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 DEAL.

>> THE CAPTION THAT WAS PUT UP

ON IT SAID IT WAS GOERING'S CAR.

THERE WAS SOME TENDENCY WITHIN

THE WAR MUSEUM TO DISASSOCIATE

IT FROM GOERING, AND THAT THEY

WERE NOT CONVINCED BY THE

EVIDENCE.

>> Narrator: THAT'S WHEN A

LIBRARIAN AT THE MUSEUM NAMED

LUDWIG KOSCHE BECAME CURIOUS

ABOUT THE CAR.

KOSCHE FOUND THE FACTORY VEHICLE

NUMBER STAMPED ON THE FIREWALL,

THE METAL SHIELD BETWEEN THE

ENGINE AND THE DRIVER.

BY TRACING THE NUMBER BACK

THROUGH DAIMLER-BENZ ARCHIVES,

KOSCHE WAS ABLE TO DOCUMENT THAT

THE CAR WAS DELIVERED TO

HITLER'S OWN CARPOOL.

BUT THAT WASN'T SOLID ENOUGH

EVIDENCE THAT HITLER HIMSELF HAD

USED THE CAR.

THE REAL EVIDENCE FINALLY

SURFACED, LITERALLY, WHEN THE

MANY YEARS OF PAINT WERE

STRIPPED OFF THE CAR'S ORIGINAL

LICENSE PLATES.

KOSCHE FOUND PHOTOS OF HITLER IN

A CAR BEARING THE SAME LICENSE

PLATE NUMBER.

STILL, BECAUSE OF ALL THE

RESTORATION WORK, IT WAS HARD TO

MAKE A REAL MATCH FROM THE

PHOTOS.

SO KOSCHE GOT OUT A MICROSCOPE.

>> HE LOOKED CLOSER AT THE

PHOTOGRAPHS, AND THERE ARE A LOT

OF FEATURES THAT THIS CAR HAS

THAT OTHER CARS HAVE, BUT ALL

THESE FEATURES TOGETHER SEEM TO

REFER ONLY TO THIS CAR.

>> Narrator: THE LIGHTS ON THE

FRONT HAD CHANGED, BUT FOUR

VENTS UNDER THE WINDSHIELD,

SILVER COOLING HOSES FOR THE

SUPERCHARGED ENGINE, AND SHORT,

CURVED REAR WINDOWS COULD NOT BE

FOUND ON ANY OTHER VEHICLE OF

THE THIRD REICH.

NOW KOSCHE WAS SURE.

IN 1982, AT LONG LAST, THE CAR

WAS IDENTIFIED, BEYOND A

REASONABLE DOUBT, AS ONE OF

HITLER'S OWN.

THE MUSEUM CHANGED ITS DISPLAY

TO REFLECT THAT.

>> PRETTY SOON, THE COMPLAINTS

STARTED TO COME IN THAT THIS

IS... THIS IS SORT OF... THIS IS

A BIT TOO MUCH, THIS IS ALMOST A

NAZI SHRINE.

>> Narrator: DOES THE VEHICLE'S

PRESENCE IN THE MUSEUM GLORIFY

HITLER, OR IS IT A WORTHWHILE

EXHIBIT ON THE LESSONS OF THE

NAZI ERA?

THE CONTROVERSY HAS CONTINUED

SINCE THE CAR WAS CORRECTLY

RELINKED TO HITLER.

THE EXHIBIT HAS EVEN BEEN

CHALLENGED ON THE GROUND THAT IT

SHOULD NOT BE IN THE CANADIAN

WAR MUSEUM AT ALL, SINCE THERE

IS NO DIRECT CANADIAN CONNECTION

TO THE LIMOUSINE.

>> AND SO IT DOES CREATE SORT OF

SOME PROBLEMS AS FAR... FROM THE

POINT OF VIEW OF A MUSEUM.

UNDOUBTEDLY POPULAR.

OUR HITLER CAR-- THAT'S WHAT

SEEMS TO SEIZE PEOPLE'S

IMAGINATION PERHAPS A BIT MORE

THAN WE WOULD LIKE IT TO.

>> Narrator: HITLER'S STAFF AND

PARADE CAR IS CURRENTLY ON

PUBLIC DISPLAY AT THE CANADIAN