Dehomag
Encyclopedia
Dehomag was a German
subsidiary of IBM
with monopoly in the German market before and during World War II
. The word was an acronym for Deutsche Hollerith-Maschinen Gesellschaft mbH (German Hollerith Machines LLC). Hollerith refers to the German-American inventor of the technology of punched card
s, Herman Hollerith
.
Under Nazi Germany
, Dehomag leased and maintained the Nazis' collection of card punch machines. The use of this technology increased the efficiency of the Final Solution
. IBM in New York established a special subsidiary, Watson Business Machines, to deal with railway traffic in the General Government
during the Holocaust in Poland. The German Transport Ministry used IBM machines under the New York-controlled subsidiary in Warsaw, not the German subsidiary. Dehomag general manager for Germany, Hermann Rottke, reported to Thomas J. Watson in New York. It was legal for IBM to service the Third Reich directly, but only until America entered the war in December 1941.
The technology of punched cards dates back at least to the 18th century when it was used for mass production of woven textiles and later used as a recording and play back system in player pianos. The use of punched cards for recording and tabulating data was first proposed and used by Semen Korsakov
in or about 1805. In 1832 Charles Babbage
proposed using similar cards to program and store computation by his calculating engine. Punch card technology was further developed for tabulating and data processing purposes by Herman Hollerith
, dated back to the 1880s. It was used for the 1890 United States Census and for the census work
of several foreign governments. Willy Heidinger, an acquaintance of Hollerith, licensed all of Hollerith’s patents in 1910, and created Dehomag in Germany. In 1911 Hollerith's company merged with several others, forming Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation (CTR). In 1923 CTR acquired 90% ownership of Dehomag, thus acquiring patents developed by them. In 1924 CTR was renamed IBM
.
In the following years, Dehomag, obeying the direct orders of IBM
and Thomas J. Watson
, became the main provider of computing
expertise and equipment in Nazi Germany
. Dehomag was one of the pillars of the Nazi party's control over German society, giving them the means for a large census
of the population and for searching its data, at a scale never seen before.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
subsidiary of IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
with monopoly in the German market before and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The word was an acronym for Deutsche Hollerith-Maschinen Gesellschaft mbH (German Hollerith Machines LLC). Hollerith refers to the German-American inventor of the technology of punched card
Punched card
A punched card, punch card, IBM card, or Hollerith card is a piece of stiff paper that contains digital information represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions...
s, Herman Hollerith
Herman Hollerith
Herman Hollerith was an American statistician who developed a mechanical tabulator based on punched cards to rapidly tabulate statistics from millions of pieces of data. He was the founder of one of the companies that later merged and became IBM.-Personal life:Hollerith was born in Buffalo, New...
.
Under Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, Dehomag leased and maintained the Nazis' collection of card punch machines. The use of this technology increased the efficiency of the Final Solution
Final Solution
The Final Solution was Nazi Germany's plan and execution of the systematic genocide of European Jews during World War II, resulting in the most deadly phase of the Holocaust...
. IBM in New York established a special subsidiary, Watson Business Machines, to deal with railway traffic in the General Government
General Government
The General Government was an area of Second Republic of Poland under Nazi German rule during World War II; designated as a separate region of the Third Reich between 1939–1945...
during the Holocaust in Poland. The German Transport Ministry used IBM machines under the New York-controlled subsidiary in Warsaw, not the German subsidiary. Dehomag general manager for Germany, Hermann Rottke, reported to Thomas J. Watson in New York. It was legal for IBM to service the Third Reich directly, but only until America entered the war in December 1941.
The technology of punched cards dates back at least to the 18th century when it was used for mass production of woven textiles and later used as a recording and play back system in player pianos. The use of punched cards for recording and tabulating data was first proposed and used by Semen Korsakov
Semen Korsakov
Semen Nikolaevich Korsakov was a Russian government official, noted both as a homeopath and an inventor who was involved with an early version of information technology.-Biography:...
in or about 1805. In 1832 Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage, FRS was an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer...
proposed using similar cards to program and store computation by his calculating engine. Punch card technology was further developed for tabulating and data processing purposes by Herman Hollerith
Herman Hollerith
Herman Hollerith was an American statistician who developed a mechanical tabulator based on punched cards to rapidly tabulate statistics from millions of pieces of data. He was the founder of one of the companies that later merged and became IBM.-Personal life:Hollerith was born in Buffalo, New...
, dated back to the 1880s. It was used for the 1890 United States Census and for the census work
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of several foreign governments. Willy Heidinger, an acquaintance of Hollerith, licensed all of Hollerith’s patents in 1910, and created Dehomag in Germany. In 1911 Hollerith's company merged with several others, forming Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation (CTR). In 1923 CTR acquired 90% ownership of Dehomag, thus acquiring patents developed by them. In 1924 CTR was renamed IBM
History of IBM
International Business Machines, abbreviated IBM and nicknamed "Big Blue", is a multinational computer technology and IT consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. The company is one of the few information technology companies with a continuous history dating back to...
.
In the following years, Dehomag, obeying the direct orders of IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
and Thomas J. Watson
Thomas J. Watson
Thomas John Watson, Sr. was president of International Business Machines , who oversaw that company's growth into an international force from 1914 to 1956...
, became the main provider of computing
Computing
Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...
expertise and equipment in Nazi Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Dehomag was one of the pillars of the Nazi party's control over German society, giving them the means for a large census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of the population and for searching its data, at a scale never seen before.
Further reading
- Black, EdwinEdwin BlackEdwin Black is an American Jewish syndicated columnist, and journalist specializing in the historical interplay between economics and politics in the Middle East, petroleum policy, the abuses practiced by corporations, and the financial underpinnings of Nazi Germany, among other topics...
(2001). IBM and the HolocaustIBM and the HolocaustIBM and the Holocaust is a book by investigative journalist Edwin Black which details the business dealings of the American-based multinational corporation International Business Machines and its German and other European subsidiaries with the government of Adolf Hitler during the 1930s and the...
: The Strategic Alliance between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation ISBN 0-609-60799-5 - Anita RamasastryAnita RamasastryAnita Ramasastry is a law professor at the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle and a director of the Shidler Center for Law, Commerce & Technology. She is also a regular columnist for the online legal commentary Writ....
. A Swiss court allows Gypsies' Holocaust lawsuit to proceed. CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, 2004-07-08. - Dehomag D11 tabulation machine exhibit in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum