Bristol Hannover Council

**  The last of our talks on previous research topics was recently given by our Chair, Ian Turner, on his Ph.D research under Professor Alan Milward when at Manchester University. 

The story of Volkswagen, a project prompted by Hitler in the 1930s as a ‘car for the masses’ in answer to Ford and GM in the USA, is a fascinating one.  It was developed by Ferdinand  Porsche, working with the Nazi ‘Kraft durch Freude’ movement, and the VW works was opened in 1939.

Forced labour was used at the factory during the war to build various types of vehicle for the war effort and the works was bombed. After the war, the VW factory became part of the British Zone of Occupation and was seized as part of former Nazi party property.

Major Ivan Hirst of REME was tasked with getting the factory going again as a repair shop for the transport needs of the occupying authorities. Hirst saw the potential in the VW Beetle car and persuaded the authorities to issue an order for 20,000 VW vehicles for the occupying forces which saved the plant from being dismantled for reparations.

In 1946 it was costing Great Britain £80m per annum to support the British Zone. VW was then seen as a ready source of export earnings to offset the costs of the occupation. The subsequent development of Volkswagen, through the European Recovery Programme and the German currency reform meant that VW became an integral part of the famed German economic miracle.

Over the last 80 years the company has grown to become one of the largest car manufacturers in the world. It has been through many crises over this time but remains a powerful worldwide brand and symbol of German economic might.

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