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>> Narrator: WHEREVER ADOLF
HITLER DROVE IN HIS MOTORCADE,
THE CROWDS TURNED OUT TO CHEER.
A CAR RIDE IN A TRIUMPHANT
PARADE WAS HIS FAVORITE FORM OF
PUBLIC RELATIONS.
BUT HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT
ASSASSINS, SO HE HAD AN ARMORED
LIMOUSINE BUILT FOR HIMSELF.
THIS LIMOUSINE CARRIED HITLER
THROUGH MOST OF WORLD WAR II,
AND THEN, IN A BIZARRE TWIST OF
FATE, THE CAR SWITCHED SIDES.
IT WOULD TAKE ALMOST 40 YEARS
AND A MOUNTAIN OF RESEARCH TO
LINK IT BACK TO THE FUEHRER.
HITLER LOVED CARS.
HE RARELY MISSED A CHANCE TO GO
TO AN AUTO SHOW, OR A CAR RACE.
HE ALSO NEVER MISSED A CHANCE TO
BE SEEN, ADMIRED, AND
PHOTOGRAPHED WHILE CRUISING
ALONG IN ONE OF HIS MANY GIANT
DAIMLER-BENZ LIMOUSINES.
HITLER UNDERSTOOD WHAT THE CARS
DID FOR HIS IMAGE.
>> I THINK THE MYSTIQUE OF THE
NAZI REGIME, THE SPECIAL
EMPHASIS THEY PUT ON THEIR
PUBLIC RELATIONS, AND THEIR HUGE
RALLIES, AND THINGS LIKE THAT
WHICH THESE CARS WERE PART OF,
AND HITLER'S POSITION CERTAINLY
GAVE THE CARS A GREAT PROMINENCE
AND A CENTRAL PART IN SORT OF
THE NAZI PROPAGANDA MACHINERY.
>> Narrator: BUT HITLER HAD
PLENTY OF ENEMIES.
SO IN EARLY NOVEMBER, 1939,
HITLER'S PERSONAL CHAUFFEUR
ORDERED A NEW, ARMORED PARADE
CAR.
IT WAS A GROSSER MERCEDES 770,
BUILT TO ACCOMMODATE A STANDING
PASSENGER.
THE FRONT, RIGHT-HAND SEAT
FOLDED UP TO REVEAL A PLATFORM
ABOUT FIVE INCHES HIGH.
THERE WAS A GRIP AT THE TOP OF
THE WINDSHIELD TO ALLOW THE
STANDING RIDER TO STEADY
HIMSELF.
WHAT WAS NEW ABOUT THIS LIMO WAS
THE EXTENSIVE SECURITY FEATURES.
HALF-INCH-THICK STEEL ARMOR
PLATING LINED THE FLOORBOARDS,
AND WITH THE ALREADY HEAVY
EXTERIOR, THE TOTAL WEIGHT WAS
MORE THAN 9,000 POUNDS.
A LEATHER-COVERED METAL SHIELD
COULD BE CRANKED UP BEHIND THE
REAR SEAT, AND THE BULLETPROOF
WINDOW GLASS WAS ONE AND A
QUARTER INCHES THICK.
IRONICALLY, EVEN THOUGH HITLER
WAS AFRAID OF ASSASSINS, IT WAS
STILL A PARADE CAR, SO IT WAS A
CONVERTIBLE.
EIGHT MONTHS AFTER THE ORDER, ON
JULY 8, 1940, THE NEW MERCEDES
WAS DELIVERED TO HITLER'S
PERSONAL CARPOOL IN BERLIN; AND
JUST TEN DAYS AFTER DELIVERY,
THE FUEHRER WAS SEEN RIDING IN
IT.
ITS SERVICE TO THE THIRD REICH
HAD BEGUN.
>> IT WOULD SEEM TO HAVE BEEN
ONE OF HIS MORE POPULAR MERCEDES
VEHICLES.
AND SO THIS WAS PROBABLY THE
THING HE WOULD BRING OUT FOR THE
REALLY SPECIAL OCCASION, OR THE
BIG EVENTS WHERE HE REALLY
WANTED TO MAKE AN IMPACT.
>> Narrator: SEPTEMBER 10, 1941,
MARIENBURG, EAST PRUSSIA;
NOVEMBER, 1941, AT A STATE
FUNERAL; MARCH 15, 1942, AT THE
ZEUGHAUS TO GIVE AN ADDRESS ON
GERMANY'S HEROES' MEMORIAL DAY.
IN 1943, ACCORDING TO DAIMLER-
BENZ RECORDS, THE CAR CAME IN
FOR REPAIRS AND WAS RETURNED TO
HITLER'S CARPOOL ON SEPTEMBER 15
OF THAT YEAR.
>> AND THAT IS THE LAST
DOCUMENT, OR A PHOTOGRAPHIC
REFERENCE, OR WHATEVER, TO THE
CAR AT ALL, UNTIL MAY, 1945,
WHEN IT WAS CAPTURED BY THE
AMERICANS.
>> Narrator: JUST DAYS BEFORE
THE GERMAN SURRENDER IN MAY
1945, U.S. ARMY SERGEANT JOE
AZARA OF THE 20th ARMORED
DIVISION SPOTTED A GLITZY LIMO
STRAPPED TO A RAILCAR PARKED
SOUTH OF SALZBURG, AUSTRIA.
AS AZARA LATER EXPLAINED, HE AND
SOME BUDDIES HAD TO FIGHT OFF
GERMAN SNIPERS, AND THEN THEY
APPROACHED THE CAR.
>> I'M SURE IT WOULD NOT BE A
MAJOR PROBLEM FOR THEM TO GET
THIS THING OFF THE RAILWAY
FLATBED.
THEY WERE AN ARMORED DIVISION.
THEY WERE USED TO MOVING HEAVY
VEHICLES.
>> Narrator: ONCE HE GOT IT DOWN
AND RUNNING, SERGEANT AZARA
ASKED THE LOCALS ABOUT THE
ORIGINS OF THE CAR.
AS THE STORY GOES, A LAL
MECHANIC SAID THAT IT HAD BEEN
SHIPPED THERE "BECAUSE IT WAS
OUT OF GAS, AND EVEN GOERING
COULD GET NO MORE."
FROM THAT DAY FORWARD, THE CAR
WAS MISIDENTIFIED AS BELONGING
TO THE REICHSMARSCHALL HERMANN
GOERING.
BUT DESPITE THE INACCURACY,
GOERING WAS OF HIGH-ENOUGH RANK
TO MAKE THE CAR A HIGHLY PRIZED
TROPHY OF WAR.
A DAY OR SO AFTER THE CAR WAS
LIBERATED, THE WAR IN EUROPE
CAME TO AN END.
BUT EVEN THOUGH AZARA HAD RISKED
HIS NECK TO GET THE CAR, IT
WASN'T HIS TO KEEP.
THE VEHICLE THAT HAD ONCE
CARRIED AMERICA'S GREATEST ENEMY
WAS NOW DRAFTED FOR DUTY BY THE
OTHER SIDE.
WITH A BRIGHT ALLIES' STAR
PAINTED ON ITS SIDE, THE LIMO
WENT INTO CARPOOL SERVICE FOR
TWO AMERICAN GENERALS.
WHEN THE 20th ARMORED DIVISION
LEFT EUROPE, THE CAR CAME HOME
WITH IT.
THE BOSTON DAILY GLOBE HERALDED
ITS ARRIVAL WITH THE HEADLINE
"GOERING'S AUTO BULLETPROOF TO
PROTECT FAT MARSHAL'S HIDE."
THE FOUR-WHEELED P.O.W. WAS
OVERHAULED AND PUT RIGHT TO
WORK.
THE CAR WENT ON TOUR FOR THE
EIGHTH VICTORY BOND DRIVE.AUTOMY
HAD BEEN SO MUCH A PART OF THE
NAZI MYSTIQUE THAT, YES, THAT
THIS WAS SORT OF PARADED AROUND.
>> Narrator: EVENTUALLY, THE CAR
WAS PUT INTO STORAGE AT THE
ARMY'S ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND
IN MARYLAND, WHERE IT LANGUISHED
FOR TEN YEARS.
THEN, IN 1956, THE GOVERNMENT
DECIDED TO CLEAN HOUSE AND
AUCTIONED THE LIMO OFF FOR
$2,700 TO A CANADIAN COLLECTOR.
IN 1969, THE CAR CHANGED HANDS
AGAIN.
THE NEWEST OWNER OFFERED IT TO
THE CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM IN
EXCHANGE FOR A TAX DEDUCTION.
THE MUSEUM TOOK THE DEAL.
>> THE CAPTION THAT WAS PUT UP
ON IT SAID IT WAS GOERING'S CAR.
THERE WAS SOME TENDENCY WITHIN
THE WAR MUSEUM TO DISASSOCIATE
IT FROM GOERING, AND THAT THEY
WERE NOT CONVINCED BY THE
EVIDENCE.
>> Narrator: THAT'S WHEN A
LIBRARIAN AT THE MUSEUM NAMED
LUDWIG KOSCHE BECAME CURIOUS
ABOUT THE CAR.
KOSCHE FOUND THE FACTORY VEHICLE
NUMBER STAMPED ON THE FIREWALL,
THE METAL SHIELD BETWEEN THE
ENGINE AND THE DRIVER.
BY TRACING THE NUMBER BACK
THROUGH DAIMLER-BENZ ARCHIVES,
KOSCHE WAS ABLE TO DOCUMENT THAT
THE CAR WAS DELIVERED TO
HITLER'S OWN CARPOOL.
BUT THAT WASN'T SOLID ENOUGH
EVIDENCE THAT HITLER HIMSELF HAD
USED THE CAR.
THE REAL EVIDENCE FINALLY
SURFACED, LITERALLY, WHEN THE
MANY YEARS OF PAINT WERE
STRIPPED OFF THE CAR'S ORIGINAL
LICENSE PLATES.
KOSCHE FOUND PHOTOS OF HITLER IN
A CAR BEARING THE SAME LICENSE
PLATE NUMBER.
STILL, BECAUSE OF ALL THE
RESTORATION WORK, IT WAS HARD TO
MAKE A REAL MATCH FROM THE
PHOTOS.
SO KOSCHE GOT OUT A MICROSCOPE.
>> HE LOOKED CLOSER AT THE
PHOTOGRAPHS, AND THERE ARE A LOT
OF FEATURES THAT THIS CAR HAS
THAT OTHER CARS HAVE, BUT ALL
THESE FEATURES TOGETHER SEEM TO
REFER ONLY TO THIS CAR.
>> Narrator: THE LIGHTS ON THE
FRONT HAD CHANGED, BUT FOUR
VENTS UNDER THE WINDSHIELD,
SILVER COOLING HOSES FOR THE
SUPERCHARGED ENGINE, AND SHORT,
CURVED REAR WINDOWS COULD NOT BE
FOUND ON ANY OTHER VEHICLE OF
THE THIRD REICH.
NOW KOSCHE WAS SURE.
IN 1982, AT LONG LAST, THE CAR
WAS IDENTIFIED, BEYOND A
REASONABLE DOUBT, AS ONE OF
HITLER'S OWN.
THE MUSEUM CHANGED ITS DISPLAY
TO REFLECT THAT.
>> PRETTY SOON, THE COMPLAINTS
STARTED TO COME IN THAT THIS
IS... THIS IS SORT OF... THIS IS
A BIT TOO MUCH, THIS IS ALMOST A
NAZI SHRINE.
>> Narrator: DOES THE VEHICLE'S
PRESENCE IN THE MUSEUM GLORIFY
HITLER, OR IS IT A WORTHWHILE
EXHIBIT ON THE LESSONS OF THE
NAZI ERA?
THE CONTROVERSY HAS CONTINUED
SINCE THE CAR WAS CORRECTLY
RELINKED TO HITLER.
THE EXHIBIT HAS EVEN BEEN
CHALLENGED ON THE GROUND THAT IT
SHOULD NOT BE IN THE CANADIAN
WAR MUSEUM AT ALL, SINCE THERE
IS NO DIRECT CANADIAN CONNECTION
TO THE LIMOUSINE.
>> AND SO IT DOES CREATE SORT OF
SOME PROBLEMS AS FAR... FROM THE
POINT OF VIEW OF A MUSEUM.
UNDOUBTEDLY POPULAR.
OUR HITLER CAR-- THAT'S WHAT
SEEMS TO SEIZE PEOPLE'S
IMAGINATION PERHAPS A BIT MORE
THAN WE WOULD LIKE IT TO.
>> Narrator: HITLER'S STAFF AND
PARADE CAR IS CURRENTLY ON
PUBLIC DISPLAY AT THE CANADIAN