, August Moos and Karl Krejci-Graf were among the most noteworthy petroleum geologists in Germany. Being scientific modernists, they systematized the search for oil, introducing modern exploration methods. All three essentially worked for the German state on providing the petroleum needed by the German military during WWII. The three colleagues seem to have been on friendly terms. They were, however, very different. Bentz was never a member of the National Socialist party but obviously collaborated with the regime. Krejci-Graf seemed politically more deeply involved as a member of the SS, while Moos, due to his Jewish background, was murdered in January 1945 in the concentration camp of Buchenwald.The talk will endeavour to sketch the lives of the three colleagues, highlighting their relationship and the interconnectedness of contemporary moral issues with professional and scientific demands.