It's terrible to say," Speer said pensively, "but it's better that they're concentrating on the cities." - "What do you mean, Herr Reichsminister?" - "During the summer, when they attacked the Ruhr, I was terrified. In August, they attacked Schweinfurt, where our entire production of ball bearings is concentrated. Then again in October. Our production fell by sixty-seven percent. You may not realise it, Sturmbannfurher, but no ball bearings, no war. If they concentrate on Schweinfurt, we capitulate in two months, three at the most. Here" - he waved his hand at the fires - "they're killing people, wasting all their resources on our cultural monuments." He gave a dry, harsh laugh: "We were going to rebuild everything anyway. Ha!"
J. Littell, The Kindly Ones (2006) tr. C. Mundell, 714
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