Mercedes-Benz, a name synonymous with automotive excellence and luxury, boasts a history stretching back to the very origins of the automobile. Founders Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz are rightfully celebrated as pioneers of the gasoline-powered vehicle. However, as the 20th century unfolded and Europe braced for a second global conflict, this esteemed German automaker found itself inextricably linked to the ascent of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Like much of German industry, Mercedes-Benz’s engineering brilliance and manufacturing capabilities were commandeered to serve the brutal ambitions of the Third Reich.
The visual legacy of the Nazi era is replete with images of German might, often featuring the sleek lines of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Adolf Hitler, the Führer himself, frequently utilized these prestigious automobiles as symbols of power and national pride. Countless photographs capture Hitler delivering his infamous salute from within a Mercedes-Benz, a stark juxtaposition of automotive sophistication and the era’s political darkness. This period serves as a potent reminder of how even the pinnacles of engineering can become entangled with ideologies of dysfunction and destruction.
The Pinnacle of German Automotive Engineering
For Adolf Hitler, status and image were paramount. Among the spoils of power he indulged in were the finest automobiles his nation could produce – Mercedes-Benz. These vehicles, already recognized globally for their superior design and performance, became emblems of Nazi Germany’s perceived strength. This association between Hitler and Mercedes-Benz would endure for nearly two decades, with the automaker contributing significantly to the German war machine.
Germany’s reputation for engineering excellence was firmly established long before the rise of the Nazis. From the early days of the Industrial Revolution, German ingenuity in engineering and manufacturing was undeniable. While the sheer industrial output of nations like the United States surpassed Germany, the invention of the automobile itself on German soil underscored a deep-seated talent for innovation. In the early to mid-20th century, only a handful of nations – the United States, Great Britain, France, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and Italy – could truly rival Germany’s engineering prowess.
The “Mercedes” Legacy
The name “Mercedes” itself has an intriguing origin, stemming from Emil Jellinek, an Austro-Hungarian diplomat and Daimler sales agent based in Nice, France. Dissatisfied with the existing Daimler models, Jellinek commissioned a new design, promising to purchase a substantial initial order of 36 vehicles. His condition? The new car must bear the name of his eldest daughter, Mercedes Jellinek. So profound was his commitment that he even legally changed his family name to Jellinek-Mercedes in 1903. The iconic three-pointed star logo of Mercedes-Benz, inspired by a design from Gottlieb Daimler, was intended to represent the company’s ambition to dominate motor transport across land, air, and sea.
Like so much of German society, automaker Mercedes-Benz was co-opted by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party during World War II.
A Mercedes-Benz staff car during WWII. The company’s vehicles were used extensively by the Nazi regime.
In 1923, the renowned Ferdinand Porsche joined Benz as chief engineer, further bolstering the company’s engineering strength. Facing the economic hardships of the Great Depression in Europe, Daimler and Benz merged in 1926 to form Daimler-Benz. The vehicles produced by this newly formed entity were marketed as Mercedes-Benz, often abbreviated as MBZ in automotive circles. Porsche spearheaded the development of the supercharged Mercedes series, with the SSKL (Super Sport Kurz Leicht) model becoming the epitome of performance. Its distinctive and powerful engine sound, nicknamed the “elephant blower” due to its massive supercharger, became legendary, nearly doubling the engine’s horsepower.
Dr. Hans Nibel succeeded Porsche as chief engineer in 1929, continuing the legacy of innovation by developing the iconic Mercedes-Benz 500K and 540K models. These vehicles achieved legendary status for their exceptional performance and elegant aesthetics. Hermann Ahrens, the in-house coachwork designer at Sindelfinger, played a crucial role in crafting the bodies for these luxurious cars. Interestingly, Sindelfinger would later become a key production site for MBZ V-12 DB600 engines used in Luftwaffe aircraft such as the Messerschmitt Me-109 fighter plane.
Mercedes-Benz: The Choice of the Nazi Elite
Hitler’s preference for Mercedes-Benz was well-known, and these cars became symbols of his regime. In 1939, amidst the uneasy peace pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, Hitler gifted a supercharged Mercedes roadster with a rumble seat to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. However, following Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Stalin, rejecting the gift from his now enemy, passed the vehicle on to one of his generals. Remarkably, this car survived the war, eventually finding its way to Sweden and later to the United States, ultimately ending up in Arizona.
Hitler himself utilized a fleet of five custom-built 770K cabriolet touring cars for his official motorcades within Germany. Perhaps influenced by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in an open-top car in Sarajevo in 1914, Hitler typically preferred enclosed Mercedes-Benz saloon cars for security, reserving the open-top cabriolets for parades and public appearances. The assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in Prague in 1942, also in an open car, further reinforced these security concerns. Following Heydrich’s death, Hitler ordered twenty heavily armored Mercedes-Benz 540K saloon cars. He had already transitioned to using heavily armored limousines and had previously commissioned two additional 770K models.
The Mercedes-Benz 770K, known as the Grosser Mercedes Offener Tourenwagen, was a marvel of engineering and a symbol of Nazi power. Powered by a massive 7655cc single-overhead-cam, dual-carburetor, straight-eight engine, it produced 230 horsepower with the supercharger engaged. Despite weighing a staggering 10,000 pounds, it could reach speeds of up to 120 mph. This immense weight was partly attributed to extensive armor plating, including 6mm floor armor, 3mm hardened door armor, and 40mm thick bulletproof glass.
The 770K featured three “jump” seats, expanding passenger capacity to nine. The luxurious leather interior included a raised, five-inch floor on the right side, designed to make Hitler appear taller when standing. The front seat could fold down to provide him with more space in this standing position. With a 51-gallon fuel tank, the 770K had a range of 150 miles, but fuel consumption was a mere three miles per gallon in urban driving. The car also boasted advanced features for its time, such as four-wheel independent coil suspension, dual-system power brakes, and large 8.25 x 17-inch tires. In 1943, Hitler ordered another fully enclosed 770K Mercedes, featuring an armor-reinforced steel roof in addition to the existing armor and luxury appointments.
Wartime Production Boom for Mercedes-Benz
Hitler aimed to project an image of German superiority on the world stage, and the advanced engineering of Mercedes-Benz played a key role in this propaganda. Despite this image, Germany lagged behind nations like the United States in terms of motorization. In pre-war America, there were 1.4 people per car, while in Germany, the ratio was a much higher 49 people per car, even trailing behind France and Great Britain. Hitler pledged to rapidly develop the German automotive industry and initiated a massive autobahn construction program, with the first section opening in May 1935. With significant government support, Mercedes-Benz experienced a dramatic production increase, doubling output from 6,000 cars in 1932 to 12,000 in 1934. By 1935, production more than doubled again to 25,000 vehicles.
In 1937, the Mercedes-Benz factory contributed to the construction of 30 prototype Volkswagens, intended for pre-production testing of the “people’s car.” However, instead of mass production for civilian use, the Volkswagen project was repurposed for military applications during World War II. The tens of thousands of Germans who had invested in savings schemes for their promised KdF-Wagens never received their civilian cars.
While Mercedes-Benz limousines represented opulence and the company-sponsored motorsport program achieved considerable success, Daimler-Benz also focused on developing a range of military vehicles in the lead-up to World War II. This included trucks and half-tracks, aligning with Hitler’s aggressive expansionist plans of the late 1930s. From 1938 to 1942, Mercedes-Benz produced 19,000 model 170VK vehicles. Powered by the Daimler-Benz 1700cc M136 four-cylinder engine, these vehicles served as staff cars, signal communication vehicles, and maintenance/repair vehicles for the German military. The company had even developed a light scout car as early as 1934, demonstrating their early involvement in military vehicle production.
Mercedes-Benz also manufactured the G3a and G4, both 6×4 all-terrain vehicles. The G3a was powered by an inline six-cylinder engine, while the larger G4 utilized an eight-cylinder engine producing up to 115 horsepower. Approximately 2,000 G3a models were produced and adapted for diverse military roles, including survey trucks, telegraph vehicles, mobile flash-ranging stations, sound-ranging posts, weather stations, mobile print shops, observation scout vehicles, and radio communication vehicles. The G4 passenger model, a cabriolet weighing 3.5 tons and nicknamed “Bonzenkubel” (bigwig bucket), was produced in limited numbers, with only 72 units built. Hitler utilized one G4 as his personal staff car for field excursions and inspections.
Mercedes-Benz Gears Up for War
As Germany’s war preparations intensified, Mercedes-Benz became a crucial supplier of trucks for the Wehrmacht. The Gaggenau plant became Daimler-Benz’s primary truck production facility. Under the Schell Plan, a Nazi initiative to standardize and streamline military vehicle production, major German automakers collaborated to produce standardized, light all-terrain transports. Mercedes-Benz contributed the Types L1500, L1500A, and L1500S, three variants of 4×4 vehicles. The “A” designation indicated “Allrad-Antrieb” (all-wheel-drive), while “S” denoted “Standard-Antrieb” (rear-wheel-drive). These vehicles were powered by a 2594cc four-cylinder engine, with the 4×4 version primarily used as a troop transport.
Mercedes-Benz also produced the Type L3000 A and S trucks, primarily three-ton capacity supply vehicles powered by a 75hp 4849cc four-cylinder engine. Daimler-Benz manufactured approximately 8,000 of these trucks. The Mercedes Transport Vehicles Types L/Lo 200/2500/2750/3000/3500, and 3750 shared a similar design but differed in engine specifications, bed lengths, and wheelbase. The LZ 4000/6000/8000 series semi-tractor units also shared the cab-forward design of the L/Lo series trucks.
Between 1935 and 1938, Mercedes-Benz produced approximately 7,500 units of the three-axle Type LG3000 truck. Alongside Henschel 33 trucks, these were among the most common 4×6 three-ton, diesel-powered trucks in the German military. From 1940 to 1943, the three-ton Type LG3000 A 4×4 was produced as a medium all-terrain truck. In 1941, it was joined by the heavier L4500 A 4×4 all-terrain truck, rated at 4.5 tons.
The heaviest Mercedes-Benz trucks produced during the war were the Type L6500 4×2 trucks, manufactured from 1938 to 1940 and rated at 6.5 tons, featuring standard two-axle rear-wheel-drive. By the end of 1943, only vehicles of the L4500 A series remained in production, as Allied bombing campaigns and shifts in German military strategic planning led to the cessation of production for most other Mercedes-built trucks.
At the onset of World War II, the Nazi regime confiscated all privately owned vehicles with engines exceeding 1000cc and rear-wheel drive. This sweeping confiscation included all Mercedes-Benz cars and trucks, which were designated as “supplemental vehicles” for the war effort. Many Mercedes-Benz cabriolets were repurposed as staff cars for Nazi Party officials. The Wehrmacht also requisitioned Mercedes-Benz omnibuses for use as troop transports and mobile laboratory vehicles, further illustrating the extent to which Mercedes-Benz, a symbol of German engineering prowess, was mobilized in service of the destructive ambitions of WWII.
