How much of a culture of industrial boasting existed in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s?
Short answerIt was pervasive braganomics, with German industry sometimes claiming achievements while importing Swedish solutions.
NotesBoasting was a structural feature of German arms production rather than an occasional publicity flourish. Public claims of self-sufficient technical achievement could conceal the purchase of solutions from Sweden. Swedish firms were willing to trade with both Germany and Britain, turning access to scarce expertise and products into a neutral commercial policy. After the invasion of Norway, Sweden's political sympathies and its geographic vulnerability pulled in different directions. The resulting policy was heavily armed neutrality: remain outside the war, keep trading, and avoid giving the surrounding German power a reason to invade. German steel-production claims also deserve caution because reported output and the apparent postwar stocks do not seem to align.