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Dr George Bell

Sir Henri Deterding: Shell Business Dealings and Ties to Nazi Germany

The following Information was generated from research carried out in March 2025 involving 27 sources.

Sir Henri Deterding (1866–1939) was a Dutch oil magnate and a co-founder of Royal Dutch/Shell. He served as general manager of Royal Dutch Petroleum from 1900 to 1936 and helped build the company into one of the world’s largest oil firms, rivaling Rockefeller’s Standard Oil. By the 1930s, Deterding’s role put him in frequent contact with Germany, where Shell had significant operations. He was a fierce anti-communist, largely because the Soviet Union had nationalized Royal Dutch/Shell’s oil properties in Azerbaijan after World War I. This bitterness toward the Bolsheviks made Deterding view Nazi Germany as a potential ally against communism. In fact, in his later years, he moved his residence and investments to Germany, purchasing a grand estate (Dobbin) in Mecklenburg in 1936. Deterding openly admired Hitler’s regime as “the most serious bulwark against invading Bolshevism,” a stance reinforced by his hatred of the Soviet regime that had expropriated Shell’s Russian oil fields. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

CHAPTER 9: Deterding’s support for Nazi Stormtroopers

The Sturmabteilung (SA) (Storm Detachment or Assault Division) in Nazi Germany functioned as the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. The SA played a key role in Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s.  (Information from Wikipedia article “Sturmabteilung.”)

The Sturmabteilung (SA) – “Stormtroopers,” was the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party and played an important role in Hitler’s rise to power. SA men were known as “brownshirts.”

Sir Henri Deterding was linked to the SA. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

CHAPTER 15: Nazi connections relating to Shell

The Dutch royal family remains a major shareholder in Royal Dutch Shell Plc. Beatrix of the Netherlands (above) reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 until her abdication in April 2013. She is the eldest daughter of Prince Bernard, until 1934 a Nazi stormtrooper. He redeemed himself after switching sides and fighting against the Nazis in World War 2.

I have provided extensive verification evidence from reputable sources about Royal Dutch Shell’s connection with Hitler, including Deterding’s meetings with him. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

CHAPTER 23: Index of Shell leadership financial support for the Nazis

Dutch cartoons provide evidence of a perception in pre-WW2 years that Sir Henri Deterding was a major financier of Hitler’s Nazi regime. Identified by name in both cartoons, Deterding is depicted handing over a bag of money to the Nazis containing a large sum – 1000 000 00 – in unspecified currency: see enlargements 1 and 2. Overwhelming evidence confirms that the perception was well founded. 

Extracts from relevant news reports and books, many authored before WW2, are listed in date order, providing compelling evidence of what transpired all those years ago. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.