During the 1930s, sport played a big role in Nazi propaganda. Adolf Hitler does not hesitate to rely on the disciplines representing courage, self-sacrifice and the power of Third Reich, such as rugby, athletics or mountaineering. Of course, motor sports are no exception. Thus, all German pilots – under the Nazi banner – will be used for the benefit of the regime.
Hermann Paul Müller was part of this squadron. Here is his story.
Born in 1909 within the Kingdom of Prussia, Hermann first became interested in sidecars a little before he was twenty. He won the national championship in the discipline in 1931, with a 600cc Victoria. Auto Union (consortium of four German firms) offered him, in 1935, a DKW prepared for the 500cc category. With this machine, Müller also won on two wheels in the national championship.
His ability to adapt is simply impressive. Behind Auto Union's sporting commitments lies the NSKK (for National Socialist Kraftfahrkorps, or National Socialist Transport Corps), led by Adolf Hühnlein. The idea of the scheme was simple: provide two firms with almost unlimited resources – Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union – in order to dominate the prestigious European Drivers' Championship. Problem: this competition takes place on four wheels.
HP Müller on NSU. Photo: Audi MediaCenter
Indeed, this championship headed by theAIACR
(International Association of Recognized Automobile Clubs, the ancestor of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) is the equivalent of the Formula 1 current. The Nazis therefore set out to crush all competition in order to prove their superiority. The two state-funded firms do not skimp on recruitment. The superstars Rudolf Caracciola, Hermann Lang, Bernd Rosemeyer or Italian Luigi fagioli are committed to making the colors of the swastika flag shine.
Auto Union, looking for a reserve driver for 1937, is interested in Hermann Paul Müller. After a decent year, he became a starter and fought with the big names. In 1939, he even won the French Grand Prix, and finished as European drivers' champion! This is his third major victory in three distinct disciplines. Unfortunately for him, his title will never be awarded to him due to the breakup of the Second World War.
Like many of his compatriots, Hermann was conscripted. He is lieutenant of the Air force and works in an engine factory in Łódź, in present-day Poland, without ever participating head-on in combat. When the regime collapsed, the champion was taken prisoner by the Soviets. Müller has no choice but to perform forced labor – logging – at Chemnitz.
Then came his release in 1946. Penniless, he returned to live with his parents, farmers, not far from Bielefeld. At a private home, he spotted a motorcycle: a DKW 250 SS, which had survived the war hidden in a cellar snuggled up in wool blankets. In these precarious times, he proposes a bold exchange. The machine for a bag of flour, twelve pounds of lentils and a slice of bacon. Deal done.
The same year, he enrolled in Brunswick Grand Prix (organized on a highway with the means at hand) but was forced to abandon. However, he is regaining his taste for competition despite his 37 years.
Assisted by his wife in the pits, he won the German 250cc championship in 1947 and 1948; it is the resurrection. Ironically, he is hired again by the factory DKW, as in 1935. “Happi” did it again in 1951, winning in 125cc, still on the national level.
These excellent results are the gateway to the recent world championship (1949), first with private machines
Mondial, Horex ou MV Agusta, then with NSU. The German firm, founded in 1873, is one of the country's institutions. Müller was therefore naturally selected in order to get a foothold in the world of competition. In 1954, the team scored a hat-trick in 250cc but our thief was only third, behind
Werner Haas et Rupert Hollaus. Same result in 125cc.
Müller's NSU SportMax 250cc in 1955. Photo: Joachim Kohler
Haas having moved away from the world of competition, HP Müller remains NSU's only significant quarter-liter representative for 1955. The incredible happens. He won the German Grand Prix and became world champion at 45 years and 287 days ! This record has never been broken since (and it's not likely to happen any time soon).
Retirement age has come. After going through so many trials, “Happi” ended his career but without moving away from the engines. Indeed, he set a record on the Bonneville salt lake a year later and will remain forever linked to Auto Union, for whom he will work long after. This man with an incredible destiny left us in 1975, aged 66.
This should make us think about the scope of sports. Indeed, it is a very particular domain, beyond time and conflicts. As proof, in the 1950s, you could find an ex-Nazi riding alongside a former English resistance fighter and spy in the person of
Fergus Anderson, whose name was mentioned in
“the black book” of Adolf Hitler. This is the beauty of sport; in these difficult times, preserving it in all circumstances must remain a primary issue.
Cover photo: Audi MediaCenter
