To mark the 100th anniversary of its initial founding, Deutsche Lufthansa AG is undertaking a profound revision in the presentation of its own corporate history.
With CEO Carsten Spohr's decision to explicitly link the anniversary to the founding of the first Deutsche Luft Hansa in 1926, the company's close ties to the Nazi regime are now at the center of public attention. For decades, the company maintained a strict legal separation between its predecessor, liquidated in 1946, and the newly founded public limited company established in 1953. This stance is now being abandoned in favor of comprehensive transparency, which also includes the systematic exploitation of forced laborers and the company's role as a state-supported armaments manufacturer.
Changes in the culture of remembrance and personnel consequences
In the post-war period, Lufthansa's strategy was characterized by efforts to avert reputational damage and potential liability claims by emphasizing discontinuity. This phase of denial is now officially declared over. In a recent press conference, Carsten Spohr stressed that it would be dishonest to ignore the dark years while simultaneously expressing pride in the company's current achievements. The new direction entails taking responsibility for all phases of the company's history, regardless of the legal structures of its founding years.
Historians like Manfred Grieger from the University of Göttingen point out that the earlier self-portrayal as two historically separate entities did not reflect the facts. In particular, the continuity of personnel in the management ranks of post-war Lufthansa demonstrates that the connections to the old Lufthansa extended far beyond the mere sharing of the name. Management now admits that its past treatment of critical researchers like aviation historian Lutz Budraß, whose findings were ignored or dismissed for years, ultimately damaged the company's reputation.
The symbiosis of aviation and the defense industry
Historical research makes it clear that Lufthansa was far more than a civilian airline. Historical analyses characterize the company as a pillar of the Nazi state. Even during the Weimar Republic, Lufthansa was involved in secret rearmament programs that violated international treaties. From 1930 onward, leading figures on the board of directors and supervisory board increasingly aligned themselves with the Nazi Party. With the Nazis' rise to power, the role of the airline under the "Crane" logo as the state carrier was solidified. It not only operated government flights but also became an integral part of the Luftwaffe and arms production.
The figures from 1944 are particularly revealing. At that time, the corporation generated more than two-thirds of its total revenue from the armaments sector. Luft Hansa functioned as a specialized repair shop for warplanes and was deeply integrated into the Wehrmacht's logistics chains. This economic entanglement, however, also meant that the company was bound to collapse with the downfall of the regime in 1945. Historians refer to this as a shared fate that chained the company to the fate of the dictatorship.
New findings on the use of forced laborers
A particularly harrowing chapter in the company's history concerns the massive use of forced labor. Previous studies estimated that around 12.000 people were forced to work in the factories and maintenance facilities. These included prisoners of war from Eastern Europe, especially Ukraine, as well as, from 1940 onward, German Jews. Current research suggests that these figures may need to be revised upwards.
New details from previously untapped sources in Polish and Czech archives reveal that children were also forced into labor. Due to their small stature, they were used to climb into narrow fuel tanks and perform cleaning or maintenance work. This information sheds new light on the ruthlessness of the management at the time. The deportation of Jewish employees to extermination camps was accepted at the corporate level without any significant reaction. To document these victims' fates more precisely, Lufthansa has announced its intention to provide financial and organizational support for further academic research.
Publication of a comprehensive anniversary chronicle
A central element of the new transparency initiative is a book on the company's 100-year history, to be published in March. The team of authors includes renowned economic historians such as Hartmut Berghoff, Manfred Grieger, and Jörg Lesczenski. The book will have an initial print run of 20.000 copies. Of particular note is the internal communication strategy: every one of the company's more than 100.000 employees worldwide will have access to the content in order to foster a shared understanding of the corporation's historical responsibility.
The written account is complemented by a new exhibition at the Lufthansa visitor center. There, the various eras of the company's history – from the beginnings of civil aviation through its instrumentalization during the war to its resurgence during the economic miracle – will be presented in an educational format. The aim is to foster dialogue with the public and strengthen trust through complete transparency, regardless of what unpleasant details might emerge during future archival research.
Classification within the German business landscape
Despite Lufthansa's current efforts, a study by the Society for Business History shows that a systematic examination of the Nazi past in German business remains the exception. Only about eight percent of the companies surveyed have commissioned a professional investigation into their history between 1933 and 1945. While there is a greater willingness among DAX-listed companies, overall almost one in five companies still largely ignores this period in their official communications.
Andrea Schneider-Braunberger, managing director of the Society for Business History, observes a generational shift. Particularly in medium-sized family businesses, the grandchildren's generation is increasingly pressing for a critical examination of their ancestors' role. Lufthansa's current approach sends a signal to the industry. The acknowledgment of historical continuity, denied for decades, marks the end of an era of repression within Europe's largest airline group. The coming years will reveal the extent to which this new openness shapes the corporate culture in the long term.