Manfred von Brauchitsch

Manfred von Brauchitsch
Manfred von Brauchitsch in 1951.
Born	(1905-08-15)15 August 1905 Hamburg, Germany
Died	5 February 2003(2003-02-05) (aged 97) Gräfenwarth, Schleiz, Germany
Occupation	Racing driver

Manfred von Brauchitsch in 1986 with Mercedes-Benz K.

Manfred Georg Rudolf von Brauchitsch (15 August 1905 – 5 February 2003) was a German auto racing driver who drove for Mercedes-Benz in the famous "Silver Arrows" of Grand Prix motor racing in the 1930s.

Although an excellent driver who had reasonable success, he struggled with bad luck, and was overshadowed by his more successful Mercedes-Benz teammates Rudolf Caracciola and Hermann Lang.

Racing career

Von Brauchitsch won three Grands Prix - the 1934 ADAC Eifelrennen which saw the first appearance of Silver Arrows Mercedes Race cars, the 1937 Monaco Grand Prix (considered his greatest victory), and the 1938 French Grand Prix. His fastest lap in the 1937 Monaco race (1 minute 46.5 seconds, 11.9 seconds faster than the old record lap) set a record that stood for 18 years.

1937 Donington Grand Prix

He was twice runner-up in the European Championship, in 1937 and 1938, and finished third in 1939.

He was noted for his red helmet and his bad luck, losing a number of other Grands Prix when he was on the very verge of winning (no less than five, by some counts). His most famous loss was the 1935 German Grand Prix, when a tire blew while he was leading the last lap, handing victory to Tazio Nuvolari in an Alfa Romeo in one of the latter's most famous victories - the only time during the reign of the Silver Arrows when a Grand Prix was won by a car other than a Mercedes or Auto Union.

Personal life

Von Brauchitsch was born in Hamburg, of an old military family (his uncle was the famous World War II general Walther von Brauchitsch). He entered the German Reichswehr after World War I, but after a serious accident he was invalided out in 1928.

Due to his many racing injuries, he was rejected for military service in World War II. While working during the war, he met his first wife, Gisela.

Von Brauchitsch was a member of the National Socialist Motor Corps and held the rank of a Sturmführer.

Post World War II, as the son and nephew of military men was not of much use in post war West Germany. After several failed businesses, von Brauchitsch contacted Caracciola, who gave him contacts in South America. Unable to settle, he returned to West Germany bitter, and became a target for the communists in East Germany. Unable to settle, he returned to West Germany and was arrested for espionage. In 1951, he was jailed and then released on bail.

During a bail period in 1955, he defected to East Germany; Gisela committed suicide a year later. Von Brauchitsch was put in charge of the East German national motor sport organisation, as well as becoming president of its movement to promote the Olympic ideal. The later led to him being awarded the Olympic Order in 1988 by the International Olympic Committee.

He later remarried, to Lieselotte; they were later permitted to occasionally visit West Germany. Following the passing of Hermann Lang in 1987, he was regarded as the last surviving member of the pre-war "Silver Arrow" drivers. Von Brauchitsch died in Graefenwarth in 2003.

Complete European Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, * denotes a shared drive)

Year	Entrant	Make	1	2	3	4	5	EDC	Points
1935	Daimler-Benz AG	Mercedes-Benz	BEL 2 *	GER 5	SUI Ret	ITA Ret	ESP 3	5=	25
1936	Daimler-Benz AG	Mercedes-Benz	MON Ret	GER 7	SUI Ret	ITA		10=	24
1937	Daimler-Benz AG	Mercedes-Benz	BEL Ret	GER 2	MON 1	SUI 3	ITA Ret	2	15
1938	Daimler-Benz AG	Mercedes-Benz	FRA 1	GER Ret	SUI 3	ITA 3 *		2	15
1939	Daimler-Benz AG	Mercedes-Benz	BEL 3	FRA Ret	GER Ret	SUI 3		4=	19

Further reading

• Chris Nixon, Racing the Silver Arrows: Mercedes-Benz versus Auto Union 1934-1939 (Osprey, London, 1986) pp. 82–91

External links

• Obituary in The Guardian
• Die Silberpfeile - Manfred von Brauchitsch
• Gentleman aces
• Manfred von Brauchitsch