[AFJuvat]

One must remember that at the time, Porsche (the company) was an engineering consulting firm, performing designs for various clients. With the rise of the Nazis, the government became one of Porsche's largest customers. The only automotive design that Porsche (the company) had done prior to the war years was the KdF wagen (the VW Beetle)

During the war, the KdF wagen project was put on hold as the industry geared up for wartime production.

Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche (the man) had a direct hand in the design of the following weapons:

Tiger Tank
King Tiger Tank
Panther Tank
Elefant Tank
Maus Tank

Labor was allocated by Reich Minister Albert Speer, who wound up serving 20 years in Spandau Prison for his role in exploiting slave labor.

I would say Ferdinand's actions were a result of the times. He worked for the Nazis, but was never a member of the NSDAP. He was cleared of all wrong-doing by the allies, though he and Ferry were imprisoned by the French for approximately 2 years. Ultimately, it was determined that the French imprisoned him for personal, rather than political reasons.

Here are a few other companies that were directly involved with some of the more unplesant aspects of WWII:

Volkswagen built launch tubes for Panzerfaust anti-tank weapons, and the airframes for the Fi-103 (a.k.a. V1 rocket)

Daimler Benz DB-600 series motors powered many German aircraft.

BMW made aircraft engines as well, the BMW symbol is representitive of an aircraft propeller.

Also, you could also point the finger at the following American companies for aiding and abetting the Nazis

E.I. DuPont: Owned a significant interest in I.G. Farben - manufacturer of rubber, synthetic fuels
General Motors: Owned a interest in Opel, manufacturer of vehicles for the wermacht
Hearst Publishing: Published pro-nazi propaganda here in the US.
US Steel: Significant financial interest in Krupp Steel, manufacturer of many german weapons
Dougless aircraft, Boeing Aircraft: Demonstrating Dive Bombing techniques to Ernst Udet (Luftwaffe head of procurement), who, based upon these demonstrations, authorized the creation of the Ju-87 Stuka.

War definately makes for some strange bedfellows doesn't it?

AFJ