Confiscated Vehicles of the Reichskanzlei / Berghof-Berchtesgaden 1945

A question for this forum: Some museums and collectors said they had the Mercedes of Adolf Hitler.
But I can not find any real proof of this statement. There are documents about these claims?

 

Welcome to the forum, please do not double post.

 

There are a few 'Hitler' Grosse Mercedes out there, though if I remember right the provenance usually has to be based on specific modifications to the vehicles (steps in the passenger compartment, extra armour, maybe?), them not all quite being 'personal' cars.

Away from the pooter/books at the mo. Will dig some stuff out later but I think Kevin Wheatcroft has a good candidate, then there's the one 'discovered' recently (hmm, may be confusing with the alleged Heydrich assassination car), and perhaps a couple more in the US and Canada with reasonably solid heritage.

 

See

https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/mcr/article/view/17835/22142

 

Thank you for information,
I know Kevin, he also knows why I'm investigating.Please read why:

All these collectors and museums, however, have a Mercedes 770 as an open vehicle, a vehicle for representation.
However, since 1937 he has preferred a closed, armored Mercedes Benz 770 / W07 for private / anonymous purposes.
This vehicle was confiscated in 1945 on Hitler's "Berghof - Berchtesgaden" by General Leclerq.


Vehicle history:

Model: Pullman sedan / armor-plated / special version according to customer’s wishes.

This vehicle was ordered on June 3rd 1937 by the then Prussian Prime Minister and Air Transport Minister of the Third Reich, General Hermann Göring from the Untertuerkheim Plant of Daimler-Benz-AG. A short time later, the order was changed on the instructions and according to the wishes of Adolf Hitler, Chancellor of the Third Reich, by the Chancellery of the Reich on June 23rd 1937 and confirmed by means of a document sent to Daimler-Benz-AG.

The order from the Chancellery to Daimler-Benz-AG was carried out on July 3rd 1937.

On July 7th 1937 a communication from the Minister of Finance of the Third Reich was sent to the Central Payments Office of the Third Reich with instructions to transfer the sum of 30,000 Marks to the Untertuerkheim Plant of Daimler-Benz-AG as payment for this vehicle.

The special version of this vehicle requested by Adolf Hitler was then assigned to his personal fleet at Berghof in Berchtesgaden.

In 1945 the vehicle was confiscated at Hitler’s Berghof in Berchtesgaden by the French General Leclerc and taken to France, where it was handed over to General de Gaulle.

 

Is that what Mercedes' history people have provided?
I can't easily think what more you might easily confirm, as if there was a Grosser stationed at the Berghof, it seems fair to assume Adolf would have used it. (Mind you, seems fair given the rarity of an armoured 770 that he might well have used all of them at some point).

One thought on more specific attribution to Fuhrer use; I imagine the 'Grey Column' of the GD's Begleitkommando might have kept records on what vehicles were on a specific tour/trip, though survival of such seems unlikely it's at least an angle.
Would possibly need a dyed-in-the-Feldgrau GrossDeutschland expert to know where to start looking though. Maybe someone sensible on AHF would know where to start or who to contact.

My guess is 'confirmation' of a specific vehicle with Adolf sat in it is at best going to come from magnifying glass comparison work on photos.
My other guess is that you're doing that already, quite a lot.
I suppose paperwork trumps potentially modified bodywork.

 

I read somewhere that there were 4 of the Grosser Mercedes Benz vehicles delivered to the Reich's Chancellery motorpool. Perhaps they used them much like today's US President where there is more than one of the armored limousines used? One at the Berghoff, one at the Wolf's Lair, one in Berlin and another loaded onto his train for use where ever he traveled to.

 

I thank you. But you have misunderstood something. I am looking for evidence from the museums and collectors for their vehicles.
The vehicle I described with the history. I have this car and the original documents also.
I said I know kevin and he knows why I'm investigating.

sorry for my bad english

 

This is not quite correct, but nevertheless thank you.

 

I thank you. But you have misunderstood something. I am looking for evidence from the museums and collectors for their vehicles.
The vehicle I described with the history. I have this car and the original documents also.
I said I know kevin and he knows why I'm investigating.

sorry for my bad english

 

Presumably you've directly contacted the museums and received no such confirmation?

How much confirmation of provenance is ever going to happen (like most antiques, a lot is always going to be on trust or fragmentary stuff). The Canadian one seems to have a solid enough history for general agreement it's right, but presumably a few good bits of original paper would be nice to push into the realm of absolute certainty.

All I can really say is good luck, mate!
You may of course come across a paper trail, and I do think the Begleitkommando might be worth looking into, but I'm guessing the visual record is likely to remain the clearest connector.

 

Hmmm. Wonder if the Allied Control Commissions kept good records of such seizures.
I know there's a solid heap of WO files left by them at the UK National archives, (and maybe the Liddell-Hart centre), but it'd take a far more archive-aware type than me to know where to start.

 

do not worry. I thank you. Do you want to see the real car of adolf? he is with me .

 

Well if he's there, just ask him.
Though it's possible he doesn't read Armoured Mercedes Monthly, probably more likely to subscribe to Nazi Vegetarian Dictator Weekly and not know a 770 from an SG6.