The Origins of the Tatra Nazi Killing Myth

I have long argued that the 'Nazi killing Tatra' story is entirely mythical. There was no horrific death toll of German officers killed driving their Tatras, nor were German officers ever banned from driving Tatras during the war, and no one ever called the Tatra "the Czech secret weapon" during the war. The latest research into this story now leads us back to 1954 with an anonymous survey of vehicle designs in central Europe in The Motor (UK) magazine. https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2024/10/first-reference-to-nazi-killing-tatras.html

"Perhaps of all European countries, Czechoslovakia is the one which geography has imposed the most severe discipline upon the designer, and, as the country's greatest automobile engineer, Ledwinka set the pattern with his Tatras. The approach was a radical one, pioneering with the backbone chassis, the all-independent suspension and the air-cooled engine, to evolve a car that would withstand continuous brutal treatment on the country's atrocious mountain roads. Here was a case like that of Porsche in Germany and Austria, where the engineer was usually able to impose his will on the financiers and the business men, and the triumph of theory over practice came with the great V-8 Tatra, streamlined, rear-engined and independently suspended. When Germany overran Czechoslovakia this ultra-modern car fascinated the Nazi top brass, but so many of them were killed or injured while driving it that they began to wonder if it was not after all a form of secret weapon, and it was at one time reported there were rules forbidding senior men to use it. Years before, Sir Denniston Burney had tried to do the same thing, but his was the urbane English gentleman's approach. The suspension was designed for well-surfaced main roads, and he did not even bother to build his own engine, as it was not an essential part of the technical conception. The result was much smoother and quieter than the Tatra, but almost equally dangerous.

Under the present regime, Czechoslovakia has continued to build the pre-war designs, a smaller and safer Tatra with flat-four engine, and the Skoda with a new body. The very robust structures of both cars reflect local geographical influence, while the marked deterioration in the quality of trim and finish, as compared to pre-war products, shows clearly how the country's living standards are being reduced to the Russian level."

It's interesting to note that the myth is fully formed at this point - the dangerous handling of Tatras, sudden death toll among German officers, 'Czech secret weapon', and a driving ban (that author acknowledges may not have happened). However, the author never directly quotes anyone or provides any reference to support these claims, instead the question of unsafe handling is linked to the British-built Burney rear-engined cars (1930-31). These novel and experimental cars did have troubling handling, but have absolutely no technical similarity to Tatra's streamliners. The author is simply expressing the general prejudice of the British motoring press against rear-engine placement.

Burley streamliner. Not a Tatra and not remotely the same.

There is an obvious logical fallacy in the "Czech secret weapon" myth - Tatra introduced its rear-engined streamliners in 1934! By the time the Second World War started in 1939, several thousand Tatra T77s, T87s and T97s had been driving on highways all across Europe and there had been NO jump in road deaths due to accidents in Tatras. Had there been so, it would definitely have raised comment among the European motoring press as Tatras were seen as striking, modern and unorthodox. Instead, all driving reports from the prewar period praise Tatras for their excellent handling.

Maybe the author is simply saying Germans can't drive?

So what led the author to imagine that Tatras handle badly? Well, we know - it's in the Vauxhall technical report on a captured Tatra T87 staff car from 1946. The assessment of this badly maintained ex-military Tatra unsurprisingly found fault with almost every aspect of the car, especially its handling and noisy engine. These criticisms can be directly linked to the car's condition and with only minor maintenance to tune the engine correctly and balance the wheels and fit four new tyres, could have transformed the vehicle's performance. The point of the assessment however was to assure the British motoring industry that there was nothing to be learned from German and European technology. https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2022/04/bios-final-report-no-922-tatra-car-type.html Interestingly, the Czechoslovakian government sought the return of the car from Britain. The car was refurbished and was put back on the road.

For the next thirty-odd years the English language motoring press had little reason to consider Tatra, which was safely ensconced behind the Iron Curtain, their innovative designs largely forgotten. Periodically, articles appeared but Tatra had pretty much become a automotive footnote, sometime referenced due to its supposed relationship to Dr Porsche's 'funny little car.'

Then, in the 1980s, the Czech Foreign Service began to replace their fleet of Tatra T603s with the much more modern T613. Ex-consular T603s began to appear on the classic car market and interest in the brand was rekindled. The old stories were dusted off and polished up for a new audience. In June 1983, Brian Palmer published an article, "Forgotten Genius.", by Brian Palmer. "Brian Palmer talks to Albert K. Richter Dipl.-Ing about his idol, Hans Ledwinka, 'the forgotten engineering genius' and the incredible Tatra cars" in Thoroughbred and Classic Car Magazine (UK): https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-life-of-albert-richter-by-brian.html

Palmer's article provides an overview of Hans Ledwinka's career from his start with Nesseldorfer in 1897 right through to his development of Tatra's highly advanced and innovative streamliners in the 1930s, through to his arrest, imprisonment and eventual exile to Germany. Unlike his predecessors however, Palmer quotes a first-hand witness to the trials and tribulations of Tatra during the war years with the recollections of Albert K Richter, a mechanical engineer working in Germany with some experience providing services for German Tatra owners. Tatras were a highly desirable vehicle in Germany with a number of high profile owners, such as Ernst Heinkel (below), Erwin Rommel and Nazi industry minister, Robert Ley.

After a discussion of Richter's wartime career grading German steel quality, Palmer jumps to Richter's recollections of German problems with Tatras. I have quoted the entire paragraph in full:

"Albert Richter's knowledge and personal experience driving and working on Tatras also caused him to be summoned to Command Headquarters in Berlin. A number of high-ranking officers occupying Czechoslovakia were using the Big Tatras for personal transport and at high speed, crosswinds or the uncertain swing-axle behaviour in cornering caused a number of them to come to grief. The army could not afford to lose its best men in this manner and they began to wonder whether the Tatra was the Czechs secret weapon against them. Richter argued that at modest speeds the Tatra was perfectly safe, indeed superior in many respects, to most vehicles then on the roads. High Command was not convinced, however, and the order went out that Tatras were verboten."

It's clear that Palmer was familiar with 'The Motor' article from 1954 as he uses the same language, but what is most notable about the paragraph is that Richter is NOT quoted once. Elsewhere in the article Richter is directly quoted, but Palmer's paragraph about Tatra's wartime handling is an extremely vague paraphrase. We can only take Palmer's word that Richter actually said this.

So, how reliable are these claims? Let's break this down.

Firstly, the statement "Command Headquarters in Berlin." Which command? Is it Wehrmacht? OKH? Abwehr? Luftwaffe? Transport ministry? The catering corp? It could be anyone as it's entirely unspecific.

Secondly, "high-ranking officers occupying Czechoslovakia." Who? It certainly wasn't Reinhart Heydrich, the Butcher of Prague or his associates, who were all chauffeured about in their Mercedes-Benz limousines. Obviously it wasn't anyone that high-ranking, but whom? Are there any reports of fatal accidents in Tatras? So far, there is no actual named incident but people are welcome to search the records.

Thirdly, "high speed, crosswinds or the uncertain swing-axle behaviour in cornering." Speed was always a problem for unwary Tatra drivers as these cars were extremely powerful and fast for their day, and the Tatra T87 owners manual carries explicit warnings about exercising caution when driving at high-speed. https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2021/10/1943-german-tatra-type-87-owners-manual.html However, swing-axle 'behaviour' and the effect of crosswinds is an modern conceit and never mentioned in contemporary handling reports. In the postwar period, Porsche sportscars experienced handling issues with swing-axles when stretched to their performance limits during racing and rallying. However, Tatras are not Porsches. They have a longer wheelbase and lower centre of gravity, which accounts for their greater stability. They were also not driven as sportscars, but as limousines, by professional drivers, not joy-riding hooligans.

Finally, who is the 'High Command' and what exactly was 'verboten?'

What might be the real context of this story?
Albert Richter left Tatra's employment in the 1920s before the era of the rear-engined Tatra streamliners began. He then worked in the private garage of an Austrian noble family and serviced their Tatra T77, before he moved to Opel, where he would serve out the war in their truck manufacturing plant. There is no way that he would have been sought out as an expert on Tatra cars, but it is possible he was asked about them informally by someone in an industrial ministry as he was making reports about the quality of steel suppliers. We know that in 1941 Tatra were interested in securing a formal contract to build staff cars for the German army as they developed a Tatra T87 cabriolet model to comply with formal staff car specifications. Two examples were built an survived the war (in Czech government service)

This model included fully reclining front seats to allow the driver to sleep in the car. However, a contract for this type was never approved. Evaluation of this model may have been the context for Richter's conversation about Tatras.

Although Tatra did not secure a contract for an official staff car type, SS, Luftwaffe and military police units in central Europe did order standard model T87s from the factory for military use. Tatra factory dispatch records identify that a series of T87 cars "up to motor number: ....221498 were delivered from Koprivinice [to] SS-Fuhrerhauptamt Berlin on 7 May 1941." Other cars were commandeered for use as staff cars. The Tatra T57 (front-engine 4-cylinder air-cooled) sedan was adapted for military service and many thousands would serve in the Germany army as the T57K Kubelwagen. https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2022/09/1941-tatra-t57k-kubelwagen.html

Pictorial evidence of the Non-Existence of a German Tatra driving ban
If one wants to disprove the claim of a German driving ban for Tatras, one only needs to look at the abundant photographic record. Here is a small sample.

Before the war, the Czechoslovakian police had a Tatra T77a in service.

The Czechoslovakian military also used a Tatra T77a as a limousine for high ranking officers.

Photo from the Tatra Museum in Koprivince. The caption reads "In addition, the Luftwaffe and advisory units used fast aerodynamic Tatra 87 vehicles during World War II (picture from Yugoslavia)"

Officer Harz posing with the Tatra T87 he drove on official duties in France. Officer Harz was employed as an official driver.

A German officer contemplates the view beside a Tatra T87 staff car (note the unit markings below the right headlamp).


An early type Tatra T77 with the main headlights blacked out and a central headlight added.


A column of Tatra T87s in the service of the Nazi-allied Slovak Republic. Dr Albrecht Miesbach, German director of the BATA company during the war accepts salutes from his Maybach limousine.

Tatra T97 at a depot

Tatra T87 in camouflage paint

Another Tatra T87 in camouflage paint

Tatra T87 in SS service

 Tatra T97 in Slovak service in 1940.

An SS General is escorted to his Tatra T97 staff car. Note that an additional headlamp has been fitted to the bonnet.

Tatra T97, again with the addition of a central headlight.

Another Tatra T87 staff car used in SS service. This is how Tatras were actually used - chauffeur driven by professional drivers for senior officers and VIPs.

A Tatra T87 on an inspection tour.

Tatra T87 in Slovak service.

A Luftwaffe driver beside a very early Tatra T77. Note the addition of a central spotlight.

A happy group posing before a Tatra T87.

Luggage space was not well catered for in many cars of the 1930s, but luggage and fuel cans could always be strapped to running boards outside the vehicle. This wasn't really possible in the streamlined Tatras. Luggage was stored in the space behind the rear seats ahead of the engine firewall. This made it frustrating and time consuming to load and unload. This Tatra T87 is being refueled from spare jerry-cans beneath a bridge, which suggests its late in the war when traveling by road in daylight was extremely dangerous.

A Luftwaffe officer lighting a cigarette beside a Tatra T87 and Opel Admiral. This looks to be on the Eastern Front.

A Tatra staff car among a collection of vehicles in a front-line unit late in the war (approx 1944)

A Tatra T87 used as the staff car by General Bangerskis of the Latvian SS. Photographed on the Russian front late in the war.

A Tatra T87 staff car (far right) with holzgas (wood-gas) tanks on its roof among a collection of troops.

Another Tatra T87 with holzgas tanks commandeered by Czech authorities during the surrender of German troops.

Tatras in Allied Service
Another factor disproving the myth is the widespread use of captured Tatras in Allied service. If the Allies really believed the Tatra was the "Czech secret weapon" against the Nazis, why did they let their own officers use captured Tatras. With Allied drivers being especially unfamiliar with the driving characteristics of Tatras, we should expect to see a sudden spike in accidental deaths across Allied forces - but no. If Tatras were seen as dangerous, there would have been instructions against their use. There is precedent for this as British went so far as to refuse permission for their troops use captured KdF Kubelwagens as transport, unlike the US, which had no issue with the type.

By the end of the war the US was operating a dozen or so captured Tatras in Italy and France.

An American driver behind the wheel of a captured Tatra T87. Note the German license plate still has Lutfwaffe eagles.

USAF officer beside a Tatra T87

American officers prepare to board their Tatra staff car.


A GI standing before a number of captured German vehicles, including a Tatra T87 with Holzgas generator.

American forces tow a captured Tatra T87

Ernst Heinkel's personal Tatra T87 was seized by American forces in 1945 and it became a staff car for Occupation Forces.

A captured Tatra T77A in rather poor condition used by the US Army.

A Tatra T87 being used by British occupation forces

A captured Tatra T87 being used by Soviet forces.

Czech police unit.

A late model Tatra T87 used by a Military Police unit.

Another photo of the military Police radio car

Despite lack of evidence, the myth of the 'Nazi killing Tatra' the claim would be reworked by Ray Thursby in the April 1987 Road and Track (UK) magazine. Thursby correctly observed that under German management, Tatra were prioritized on truck manufacturing but introduced the myth that the Tatra T97 was stopped because "the Germans considered the 97 to be too similar to their KdF-Wagen..." The two vehicles are nothing alike. He also could not resist repeating the claim "The German high command also took note of the 87 - which continued in limited production throughout the war - and its strange handling qualities by issuing an order forbidding German officers to use 87s under any circumstances."

In 2012, author Jonathan Mantle, rehashed the story as part of his sensationalist "Car Wars: Fifty Years of Backstabbing, Infighting, And Industrial Espionage in the Global Market". Once again, Mantle's claims were exaggerated and bereft of any facts.

And so the myth continued on its way, exaggerated with each retelling until we have reached the point where idiot journalists like Rupert Hawksley in The Telegraph (UK) can state, "More high-ranking Nazi officers were killed in Tatra manufactured cars than in active combat." Idiots.

Of course, if someone can actually produce a contemporary order or a primary source that proves the claim, we'd all love to see it.

Moronic Dross - https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-moronic-dross-that-passes-as.html
The Stupid Hagerty Tatra Rollover stunt - https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-hagertys-tatra-roll-over-stunt.html
Tatra Myths - https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2021/07/tatra-myths-debunked.html
Tatra and the Self Licking Icecream - https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2023/02/tatras-self-licking-icecream-cone.html

Tatra's military vehicles for Germany:
SD-KfZ 234 Puma: https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2024/08/sd-kfz-234-puma.html
Raupenschlepper-Ost: https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2023/01/1942-steyr-raupenschlepper-ost.html
Tatra T57K Kubelwagen: https://tatrat600.blogspot.com/2022/09/1941-tatra-t57k-kubelwagen.html