The oil magnet, the Nazis and the spy: Lützkendorf at war!

The oil magnet, the Nazis and the spy: Lützkendorf at war!

On September 8, 2025, an exciting film about one of the most controversial figures in German industrial history, August Rosterg, will be broadcast across Europe. Rosterg, who lived from 1870 to 1945, was an influential industrialist and general director of Wintershall AG. He is often considered one of the richest German entrepreneurs of his time.

His rise began in 1898 when he started his career as a drilling engineer at Wintershall AG. Only a few years later he took on numerous management positions until he was appointed general director in 1916. Under his leadership, Wintershall developed into Germany's leading potash company, and in 1926 he took over the majority of the shares. However, his proximity to the National Socialist leadership and close contact with personalities such as Heinrich Himmler cast a shadow over his legacy. Rosterg was not only an economic powerhouse, but was also one of the industrialists who provided Hitler with 25 million Reichsmarks in 1931 in the event of a left-wing coup. These connections as well as his activities in the Keppler circle and as a member of the supervisory board of Continental Oil AG are part of his story, which is illuminated in the new film.

A life between influence and morality

August Rosterg's ties to the Nazi leadership are undeniable; he is even enshrined in the legendary story that he attended a secret meeting with Hitler in 1933. Rosterg's son Wolfgang fell into British captivity in 1944 and was lynched for reasons of disillusionment, reflecting the dramatic family tragedies during this time.

The film, reported by MDR, uses exclusive archive materials to paint a more comprehensive picture of this complex character. The research by local historian Matthias Koch and Swedish journalist Maja Falkeborn Willner takes viewers from archives in Stockholm to the bomb craters in Saxony-Anhalt, which connect the history of Rosterg with the Nazi German war economy.

The importance of the mineral oil works in Lützkendorf

The centerpiece of this story is the former Lützkendorf mineral oil plant, which was of central importance for the German fuel supply during the Second World War. Synthetic gasoline was produced here from brown coal - crucial for the German army. This work eventually became the target of Allied bombing raids in 1944 and was linked to one of the most spectacular espionage cases of the war. The destruction of the plant is seen as a critical point that may have influenced the course of the war and had a lasting impact on Rosterg's role as an informant for the US secret service OSS. There is speculation as to whether his betrayal may have shortened the war by months, a question that is addressed provocatively in the research.

The film is not only a look back at Rosterg's life, but also a critical examination of economic unscrupulousness and moral ambivalence. As a small place between major global political decisions, Lützkendorf represents a symbolic stage on which the fate of many people was negotiated.

The examination of August Rosterg and his time is important in order to better understand the interconnections between economics and politics in history. Rosterg's life testifies to a constant struggle for power, influence and moral responsibility - themes that are still relevant today. This makes it clear that business decisions can have far-reaching social consequences.

For anyone interested, the film is an opportunity to learn more about one of the most dazzling, yet controversial aspects of German industrial history.

You can find out more about the background and research into the film on the MDR website, which reports in detail on this topic: MDR.

You can also read more details about August Rosterg and his story on Wikipedia: Wikipedia.