The rubber that won't grow in the Reich
Germany produces no natural rubber: the rubber tree grows in the colonies of Southeast Asia, controlled by the British and the Dutch. As soon as war breaks out, the naval blockade threatens to choke off the entire tyre industry — cars, trucks, aircraft, without which no modern army can move.
IG Farben has developed the Buna process, a synthetic rubber derived from butadiene and styrene. But the process requires heavy installations and costs far more than the imported natural product.
Should the Reich bet its chemical industry on synthetics, look for a less demanding variant, or play for time by building up stockpiles while the sea lanes remain open?
How should Germany secure its rubber supply once the naval blockade is in place?
The Reich chose massive investment in Buna. New plants were built (Schkopau, Hüls, and later Auschwitz-Monowitz), despite a production cost far higher than natural rubber. In 1943-1944, production reached roughly 110,000 to 120,000 tonnes per year, enough to sustain Germany's automotive and aviation industry despite the blockade. Without this bet on synthetics, the Wehrmacht would have run short of tyres from the very first campaigns.
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