About this episode

This episode discusses Bernd Rosemeyer's role in Nazi motorsport and the impact of the National Socialist Party on racing.

If Bernd Rosemeyer had not existed, historian Anthony Pritchard remarked, then the National Socialist Party would have had to invent him. Tall, blond, strong, and domineering, Rosemeyer became the pride of Adolf Hitler's motorsport program, and the epitome of its goals. The press couldn't get enough of him, hailing him a “radiant boy,” a “bold fighter.” “Beautiful blond Bernd,” they gushed, as they linked him to the true superiority of Aryan blood and praised his overt willingness to compete with a swastika armband, to attribute his success to the glory of his mother country. Rosemeyer burst onto the Grand Prix scene with Auto Union just a few years after the company brought together four automakers on the verge of bankruptcy in a last-ditch effort to avoid fading into obscurity, and he instantly elevated the outfit to immortality. Of course, Auto Union was one of two German automakers heavily funded by Hitler as a covert way to bolster the country's weakened military. Building aircraft was illegal, but building state-of-the-art racing machines with engines that could be easily installed in an aircraft? Well, Europe never blinked an eye. Add in a superstar like Rosemeyer behind…

People in this episode

Host: Elizabeth Blackstock

Topics covered

• Nazi party
• motorsport
• Grand Prix
• Bernd Rosemeyer
• Auto Union
• German pride
• history

Keywords

• Bernd Rosemeyer
• Nazi motorsport
• Auto Union
• Adolf Hitler
• Grand Prix
• Aryan superiority
• German pride

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Auto Union, National Socialist Party, Germany, Adolf Hitler

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