Volkswagen

Just how involved was Hitler with the concept, design and development of the Volkswagen?

While the VW was certainly superior to conventional front-engine, rear-drive automobiles, it failed spectacularly in not having four-wheel-drive. That's what made the jeep such a superlative light truck.

There was also the matter of quantity. The jeep was ubiquitous, while the VW/KW was supplied in comparatively small numbers, to judge by the newsreels of the time, and many jeep duties were performed by motorcycles and even bicycles and horses.

all the best

Cheers and all,

Thank you for the additional information. Striking that,having the 4WD technology (which is surely the big obstacle), the Germans did not make it standard!

One should never underestimate a nation that can create such wonderful names as Schimmwagen!

(Or Volkswagen, for that matter

all the best

I used to read a page of anti-nazi german jokes, and there was one about the plan to save up for you car. People kept putting money into the savings plan but wouldn't be told when they could get it. The guy in the joke keeps pushing for it at various bureaucratic offices until they say 'here you go' and hand him a machine gun.

There was a shutes and ladders type board game about saving up for your VW that was pretty popular, and if I recall there was a post war re-make of it with the swastikas removed.

AND if you like making fun of hitler, you will want to see the newsreel with him riding and saluting pompously in a VW convertable.

It's my understanding that the gave the car his blessing and perhaps its name. Perhaps he even browbeat Ferdi Porsche into creating it, since the Beetle is scarcely in the Porsche tradition.

all the best

There is an excellent article about Hitler and the VW, located at: http://www.pre67vw.co.uk/history/default.asp?page=1

on 16 Apr 2004 10:57:00 -0500,

You have that backwards, Porsche's were Beetles.... At least at first.

No, you have it backwards. Ferdi Porsche is an individual, not an automobile, and he preceded the vehicles.

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