Found in Russia (oldest WW2 KdF)

[antonb]

Hi there!
All you do here is almost 200 pages of discussion VW38 found in Lithuania, but I tell you about Russia's oldest beetles, who were brought here as trophies after the Second World War.

Saturday, about 50 km from Moscow to the north, we meet, are in a roundabout way, and that's coveted shed. The fact that the gates were not opened for fifteen years, that's for sure, all overgrown, and before opening the shutters had shovels otkidat ground that caused during this time. The fact that my father and I saw inside mildly shocked, I've seen it on the pictures in the books, but even live in the museum there. Of course, the VW is already patted the time change and the post-war Soviet drivers, wire-brakes have been replaced by the hydraulics from the Soviet car "Moskwitch", with on together with drums and wheels. Seats were not home, no bumpers, probably not native rear fenders and the engine completely untouched. As usual, according to legend, the Beetle owned some there German big boss (like Koch), then it was in the Soviet Union brought the personal adjutant Marshal Zhukov, then he is still several years stood in the courtyard in the Moscow`s Taganka district, then he bought Max and fifteen cars were in custody, stripped for painting and smeared for working off anticorrosive. Now the cost of how much I paid for it know the one, the rest save up nerves, if without figures is very small, too small, a person simply did not need this machine and the true value of it was not interested, he took as much as paid for it when purchase, for which I am very grateful to him. State rooms have been lost, the old passport book and what is the receipt from the owner with his old passport data and the address of residence, for which it eventually found (he was very surprised, and then touched his car still alive). Clings to the car and go home, that I now can give yourself a report which I had at that moment, and then it was happiness that we have at the club is now the oldest Beetle in Russia. Unfortunately this story with a sad end to the crisis had to part with him that would "preserve assets", now it rusts in Ryazan one "crazy-one collectioner". Maybe with time his world and see again and it will be another miracle. At the moment, the numbers we found out that the body 1943 and the motor 1944 and from Schwimmwagen (Type-166 floating). The Germans have an interest in it but people like granite counters, not the people themselves do not let it cost to eat and does not ask, here are the basic principles of the provincial "collector".
P.S. The rear window has to be with the bar, it was cut off for a better rear view as I said russian after-war drivers

Also known are two of the oldest Beetle in Kazan.
One of them, Its VW KdF typ 82E 1943, In USSR from 1945.

Yes, many of the elements of the car went through a modernization of "import substitution"

Second KdF from Kiev, Ukraine.
Its number 47 KdF 1942.

He is now in the process of slow restoration.
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VW Käfer (Vocho), First registration date in Deutschland: 14/09/1984, Engine 1200.
(Hecho en México)

[Martin Southwell]

What an amazing story. For years we've heard stories about Russians heading home after WW2 with old Beetles/Kafers as war booty, and now we have even more proof! How many more to come?

[antonb]

[Martin Southwell]

When you say 150 Kafers, all years, up to what year are you talking about? Split back window Kafers up to 1953?

[antonb]

[Martin Southwell]

What I have never been able to understand, even allowing for the lawlessness of the time, is how a Russian soldier could grab a car and drive it home as a trophy. I can't imagine any British or American soldier being able to do this, especially as it's more than a drive to get home!

Possibily acquiring the car was the easy bit, if you found one, but if a Russian soldier, or serviceman, were to do this, wouldn't their Army miss them? Maybe not? Wouldn't other Russians in occupation try and take it from you?

From Germany to any part of Russia is still a long way to drive. Where would the fuel (Petrol/Gas) come from, especially as there wasn't much around at the time to be had? You mention Marshal Zhukov & I can imagine that somebody of his rank would have had them put on the back of a train. I don't fully understand what you say, but I think he brought back at least one of these cars, and I'm sure he didn't drive it!

If only these cars could talk, what a story they could tell.

[antonb]

[antonb]

Leafing through old photos of the Soviet era and admiring the cars of the past, can not help ask a question and then what happened to them? It is clear that many did not survive to the present day, and in the nineties, most of migrated abroad. For many rare vehicles have at least some records and information about their owners in retro clubs of the past, but about the "popular German cars" almost none of that. Beetle was a popular and affordable cars out there and look at it in the Soviet Union is not much to complain about "collectors." Mercedes, Horch, Maybach, BMW and the "Italian", the rest was not interesting, and not in the price, so what?
Is it possible to learn something somewhere to these old numbers where and who is now registered cars? Surely there are some files or databases.

About the Beetle that photo, I probably know for sure is the one who in the late nineties, buried in the ground in near Moscow There is a story recently heard it again from the "first" person so to speak. The new owners of suburban area did not know what to do with that old machine and do not come up with something better or how to fill it with debris and bury it at the same location. Above the grave empty track, many offered to exhume it but the owners were against. For a description of how this kind of photograph.
Continue to search the home of rare insects railway))

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VW Käfer (Vocho), First registration date in Deutschland: 14/09/1984, Engine 1200.
(Hecho en México)

[Martin Southwell]

I've been thinking for years about how lucky some Russian soldiers (according to folklore) must have been, to be able to lay claim to a KDF vehicle, and then somehow spirit it home. From what I now read, this seems highly unlightly. It seems that the reality was that high ranking individuals 'acguired' them, and then had them taken home on the train. Luckily, some of these cars survive today, and we can see the pictures above to show this.

These are some extracts from Wikipedia on Zhukov, which goes to show that what antonb says is correct:

1) After the German capitulation, Zhukov became the first commander of the Soviet Occupation Zone in Germany.

2) It seems he had a human streak: During May 1945, Zhukov signed three resolutions regarding the maintenance of an adequate standard of living for the German people living in the Soviet occupation zone:

Resolution 063 (11 May 1945): dealing with the provision of food for the people living in Berlin
Resolution 064 (12 May 1945): allowed for the restoration and maintenance of the normal activities of the public service sector of Berlin
Resolution 080 (31 May 1945): dealt with providing milk supplies for the children living in Berlin.

Zhukov requested the Soviet Government to transport urgently to Berlin 96,000 tons of grain, 60,000 tons of potatoes, 50,000 cattle, and thousands of tons of other foodstuffs, such as sugar and animal fat. He issued strict orders that his subordinates were to "Hate the Nazism but respect the German people", and to make all possible efforts to restore and maintain a stable living standard for the German population.

3) But he was keen on collecting goods & chattles: In 1946, seven rail carriages with furniture that Zhukov was taking to the Soviet Union from Germany were impounded. In 1948, his apartments and house in Moscow were searched and many valuables looted from Germany were found.[51] In his investigation Beria concluded that Zhukov had in his possessions 17 golden rings, three gemstones, the faces of 15 golden necklaces, more than 4,000 meters of cloth, 323 pieces of fur, 44 carpets taken from German palaces, 55 paintings and 20 guns".[52] Zhukov admitted in a memorandum to Zhdanov:

[scottyrocks]

[usariemen]

[vintage fiberglass]

Who owns the red KDF car in the pics now with the barrel gas tank? Is it for sale?? Had to ask. Tim

[antonb]

[antonb]

[Blue Baron]

[olo]

during WWII there were saints and sinners on both sides. I would be interested to find out how accurately the owners of these cool vws are aiming to restore them

[antonb]

[GArBa]

that "closed" kubel is not a commanders' car, but a training vehicle for panzer drivers (the one in the colour pictures is a later repro, IIRC).

VW's closed sedans for commands' use were beetle-bodied, either with plain kubel runnning gear (typ 82E) or 4wd derived from the schwimmwagen (typ 87)
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cars:
'97 type 1 1600i
'14 type AA Seat Mii (sadly dead after 270.000 km)
'22 type C1 T-Cross
'23 type AC3 Hyundai I10 (VW no longer makes small cars!)
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moped:
'82 Benelli Magnum 3v

[exotic plants]

[Blue Baron]

Yes, we often hear that owners of cars such a these have restoration plans when in reality they are fishing for the right customer. The fact that these cars have survived means they will eventually land in the right hands, most likely much further to the west.
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We are striving for perfection, to make our cars run forever, if possible.

Heinz Nordhoff