German Frozen Pizza Maker, Dr. Oetker, Reveals Nazi Ties

Dr. Oetker’s current company chairman, August Oetker, recently revealed some surprising aspects of his family history that were previously kept hidden.

While speaking with German newspaper Die Zeit, the giant frozen pizza manufacturer shared intimate details of his family’s connection to the Nazi party.

His father, Rudolf-August Oetker, who ran the company until his death in 2007, was a member of Adolf Hitler’s Waffen SS.

“My father was a National Socialist,” August Oetker told the newspaper. “He didn’t want to talk about this time. He said, ‘children, leave me in peace’.”

According to August Oetker, his father was persuaded to join the party by his step-father, Richard Kaselowky, who ran Dr. Oetker prior to Rudolf-August.

These revelations have been published a week in advance of the new book ‘Dr Oetker and National Socialism’, written by a German historian and funded by the company.

“I feel now we know the facts, now the fog has lifted,” says August Oetker.