My apologies in advance for raising what may be an uncomfortable topic, but my curosity about this has become such that i seek info, as in historical facts (not moral judgements)

One person noted the tech help forum "benz-haters" that their hood had a swastika keyed into it. It raises an interesting question though: what did mercedes produce during the war?

There is a book by Douglas Orgill entitled "German Armour" which states that when an industrial conglomerate named "MAN" fell behind in the production of the Panther tank, that Daimler-Benz (DB)was assgined to maintain tank production; DB also submitted design proposals for a succesor to the Pkzw IV series but was turned down in favor of MAN's Panther design. Also, the book identifies 3 major players in vehicle production (VOMAG, MAN and Porsche). BMW and DB are rarely mentioned

They may have produced a scout car for the British (termed a Daimler scout car) but was it manufactured in an allied country? This is not so much historical fact, but a computer similation game series entitled "panzer general" lists an allied "daimler scout car" in their production lists for available vehicles; the historical research in that game series is quite thorough.

There is a famous photo of Hitler, taken years before the war started, posing on a mercedes limo that drew a protest from DB who wanted it clarified that the photo was not their endorsment of the upstart Nazi Party ("The Nazi's", by George Bruce). I wonder if those who lodged the protest had to flee Germany after the Nazi's took power.

That's an interesting topic...

My own view is that a company unlike a man cannot in the present be responsible for its past.

Hitler's Merc still exists, I saw it on TV a while ago.

War in the twentieth century did more to advance technology than any other motive; second place for driving human achievement forward must go to either the "space race" or the motor car (the computer only featured late in the day and arguably was developed by war and space--the internet was).

It's interesting to hear that MB sought to disassociate itself from the National Socialist Party. I suspect that is wishful thinking: between 1936 and 1939 I think the Nasi government assisted the Silver Arrows. For the record, I do not believe this renders those arrows tarnished by sin, but it is an interesting point: MB was part of German/Arian superiority (which in our cars we all treasure).

However, there is no doubt that the establishment in Germany regarded Hitler as repulsive. Some controversial historians argue that there should have been a negotiated peace with Hitler in late 1940. The outcome, they say, would have been this: Germany would have been able to concentrate on the Eastern front and would have overthrown Stalin and Eastern communism; the establishment would have re-asserted itself against Hitler (by fair means or foul), and the world would have lived happily ever after.

Not sure myself.

However, if MB did disassociate itself from the Nasi regime, then that was a typical establishment German reaction (indeed, a typical reaction of the German broad-based people--and they do have broad bases, hence those firm seats).

As for the Daimler scout car, you've got to remember that by this time the Daimler name had gone in two dirctions, hence the later Daimler-Jaguars &c.

PS: not looking to offend or cause controversy with this post.

__________________
JJ Rodger
2013 G350 Bluetec
1999 SL 500
1993 E300 diesel T
1990 190

...any other manufacturer in Germany produced pretty much every item you can imagine for warfare.

Lets see: Tanks, tank engines, trucks, cars, Diesel engines for Dora, Berta and the other mortars used in the east.

Also we do have aircraft engines for the Messerschmidt. BMW for example produced aircraft engines, too. For example for the Junkers JU 52.

Just for the records: The german subsidaries of Ford and General Motors (Opel) build trucks for the Reichswehr. The revenues off course went to the shareholders, at least in the beginning of the war.

This is just part of our history. Same story as with your Boeing-planes spraying agent orange over Vietnam or british and french trucks carrying soldiers in Africa.

If you look at Germany during WW II you will hardly find any company which wasn't involved in some kind of wartime production.

Kind regards
Eberhard

What I found interesting was not what the german companies did for their war effort. But what some of the US companies did in pursuit of profits during WWII. The Enron debacle was petty theft in comparison to the traitorous acts done by Standard oil, US Steel, Dupont etc. As always IMHO

__________________
Happy Benzing
Darryl, Hill
2005 SL55 AMG Kleemanized
1984 500 SEC
1967 W113 California Coupe
[SIGPIC]
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/myphotos

I have found some anecdotal references to DB being the primary supplier of half-tracks, trucks and staff cars using a google search, but no reference to actual archives to check.

There is an intersting post-war reference to MErcedes and Nazi's, namely the employment of Adolf Eichmann (a high ranking officer who carried out the holocaust) after the war in Argentina, where he worked as an technician at a Mercedes factory (from "The House on Garabaldi st."); Eichmann used an alias of course, but it is unknown whether MB Argentina was aware of his identity, given their pro-fascist disposition at that time.

" One person noted the tech help forum "benz-haters" that their hood had a swastika keyed into it."

The irony here is that it was the Nazis that would put marks or tatoos on the people sent to the death camps.

I also like the Alfa-Romeo marque and they along with Fiat built airplane engines and contributed to the (short) war effort for the Italians. I believe Mitsubishi made the engines in the zeros.

I think all of these companies would have stayed with automobiles if it weren't for the directive from pollitical sources. That is why to this day I laugh at pollitions that say that the evil in America comes from greedy corporations. Nobody says anything about our Government being greedy or power hungry as it takes away more of our personal and property rights.

I also like some of the weopons produced by Germany in WWII. My dad brought home a Walters P38 8mm pistol. He server in the US Army from 1940 - 1946.

I would love to see some of the equipment that MB produced for the war. The engineering of this equipment has always interested me.