by "ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
Published 05/29/2017 at 16:49
by "ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
Published 05/29/2017 at 16:49
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STARS: 7
On 4th May 1945, the 101st Airborne Division ‘Screaming Eagles’ liberated and took possession of this 1937 Mercedes Benz 540 K Spezial Roadster at Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian alps. The car had been custom made for Reichsmarschall Hermann Goring with an armored body and bulletproof glass. Behind the wheel is 1st Sergeant Owen E. Henderson, and 1st Lieutenant James Cox both of ‘C’ Company, 326th Airborne Engineering Battalion of the US 101st Airborne Division.
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"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
05/29/2017 at 17:16, STARS: 1
Well, it’s not like the brass parachuted them any swanky command cars to use, did they? Airborne - they have to secure whatever resources they need from the nearby area until relieved. Up to and including Goringmobiles, because they need that, man. They need it bad.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
05/29/2017 at 17:21, STARS: 0
A collector in North Carolina claims to have this car. It isn’t the same one that is pictured at the head of the article, but it looks like it could be the one in the slide show.
"415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)" (415s30)
05/29/2017 at 18:12, STARS: 1
My grandpa’s friend was stationed near there afree the war into the 50s. He said they had a warehouse full of furniture and whatever and they took what they wanted for their quarters. He said he had velvet curtains etc... he got to check out the Eagles nest too.
"fintail" (fintail)
05/29/2017 at 18:33, STARS: 0
IIRC this car sold at auction sometime in the mid 50s for around $2500. Nice Price, even with flamboyant fathead being the first owner. The “liberated” line has always made me smirk when dealing with an inanimate object, but I guess it can apply in this case rather than booty requisitioned from civilians.
I read somewhere else that the metallic paint was very expensive and hard to apply when the car was new.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
05/29/2017 at 19:01, STARS: 0
There is a link in my reply to somebody in this thread to an article about a man in NC who claims to have this car. MB isn’t so sure. It’s in pretty rough shape.
"fintail" (fintail)
05/29/2017 at 19:12, STARS: 0
error
"fintail" (fintail)
05/29/2017 at 19:13, STARS: 1
I want to say some years ago I read about this car in the MBCA “Star” magazine. HG also had some custom work on the car, as his girth made driving difficult with the stock seating position. That kind of modification would make it easy to show if the NC car is real.
I can see that the fenders on the car in the Spiegel article are not the same as in the vintage pic above. I don’t know if the car in the Spiegel pics is even wearing a Special Roadster body. I suspect HG had more than one 540K, a quick google shows a old pics of a Cabriolet B claimed to have been taken from his stash. NC speculators might have a HG car, but I suspect it isn’t the Special Roadster shown above.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
05/29/2017 at 19:31, STARS: 0
Wouldn’t it be a simple matter of checking serial numbers? Didn’t the NC guy claim to have documentation?
"fintail" (fintail)
05/29/2017 at 19:47, STARS: 0
I am not an expert on these cars, but from what I can see, the fenders on the Spiegel car are not the same as on the old color pic above. The Spiegel car doesn’t even appear to be a roadster, as it has a back seat, and a large looking one at that. It looks like a Cabriolet B, to me.
I wouldn’t be surprised if NC guy has a 540K once owned by this particular unsavory figure, but it doesn’t appear to be the same car pictured above.