75 years ago, from June 5, 1945, the British military entered its zone of occupation, replacing the US troops. In Wolfsburg, the British Military Government assumed trusteeship over Volkswagenwerk GmbH, beginning a unique post-war story. The key figure in this story is 28-year-old Major Ivan Hirst. With a talent for improvisation, organizational capabilities and tremendous farsightedness, he reshaped the armaments plant, which had been largely destroyed and was intended for demolition, into a civilian car factory. This way, the British prepared the ground for the later global success of the Beetle and laid the foundation for today’s Volkswagen Group. Volkswagen honors the British era with the documentary film “My brief was very simple“, in which Ivan Hirst tells his Volkswagen story.
Documentary film “My brief was very simple“
Volkswagen Heritage has taken the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the assumption of British trusteeship to publish the 30-minute documentary film “My brief was very simple” on YouTube for educational, research and media work. Five episodes document the decisive ground-breaking phase of Volkswagen after the Second World War. In one of his last interviews, in 1999, Ivan Hirst tells the story of the British trusteeship over the company in Wolfsburg precisely 50 years after responsibility for Volkswagenwerk GmbH was returned to Germany.
The film can be viewed on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/VysqC-TEeoU
