Day-to-day operations at Brabag were to be overseen by Fritz Kranefuss (1900–1945?). Kranefuss came from a family of cigar manufacturers in Herford, Westphalia, and after a brief spell in the Imperial Navy and the Freikorps had undergone a normal commercial apprenticeship. However, his chief qualifications were his excellent political contacts. He was a nephew of Wilhelm Keppler, Hitler’s personal economic adviser, and had been a member of the Nazi party since 1932. He was a close collaborator of Heinrich Himmler and was employed on the staff of Rudolf Hess, the deputy leader of the party.
