Full Version: Early post-war years in Europe
I just finished reading Joe Saward's excellent "Grand Prix Saboteurs", a true story about the exploits of pre-war grand prix greats Robert Benoist and Willy Grover-Williams in occupied France during WWII as SOE agents for the British government. The story got me thinking about the immediate post-war years, particularly the reception that Germans got in racing circles in Europe. Were there any German drivers competing in the early races leading up to the world championship in 1950? I know, for instance, that a Swiss Auto Union driver was competing, which surprised me as I'd have thought that the whole Auto Union team was essentially a tool for Nazi propaganda. Nuvolari himself also competed post-war as a former Auto Union driver. What was the general sense in Europe about these men and the cars? I know that Mercedes brought back their Tripoli GP winning pre-war GP cars for a race in Argentina in the early 50s, but was there any talk of racing Auto Unions or Mercedes cars in the late 40s, or were they all still hidden away? Also, what was the sense in Europe when Mercedes officially reentered Grand Prix racing in the early 50s? I know it had been nearly a decade since the end of the atrocities of the war, but was there any latent resentment among the fans and competing teams? I know these questions and topics are probably well beyond the scope of anyone who participates on these forums as none of us are that old, but if anyone has any insight I'd appreciate it.
Welcome, Dan. One or two of us are that old - or nearly 
Quite a few of your questions were covered in a thread called Why only Germany? Enjoy - and feel free to ask anything else if the thread doesn't make it clear!
Quite a few of your questions were covered in a thread called Why only Germany? Enjoy - and feel free to ask anything else if the thread doesn't make it clear!
QUOTE (Dan333SP @ Mar 19 2010, 18:32) 
...The story got me thinking about the immediate post-war years, particularly the reception that Germans got in racing circles in Europe. Were there any German drivers competing in the early races leading up to the world championship in 1950? I know, for instance, that a Swiss Auto Union driver was competing, which surprised me as I'd have thought that the whole Auto Union team was essentially a tool for Nazi propaganda. Nuvolari himself also competed post-war as a former Auto Union driver. What was the general sense in Europe about these men and the cars? I know that Mercedes brought back their Tripoli GP winning pre-war GP cars for a race in Argentina in the early 50s, but was there any talk of racing Auto Unions or Mercedes cars in the late 40s, or were they all still hidden away? ...
As far as I am aware, the CSI (racing arm of the then newly-formed FIA) banned German entrants for a few years after the war, so this was not a problem. Of course, Argentina, as a bolt-hole for ex-Nazi Party members didn't bother with this. As to the reception received by the D-B team at Rheims in 1954, I recall the narrator of the programme Supercharged II referring to the reaction of the French crowd by saying "...but the applause was muted." Interestingly (though OT), the reception for the winning Ford MKIIs at Le Mans in 1966 was also pretty unenthusiastic, though how much of that was due to the decision to try to artifically generate a dead-heat I don't know.
EDIT: Just seen Vitesse's post which proves how little I know - please refer to the linked thread and ignore my dribblings!
They didn't think much of Jimmy Murphy's win in 1921 either!
QUOTE (Vitesse2 @ Mar 19 2010, 19:53)
They didn't think much of Jimmy Murphy's win in 1921 either!
I wasn't aware of that, though as Ballot were the main opposition it shouldn't surprise me.
This is, I believe, a quote from Peter de Paolo's book "Wallsmacker":
http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/french1921.htm
QUOTE
That Le Mans race taught us two things: that Jimmy Murphy was capable of holding his own with the world's greatest road racing drivers as well as the outstanding stars of speedway, and that the French do not take an American victory with a smille, for when the little Irishman crossed the finish line, he was greeted with a series of 'boos', which seemed a bit un-sportsman like. This was further proven when at the banquet held in honour of the drivers Jimmy was further humiliated.
The first toast they drank was not to the victor, but to the Frenchman who had won third place, Jules Goux. That was more than Jimmy and his manager, the famous old-time racing champion George Robertson, could stand, and the American winner of the French Grand Prix who should have been the guest of honour, put down his glass and walked out, and entering a side-street café, said to the waiter, "Bring us some ham and eggs!"
The French Ballot team was stunned by this humbling defeat, so much so that its owner, Ernest Ballot, took to ranting and raving. Claiming that the Duesenbergs were junk he avowed that if the race had continued it would be the French Bollots who would have taken the victory. It took fellow Frenchman Albert Guyot to silence Ballot with the remark, "There’s only one winner in any race: the man who gets home first."
The first toast they drank was not to the victor, but to the Frenchman who had won third place, Jules Goux. That was more than Jimmy and his manager, the famous old-time racing champion George Robertson, could stand, and the American winner of the French Grand Prix who should have been the guest of honour, put down his glass and walked out, and entering a side-street café, said to the waiter, "Bring us some ham and eggs!"
The French Ballot team was stunned by this humbling defeat, so much so that its owner, Ernest Ballot, took to ranting and raving. Claiming that the Duesenbergs were junk he avowed that if the race had continued it would be the French Bollots who would have taken the victory. It took fellow Frenchman Albert Guyot to silence Ballot with the remark, "There’s only one winner in any race: the man who gets home first."
http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/french1921.htm
Thanks for the link Vitesse!
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