Part 2/16:
Initially, East Germany occupied the central territories of the former Third Reich, which included portions of Silesia and East Prussia, now reassigned to Poland and the Soviet Union. This region, especially around Berlin, was somewhat industrialized even before the war, boasting advanced technologies and extensive industrial bases. Notably, the southeastern industrial region around Berlin housed critical chemical manufacturing complexes like Luena-Werke, one of the world's largest chemical plants producing fertilizers, dyes, and synthetic rubber.