"You must take this position Albert. You are the best I have." (8th February 1942, Hitler to Speer on the appointment of Speer to Minister for Armaments and Munitions)

Hitler's utmost confidence in Albert Speer developed from their mutual interest in architecture several years earlier. As a result, Speer was considered a close friend of Hitler's, which in 1939, at the outbreak of World War II allowed Speer to make a significant contribution to the Nazi war machine. Being described by Hitler as "the best I have" was a description that allowed him to assume the position of `Minister for Armaments and Munitions' in February 1942. Over the next three years Speer's position lead to the following: an increase in war munitions production, an increase in efficiency in various bureaucratic sectors, a rapid improvement of the German economy due to a differing interpretation of `total war,' and ultimately a prolonged...