How Major Ivan Hirst and the British government saved VW after WWII

04 June 2020

In 1945, the responsibility for the Volkswagen plant was transferred to the British military government. It confiscated the company in accordance with Control Council Act No. 52 and held it in trust until it was handed back to the Germans. Volkswagen Heritage

When Germany surrendered to Allied Forces in the spring of 1945, ending Nazi reign in Europe during World War II, Volkswagenwerk GmbH became an asset without an owner. On June 5, 1945, the British Military Government assumed trusteeship, and Britain’s four-year control of the iconic automaker laid the foundation for today’s Volkswagen Group.

Seventy-five years later, Volkswagen is honoring the era with a documentary film, My brief was very simple, a title that describes the post-war mission of British Army Major Ivan Hirst. The 28-year-old engineer possessed a knack for improvisation, organization, and farsightedness, and he was sent to protect the remains of the Wolfsburg plant and lead an initiative to turn the plant back into a civilian car factory after it had been largely destroyed and was intended for demolition.

The 30-minute documentary, produced by Volkswagen Heritage, is in Hirst’s own words, taken from one of his last interviews in 1999. He died in 2000.

“Initially, my brief was very simple,” Hirst began. “Go to Wolfsburg, find the factory, and sit on it. They didn’t even say it was a Volkswagen factory.”

When WWII ended, Volkswagenwerk GmbH’s proprietor, the National Socialist organization Deutsche Arbeitsfront (German Labor Front), no longer existed. The plant produced military goods during the WWII, with about 20,000 forced laborers. It was liberated in April 1945.

British take over Volkswagen 1945 - Destroyed by war — The Volkswagen plant had been largely destroyed by air raids in 1944. Volkswagen Heritage

British take over Volkswagen 1945 - trusteeship — On October 8, 1949, trusteeship over Volkswagenwerk GmbH was handed over to the Federal Republic of Germany. The State of Lower Saxony was charged with administration. Colonel Charles Radclyffe (center) signed the protocol transferring Volkswagenwerk to the trusteeship of the Federal German government. On the right is the Federal Minister of Economics and later Federal Chancellor Dr. Ludwig Erhard. Volkswagen Heritage

Many of the machines and tools intended for civilian production had been stored at other locations during the war and were returned. The damage to the factory halls was considerable, but repairable, and civilian production of the Volkswagen saloon (later known as the Beetle) appeared to be possible. Hirst recognized that economical vehicle production would help in remedying the transport bottlenecks of the British Army while also kickstarting the devastated German economy.

British take over Volkswagen 1945 - Major Ivan Hirst — Major Ivan Hirst, 1945. Volkswagen Heritage

On August 22, 1945, the British Military Government issued an order to supply 20,000 vehicles for the British military administration. Two weeks later, a second order followed for another 20,000 vehicles.

The first civilian vehicle already left the factory on December 27, 1945, but the future of the factory remained uncertain. Parts and raw materials such as steel, batteries, textiles, and glass were in extremely short supply in post-war Germany. Hirst was able to persuade the British Military Government to allocate the materials required.

British take over Volkswagen 1945 - Production — Due to the shortage of raw materials and the severe winter conditions, it took nearly three months before the 1000th car was produced. From March 1946 on, working conditions improved and car production figures rose steadily. Volkswagen Heritage

British take over Volkswagen 1945 - Beetle production — Volkswagen Beetle production at Volkswagenwerk GmbH in Wolfsburg. Volkswagen Heritage

British take over Volkswagen 1945 - Repair shop — The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) repair shop in Hall 1 at Volkswagenwerk GmbH in Wolfsburg. Volkswagen Heritage

British take over Volkswagen 1945 - First exports — Pick-up of the first five export vehicles by the Dutch importer Ben Pon (third from left), beginning in October 1947. Volkswagen Heritage

British take over Volkswagen 1945 - Mass production — Mass production of the Volkswagen Saloon. Volkswagen Heritage

Dr. Herrmann Münch became the plant’s managing director in June 1946, and over the next 18 months he and the British trustees improved the quality of the vehicles and production processes. Heinrich Nordhoff was appointed manager on January 1, 1948, and by then the Wolfsburg plant had risen from the ashes to become a well-functioning car factory with 8700 employees. On October 8, 1949, the British Military Government transferred the trusteeship of Volkswagenwerk GmbH to the German government.

Major Hirst, who arrived in Wolfsburg in August 1945 , was proud of what had been accomplished in his four years there. “There was a modern factory, ready to go, with a labor force, a German management, and a product that was proven,” Hirst remembered. “And when the currency changed in 1948, it took off: Volkswagen went ’round the world.”