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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