1937 Mercedes Benz 540K Special Roadster Blue Goose

The Blue Goose Saga

February 20, 1937 was a day of glory in the short history of the Third Reich. It was the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Motor Show. To commemorate this day, a new hall was built for the next International Automobile and Motorcycle Exhibition in 1937. The opening ceremony would be performed by the Führer himself. On opening day, a cavalcade of Grosser Mercedes Benz Offener Tourenwagens set off from the Reich Chancellery across the Brandenburg Gate along the Kaiserdamm. In the Mercedes in front, with the top and all the windows down, Adolf Hitler sat in the right rear seat. Immediately to his left sat Hermann Goering, Reichsmarschall of the Greater German Reich, President of the German Parliament (Reichstag), Commander of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe), and President of the Prussian Council of State. At the Elizabeth Strasse intersection, the motorcade turned left and headed towards Pavilion 1, where the leading Grosser Mercedes Benz stopped.

Immediately, the Waffen SS adjutant riding in the front passenger seat gracefully emerged from the Mercedes and then opened the right rear door for the Führer and his first lieutenant, Hermann Goering. The Führer was introduced to great applause. In his speech he spoke as if the world were his audience. Hitler said: "With the cutting of the ceremonial ribbon, Germany reclaims its rightful position as an industrial power to be reckoned with in the years to come." All the leading figures of the German automobile industry, including director Wilhelm Kissel of Daimler Benz, A.G., were present to greet the elite of the Third Reich.

It was during the tour of the Mercedes Benz 540K exhibition that Goering turned to see a special Roadster that he had already ordered in 1935 for the 500K series. In 1937, Mercedes Benz had covered the rear spare wheel with an elegant metal cover. Goering stopped and asked how long it would take to build a Special Roadster with the higher-horsepower 5.4-liter engine, but with some unusual modifications. He wanted his new Special Roadster to be bulletproof and bomb resistant. He also wanted to improve range, demanding greater fuel capacity. Kissel agreed that these additions could be achieved. Upon receiving this assurance, Goering opened the driver's door and attempted to get behind the wheel of the car. He immediately found a problem. His growing waist encroached on the bottom of the steering wheel. Attempting to adjust the seat to a more rearward position was not possible as the seat was as far back as possible. Over the years, Goering had gone from a skinny World War I fighter pilot to being overweight by 1937. His 5'10" height and 220-pound weight prevented him from doing so.

Director Kissel, seeing Goering's dilemma, turned to his assistant in charge of the 540K's custom creations. After some discussions it was decided that the entire driver's compartment should be expanded mainly longitudinally. The Reichsmarschall was given the assurance that Daimler Benz could make any changes it wished. Detailed specifications would be given after the design team produced a new set of plans. Finally, Goering said his Special Roadster had to be painted in Aviation Blue, a metallic sky blue color like his current Mercedes Special Roadster 500K. Arrangements were made to finalize the purchase. Goering concluded the discussion with the customary "Heil Hitler" and then joined the other dignitaries as they toured the exhibition halls.

Goering, inspecting his new creation at the Caracciola Mercedes Benz agency in Berlin in mid-July 1937, was ecstatic. (Rudy Caracciola was Mercedes Benz's leading Grand Prix racing driver during the 1930s.) The metallic aviation blue color was stunning. Goering, with his own motorcycle escort, had to test drive his new exotic toy to feel the increased power of the 540K supercharged engine that develops 180 horsepower. On the freeway, with his left hand's blue headlight on, he pressed the accelerator to the floor and kicked the screeching supercharger. With his eyes alternating between the passing field and the speedometer, he beamed with delight as the speedometer needle swung close to 100 miles per hour. Upon returning to the Mercedes Benz agency, he declared to Caracciola and the representative of the Mercedes Benz Design team that his new Mercedes was a resounding success.

During the winter of 1940/1941, Goering sent the Special Roadster to Daimler Benz A.G. to the Sindelfingen plant to have it repainted. The light blue metallic paint had faded and become quite dull. The world's metallic paint technology in the late 1930s was still in its infancy. He had the Special Roadster repainted a darker blue with less metallic additive following the advice of the Mercedes Benz design team.

Goering indicated that his increasing weight, which now exceeds 260 pounds, was causing him a problem with his stomach invading the bottom of the steering wheel. The strain of the war and the lack of success of the air war in the Battle of Britain in the autumn of 1940 led to him falling out of favor with the Führer. To overcome this increase in tension, Goering engaged in an orgy of eating. The lack of space for his belly was solved by reducing the thickness of the driver's rear seat cushion by four inches. Satisfied, Goering sent the Special Roadster to his country house in Berchtesgaden, in the Obersalzberg area, at the base of the Alps, where he remained during the war. A short distance away, Hitler had built a beautiful country house called the Berghof. To the east of these houses, Hitler also had a mountaintop shelter built called the Eagle's Nest, built on an alpine peak overlooking the magnificent Alps mountains.

Hermann Goering in the Third Reich

In 1935, Goering married German film actress Emmy Sonnenann for the second time, in an ostentatious wedding that would have rivaled the royal weddings of Europe. Hitler was his godfather. The wealth that came to the Reichsmarschall in his new position of economic governance gave him a sense of personal importance accompanied by an opulent and materialistic lifestyle. Everything he wanted could be obtained with his power and wealth.

His fondness for extravagance could be seen in his numerous daily clothing changes: sparkling custom-designed uniforms employing abundant golden braids. While Hitler in his manner seemed stern and dogmatic, Goering delighted in hearing the German people shout "Hermann, Hermann." In his opinion, the German people idolized him without diminishing their loyalty to their Führer.

But war can and did bring a change of fortune. In the latter part of World War II, when Goering realized that the great German Ardennes offensive of 1944 had failed, in what Americans call the Battle of the Bulge, he began to prepare his personal finances and treasuries. artistic treasures accumulated for the definitive disappearance of Germany.

On April 16, 1945, the last Russian offensive on Berlin began. On April 19, Goering moved his banking assets from the Berlin banks to his personal bank account at the Bayerische Bank in Berchtesgaden. Shortly after midnight on the morning of April 20, he headed to Hitler's bunker to wish him a happy birthday. The Führer demanded that he still be available at the midday briefing. At this briefing, Hitler gave Goering command of the forces in southern Germany. Concluding the briefing, Goering asked: "Mein Fuhrer, I assume you have no objection to my leaving immediately for the Obersalzberg to be closer to my troops?" "Do what you want," Hitler snapped. Leaving Hitler's presence, Goering had a brief, tense conversation with Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, about Hitler's successor. As night fell, an air raid by RAF Mosquito bombers appeared on Berlin. Instead of staying in Hitler's private bunker, he decided to go to the nearest civilian air raid shelter. After he was given the go-ahead, he immediately left for the Kurfurst Hotel in central Berlin, where Goering and his staff had a temporary residence. Early on the morning of April 21, Goering's convoy, consisting of five cars loaded with his staff and his luggage, headed toward Berchtesgaden. Goering, in an armored Grosser Mercedes, was accompanied by his personal chauffeur, his servant, and his nurse, who had control of his medicine bag.

On April 30, the Führer ended his life. Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz announced the Führer's death at 10:00 p.m. on the afternoon of May 1. He also announced to the German people that the Führer had designated him as his successor.

On the afternoon of May 7, American forces under Brigadier General Robert I. Stack of the 36th Infantry Division encountered Goering's entourage and took him prisoner. Following his capture, he was briefly interrogated in the Bavarian war zone. In mid-May he was taken to a series of detention centers ending in October in Nuremberg, Germany, where he was tried for war crimes against humanity at the Palace of Justice the following year. He was convicted on October 1, 1946 and sentenced to death on October 15, 1946. A few minutes before being taken from his cell to be executed by hanging, he committed suicide by taking cyanide. His remains were cremated and his ashes scattered in the famous Dachau concentration camp area, the first camp of its kind, which he had authorized as president of the Reichstag in 1933.

The capture of the Mercedes Benz 540K Special Roadster

Captain Joe Crilley, a soldier with the 326th Engineering Company of the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army approached the picturesque town of Berchtesgaden, Germany, with his combat unit on May 4, 1945. By then, The fighting had subsided dramatically. Crilley instinctively knew that the area surrounding the Eagle's Nest could be heavily fortified by Hitler's personal guard of Waffen SS assault troops willing to fight to the death. Near the damaged houses was the Waffen SS housing complex and its adjacent garage. The garage was surrounded and then entered by US troops. Inside there were two magnificent Mercedes Benz cars side by side on the brick floor. Both cars had mud splatters on their exterior bodies, but otherwise appeared to be in good condition.

Crilley turned to Sergeant Robert Smiley and said, "Take a look at them." The first of the two cars was the Goering 540K Special Roadster. The Roadster sat with the fixed windows up, but with the top down in its hidden compartment. The other car was a black Mercedes Offener Tourenwagon Grosser.

Smiley approached the Special Roadster first with some caution. He knew that the Germans were famous for setting booby traps for unsuspecting American soldiers searching for souvenirs. Taking no chances, he pointed it at the open driver's window and fired his gun. He then fired a second time leaving a .45 caliber hole in the left fender. The first bullet didn't go through the armored glass, but it left a large star mark. To Smiley's relief, the gun attack on the Goering Special Roadster did not mean a possible booby trap. Smiley then examined the Mercedes Grosser. Returning to the special Roadster, to his surprise, he found the keys in the ignition. Crilley then shouted an order: "See if it works." Smiley opened the driver's door and cautiously placed his athletic frame behind the wheel. He quickly scanned the instrument panel. He took a deep breath; He then said a quick prayer. Smiley turned the key to the "on" position; He then pressed the start button. After a few failed attempts, the Mercedes came to life again with a loud growl coming from the exhaust pipe. The release of the Goering Special Roadster was now complete, all at the hands of the US Armed Forces.

On May 5, Admiral Hans Von Friedeburg, new commander-in-chief of the German Navy, arrived at General Eisenhower's headquarters in Reims to negotiate the terms of surrender. In a small red school in Reims, where Eisenhower had established his headquarters, Germany surrendered unconditionally at 2:41 a.m. on May 7, 1945. The war in Europe was over.

Before long, the two Mercedes, having been cleaned by their new "owners", were being driven throughout the town of Berchtesgaden by the 101st Airborne celebrating the end of the war in Europe with bottles of cognac helping to ease the pain. pain from previous battles. The exploits of the 326th Engineering Company soon reached higher levels. Soon the order came from above from General Ryan himself for the two Mercedes to be parked. When Maj. Gen. Maxwell Taylor, theater commanding general, saw the 540K "Hitler" Special Roadster a few days later, he thought it would make a great command vehicle.

He then turned to his assistant and said, “Put my two-star license plate on the Blue Goose, the name Captain Crilley and his battle force had given the Special Roadster.

Command vehicle status did not last long for General Taylor. In August, he received reassignment orders as the new Superintendent of the West Point Military Academy. At the same time, information was received from the US Treasury Department that these two prized possessions of Hitler would be a major draw for war bond rallies at home. There was still a war to fight and win in the Pacific. Captain Crilley was approached by Command to tour the United States with the two Mercedes along with soldiers from his 101st Airborne team. He rejected the task; Crilley had another agenda and that was to get out of the military as soon as possible and return home and get married. But Second Lieutenant James Cox, who served on Crilley's team, had fallen in love with the Special Roadster. Cox volunteered for the special assignment. In reality, Cox had attempted to purchase the Blue Goose from the American authorities. He had money available from family resources at home. But the Army said “no” to the purchase, seeing that the greater good was a war bond tour across the United States with Hitler's cars as the main attraction. In August 1945 the two Mercedes Benzes and a small contingent of the 101st Airborne were ordered to leave for the United States with Second Lieutenant James Cox in charge of safeguarding the two prized automobiles.

The blue goose arrives in the United States

Although the original thought was that these two Mercedes belonged to Hitler, it was later determined that the Special Roadster belonged to Hermann Goering as it sported his emblem on the doors. Hitler did not use a coat of arms. Subsequent purchasing documents verified this conclusion. Two short tours were undertaken with the Blue Goose, both after the end of the war.

In August 1946, the first meeting of the 101st Airborne Division was held in Indianapolis, Indiana, with the Blue Goose present for the meeting. Anton (Tony) Hulman, owner of the Indianapolis 500, invited the 101st Airborne Division to take the Blue Goose to the track for a few laps in two special three-car trophy races. Tony Hulman drove the Blue Goose around the famous track and guided all three Indy race cars to a great start. Major General Maxwell Taylor was present to view his former command car. With the end of the war, the Blue Goose was removed from active war bond rallies and put into storage.

In 1956, the Goering Special Roadster ended up in surplus government property and was auctioned by the Division of Property Disposal, Logistics Division, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. On October 5, 1956, an auction of the two Mercedes was held.

The description of the offer read: "MERCEDES-BENZ Convertible Roadster (Various sources of information indicate that this car was Hermann Goering's private sports car and have identified the heraldic design on the doors as Goering's supposed coat of arms.) Cost unknown acquisition. USED." The highest bid was $2,167 and was awarded to Jacques Tunick of Greenwich, Connecticut.

The Bitgood Era of the Blue Goose

The purchase of the Blue Goose by Dr. George E. Bitgood, Jr., from Jacques Tunick in 1958 had been, to some extent, predetermined in a tacit meeting between Sea Merchantman George Bitgood, Jr. and the future deputy of Germany's Reichsführur, Hermann Goering, in a chance meeting in a tavern in Stockholm, Sweden. George Bitgood, Jr., who always loved the sea, joined the United States Merchant Marine as a teenager, with the blessing of his father and his uncle, who were prominent veterinarians in the New England area.

Although he was dedicated to veterinary medicine, he also had a passion for exotic cars in a very private way. During the World War II years, large custom and luxury automobiles from the 1930s and earlier were sold at near-scrap prices. With gasoline rationing in place during the war years, the government allowed three gallons of gasoline per car per week. In the 1940s, Bitgood began as a hobby buying, selling and trading what would become known in the post-war years as the great automobile classics.

In 1949 he purchased Jack Warner's (of Warner Brothers Movie Studios) 1937 Mercedes Benz 540K Special Roadster from Dr. Sam Scher, a prominent plastic surgeon with offices on Park Avenue in New York City. Bitgood later purchased a second 540K Special Roadster from Dr. Scher.

He then acquired the Blue Goose. Once Bitgood turned his attention to the Mercedes Benz 500K and 540K series, he left the hobby as a trader and seller and turned his attention to the accumulator of these prized Mercedes automobiles. Over the years, his pre-war Mercedes Benz collection numbered 14 of these magical automobiles, of which four were Special Roadsters. Bitgood, upon acquiring the Goering Special Roadster, repainted it black.

Many of the chrome parts were rechromed. While Goering had his coat of arms painted on each door, Bitgood had the doors painted over it. He had two brass plates made with swastikas engraved on them and each attached to a door. However, he did not repair the bullet hole in the fender or replace the damaged glass in the left driver's window with new bulletproof glass.

Only once did Dr. Bitgood show the Goering Special Roadster. The event was in 1973 in Durham, Connecticut, for the Durham County Fair. Bitgood had a large banner advertising the famous World War II trophy. For twenty-five cents, the people of Durham could feast on the Blue Goose. After the Durham Fair, Bitgood contacted the 101st Airborne Division located at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to take the Blue Goose to a meeting in 1974. However, the meeting was never realized since Bitgood was told They diagnosed renal cell carcinoma and subsequently had one kidney removed. Even during the six weeks of resulting radiation, Dr. Bitgood continued to work in his clinic. He regained his health and continued to practice with the help of his wife, who acted as his surgical assistant and bookkeeper for 55 years. He died in April 1993 after suffering a long illness. Bitgood, now 88, was devastated by her death. A few months later, he underwent additional surgery himself and died shortly after.

When Doctor Bitgood's daughters learned that the 101st Airborne Division was planning to build a new museum at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, they were eager to fulfill their father's dream of a Blue Goose reunion with the remaining World War II veterans. . After receiving the Blue Goose out of probate, Jim Champion, executor of the Bitgood Estate and son-in-law of Dr. Bitgood asked Chris Charlton of Classic Car Services of Oxford, Maine, to prepare the car for the 101st Airborne Reunion at Fort Campbell, Kentucky in June 2002. Once the work was completed, Charlton shipped the Special Roadster to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The initial meeting scheduled by Dr. Bitgood in 1973, but never held, has now taken place.

Champion had discussions with the Bitgood family about the possibility of holding a private display of the car at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. In the meantime, several offers were received, all anticipating a complete restoration of the Blue Goose. All potential buyers were interested in performing a complete restoration rather than preserving the car's unique history as it was first discovered by the 101st Airborne Division in May 1945.

Dr. Bitgood had a strong sense of the historical significance of the capture of the Blue Goose, as well as Goering's ownership. He was inclined not to perform a complete restoration of the car; Rather he wanted to preserve the car, except the color was changed from aviation blue to black.

Finally, a buyer was found from Sweden who met the unique requirement of preserving the Blue Goose in all its historical significance. Jim Champion's wife, Annette, saw the potential new owner from the second-story window of her home. She had just arrived by plane from Europe.

The European gentleman Annette saw was Jan Kanevad of Carnlough International Limited of Guernsey, Great Britain. The Trust, as part of its assets, maintains a unique but small collection of highly desirable collectible automobiles. For the past five years, the Trust had been searching for an authentic, but unrestored, Mercedes Benz Special Roadster. When Jan Kanevad set his sights on Goering's Mercedes, a deal was struck shortly after with Bitgood's ownership. On Champion's recommendation, Classic Auto Services was contacted again as a possible restoration shop that could perform the conservation/restoration task on the Special Roadster. Charlton was then contacted by Kanevad, followed by a personal on-site interview. The decision was made to return the Goering Special Roadster to the condition in which it was found by the 101st Airborne Division on May 4, 1945, and restoration and preservation was performed by Classic Auto Services. Once that decision is made; The Blue Goose was shipped back to Oxford, Maine.

The conservation/restoration of Hermann Goering's Mercedes Benz Roadster Special 540K

In many ways, preserving/restoring a sixty-five-year-old classic car is very different from an outright restoration that creates the illusion of a new car in showroom condition. Carnlough International Limited Trust's instructions were to recreate the Special Roadster until 4 May 1945 when the 101st Airborne Division took custody of the Special Roadster. The .45 caliber hole in the left fender, as well as the large star in the left door window glass, had to be left intact. All the leather needed to be preserved as it still appeared to be in good condition. Any new paint that had to be applied had an opaque agent added to it to mix with the original paint. The consistency of age/quality of all parts in harmony with each other is the factor that qualifies a conservation/restoration process. Since this was not a body-off preservation/restoration, the Blue Goose is probably the most original 540K Special Roadster in existence today.

Source:

• The extraodinary life of reichsmarschall hermann goering’s mercedes benz 540k special roadster
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