Following the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, the Jewish members of the management board Richard Merton, Julius Levisohn and Heinrich Wohlwill were forced to step down. The Norddeutsche Affinerie was profiting by the increased public investment and expanded its business significantly. By 1939, the company covered nearly half the German demand for copper and was employing 1450 people. In the aftermath of the November pogroms, the company took part in processing gold that was extorted from Jewish owners. In 1939, Wilhelm Avieny of Metallgesellschaft and Hermann Schlosser, CEO of Degussa, were appointed to leading positions in the Supervisory Board of Norddeutsche Affinerie. Both were early supporters of the NSDAP and linked to Nazi politics due to the importance of their respective companies. During World War II, Norddeutsche Affinerie was an important supplier to the munitions industry and used forced labor to uphold production. At its peak in July 1944, 806 of 1900 employees were forced laborers.