Tesch & Stabenow
Tesch & Stabenow, also known as Testa, was a Hamburg-based pest-control chemicals distributor whose wartime distribution and technical support of Zyklon B to Nazi concentration camps contributed to the mass murder of prisoners.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Tesch & Stabenow, commonly abbreviated as Testa, was a German pest-control chemicals company established in Hamburg in 1924. During the interwar period it became a significant distributor of fumigation products in Germany and, from 1925, held the exclusive distribution rights east of the Elbe for Zyklon on behalf of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Schädlingsbekämpfung, generally known as Degesch. Zyklon was a pesticide based on hydrogen cyanide adsorbed onto an inert carrier material. For ordinary pest-control use, the product included a warning odorant intended to signal the presence of the highly poisonous gas, although the odorant was not reliably detectable by everyone. The company's commercial role changed profoundly under National Socialism and the Second World War. In 1927, company founder or principal partner Stabenow left the firm. Bruno Tesch subsequently held a 45 percent interest while Degesch held the remaining 55 percent; in June 1942, Tesch became the sole owner. Testa supplied increasing quantities of Zyklon products to German military and SS institutions. In 1941, Tesch personally instructed SS personnel at Sachsenhausen in the handling of the fumigant. From 1941 onward, the company supplied Zyklon B to a number of concentration and extermination camps, including Auschwitz-Birkenau, Majdanek, Sachsenhausen, Ravensbrück, Stutthof, Neuengamme, Groß-Rosen and Dachau. The supply of Zyklon B to Auschwitz-Birkenau and other camps was not merely an ordinary commercial distribution relationship. The version supplied for homicidal use was provided without the warning odorant used for legitimate pest-control applications. The historical record and postwar prosecution established that Testa personnel were involved in supplying the poison and advising SS personnel on its use. The company reached its highest cyanide sales turnover in 1943, during the period when the Nazi extermination program was operating at its greatest scale. The company's products were used in the mass murder of Jews and other persecuted groups, making Tesch & Stabenow a prominent example of the involvement of private industrial and distribution businesses in Nazi crimes. After the war, British authorities arrested Bruno Tesch, director Karl Weinbacher and employee Joachim Drosihn on 3 September 1945. They were prosecuted before a British military tribunal at the Curiohaus in Hamburg. Tesch and Weinbacher were convicted of knowingly supplying poison gas for the killing of human beings and were executed on 16 May 1946. Drosihn was acquitted. The prosecution and executions remain central to the historical identity of Tesch & Stabenow. The company continued operating in Hamburg after the war under the name Testa GmbH. In 1979 it merged with Heerdt-Lingler GmbH, or HeLi. The original company therefore no longer operates as an independent business. Its legacy is principally historical rather than commercial: it is associated with the distribution of Zyklon B, the criminal exploitation of chemical pest-control technology, and the legal accountability of business executives involved in the Holocaust.
History
Tesch & Stabenow was founded in Hamburg in 1924 and became known in abbreviated form as Testa. In 1925, it obtained exclusive rights to distribute Zyklon products for Degesch in Germany east of the Elbe. Zyklon was a fumigant in which hydrogen cyanide was carried on an inert adsorbent. Products intended for legitimate pest-control operations normally contained an odorant warning, because hydrogen cyanide is exceptionally dangerous and its faint almond-like smell is not perceived by all people. In 1927, Stabenow left the business. Bruno Tesch held 45 percent of the company, while Degesch held 55 percent. Tesch became the sole owner in June 1942. Under the Nazi regime, Testa's distribution business expanded as the company supplied growing quantities of cyanide fumigant to German military and SS institutions. In 1941, Tesch instructed SS personnel at Sachsenhausen on the use of the pest-control gas. Beginning in the same year, Testa supplied Zyklon B to Auschwitz-Birkenau and other concentration camps, including Majdanek, Sachsenhausen, Ravensbrück, Stutthof, Neuengamme, Groß-Rosen and Dachau. The company's wartime conduct became historically and legally significant because Zyklon B was used not only for delousing and pest control but also for the systematic murder of prisoners. The material supplied for homicidal use lacked the warning odorant associated with ordinary applications. Testa's distribution and technical assistance helped make the poison available to SS authorities. Cyanide sales reached their highest turnover in 1943, at the height of the Nazi mass-murder program. After Germany's defeat, British authorities arrested Bruno Tesch, director Karl Weinbacher and employee Joachim Drosihn on 3 September 1945. The three were tried before a British military tribunal in the Curiohaus proceedings in Hamburg. Tesch and Weinbacher were convicted of assisting the supply of poison gas for killing human beings and were sentenced to death. They were executed on 16 May 1946. Drosihn was acquitted. The business survived in Hamburg after the war as Testa GmbH. Its postwar continuation did not erase the company's role in Nazi crimes, which remains the defining subject of historical discussion about the firm. In 1979, Testa merged with Heerdt-Lingler GmbH, also known as HeLi. Tesch & Stabenow is consequently a defunct historical company rather than an active consumer or industrial brand.
- 1979
Merger with Heerdt-Lingler
[1]The successor company Testa GmbH merged with Heerdt-Lingler GmbH, also known as HeLi.
- 1946
Curiohaus convictions and executions
[1]Tesch and Weinbacher were convicted and executed on 16 May; Drosihn was acquitted.
- 1945
Company personnel arrested
[1]British authorities arrested Bruno Tesch, Karl Weinbacher and Joachim Drosihn on 3 September.
- 1943
Peak cyanide turnover
[1]The company recorded its highest turnover in cyanide sales during the wartime period.
- 1942
Tesch becomes sole owner
[1]Bruno Tesch acquired sole ownership of Tesch & Stabenow in June.
- 1941
Technical instruction and concentration-camp supply
[1]Tesch instructed SS personnel at Sachsenhausen, while Testa began supplying Zyklon B to Auschwitz-Birkenau and other camps.
- 1927
Stabenow leaves; ownership changes
[1]Stabenow departed. Bruno Tesch held 45 percent and Degesch held 55 percent of the company.
- 1925
Exclusive Zyklon distribution east of the Elbe
[1]The company became Degesch's sole distributor of Zyklon products in Germany east of the Elbe.
- 1924
Company founded in Hamburg
[1]Tesch & Stabenow was established in Hamburg as a pest-control chemicals business.
Products and positioning
Historically, Tesch & Stabenow positioned itself as a regional distributor and technical supplier of chemical pest-control and fumigation products. Its wartime business became inseparable from the supply of Zyklon B to Nazi military and concentration-camp authorities, including for homicidal use.
Chemical fumigant
Zyklon
Zyklon was a pest-control fumigant based on hydrogen cyanide held in an inert adsorbent material. In legitimate applications it was supplied with a warning odorant, although the odor was not detectable by everyone. Tesch & Stabenow distributed the product for Degesch in Germany east of the Elbe from 1925.
Hydrogen-cyanide fumigant
Zyklon B
Zyklon B was a variant of the Zyklon fumigant. Tesch & Stabenow supplied it to the German army and SS and, from 1941, to multiple concentration camps. The material used for homicidal purposes was supplied without the warning odorant associated with legitimate pest-control use. It became one of the principal chemical agents used in the mass murder of prisoners at Nazi camps.
Controversies
1946
Curiohaus trial and executions
Bruno Tesch and Karl Weinbacher were convicted by a British military tribunal and executed on 16 May 1946. Joachim Drosihn was acquitted.
1945
Postwar prosecution for Zyklon B supply
British authorities prosecuted Tesch & Stabenow personnel for supplying Zyklon B to concentration camps with knowledge that it was being used to kill human beings.
Brand decisions
1979
Merger into Heerdt-LinglerM&ABackground
Testa GmbH continued operating in Hamburg after the Second World War.
Action taken
Testa merged with Heerdt-Lingler GmbH, known as HeLi.
Aftermath
Tesch & Stabenow ceased to exist as an independent company.
1925
Exclusive regional Zyklon distributionStrategyBackground
Degesch was expanding the organized distribution of Zyklon pest-control products in Germany.
Action taken
Tesch & Stabenow accepted exclusive distribution responsibility east of the Elbe.
Aftermath
The arrangement established Testa as a major regional supplier of chemical fumigants.
Recent events
- 1979
Testa merges with Heerdt-Lingler[1]
M&A
The postwar successor operating as Testa GmbH merged with Heerdt-Lingler GmbH, ending Tesch & Stabenow's existence as an independent company.
Sources1 sources
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