1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:05,119 Speaker 1: Imagine everything you treasure being targeted for destruction by vicious forces, 2 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:08,760 Speaker 1: but you curate beauty, so instead of handing it over, 3 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:12,559 Speaker 1: you completely dismantle what you love to hide it away 4 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: for safekeeping. I'm Patti Steele, trying to save art, architecture, 5 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:25,279 Speaker 1: and automobiles from the Nazis. Next on the backstory, we're 6 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: back with the backstory. Well, we know what the Nazis 7 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: did to the people they hated and to the entire 8 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,320 Speaker 1: political structure of Europe in the nineteen thirties and during 9 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: World War II into the nineteen forties, but we don't 10 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: hear as much about their desire to destroy basically any 11 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 1: artistic beauty they couldn't take credit for. That included a 12 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 1: spectacular two hundred and fifty year old amber room in 13 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: a Russian palace, private art collection stolen from wealthy Jewish families, 14 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: and one specific race car that's considered one of the 15 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: most powerful and oddly go corgeous cars ever built. Back 16 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: in the early seventeen hundreds, Peter the Great Emperor of 17 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: Russia had a room installed in his palace that was 18 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:14,240 Speaker 1: made entirely of thirteen thousand pounds of carved amber, and 19 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,039 Speaker 1: it was filled with gold leaf as well. It was 20 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 1: considered the eighth Wonder of the World. More than two 21 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 1: hundred years later, the Nazis wanted it in Germany, so 22 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 1: they completely dismantled it panel by panel to transport it. 23 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 1: For a time it was on display in a German castle, 24 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: but as the war was coming to an end, the 25 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: Nazis dismantled it again and hid it. But someone else 26 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:41,039 Speaker 1: found it and removed it. And that is where the 27 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: trail ends. That room, valued at half a billion dollars, 28 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:49,279 Speaker 1: has never been found. Then there are the countless works 29 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: of art. Some say the Nazis stole as much as 30 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: twenty percent of art ever made, and as many as 31 00:01:55,560 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: one hundred thousand still undreturned pieces were stolen from private 32 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: collections like the Rothschilds. That super wealthy Jewish banking family 33 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:08,919 Speaker 1: had over five thousand pieces of art stripped from them 34 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: by the Nazis, including antique weaponry, musical instruments, sculptures, and 35 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:18,360 Speaker 1: of course paintings, plus tens, if not hundreds of thousands 36 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:23,960 Speaker 1: of books. Hitler personally got rothschild owned works by Vermier Rembrandt, 37 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: and one that was a famous watercolor painting by Van Go, 38 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: which sold just a few years ago for over thirty 39 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 1: five million dollars. The Austrian government allowed the Rothschilds to 40 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: escape Nazi control, but only if they would leave behind 41 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 1: their priceless artwork. It wasn't until nineteen ninety nine, fifty 42 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: years later or more, that a small percentage of the 43 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:52,639 Speaker 1: famous collection was recovered by the Austrian government and returned 44 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: to the family. And then there's a legendary race car, 45 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: the Delahye one forty five. This thing was built by 46 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: Lucy O'Reilly Schell, the first female American Grand Prix driver. 47 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: The car was driven in French Grand Prix races in 48 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty eight against the car that was the pride 49 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: of Hitler's plan to dominate pretty much all international competition, 50 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:21,080 Speaker 1: the Mercedes Benz Silver Arrow. Now, the Mercedes was able 51 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 1: to produce six hundred horse power, but the Della Hay 52 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: wasn't just any race car. Despite far fewer horsepower, the 53 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: four point five liter V twelve was an engineering masterpiece. 54 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:35,840 Speaker 1: The French saw it as a symbol of their excellence. 55 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: It dominated beating the Nazi drivers in their spectacular Mercedes 56 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 1: Silver Arrow. But Hitler was convinced it wasn't the car 57 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: that won the race, but the driver, Rene Dreyfus, and 58 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: he told his racing team they had to hire Dreyfus. Well, 59 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: that was when somebody on the Nazi team got the 60 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: job to tell Hitler that Dreyfus was Jewish. Hitler was 61 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: outraged that a French car driven by a Jewish driver 62 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 1: could have beaten his Mercedes Benz Silver Arrow. He was 63 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: obsessed with domination and he ordered his troops to find 64 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: the Delahaye one forty five and destroy it as he 65 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:18,360 Speaker 1: invaded France. He wanted this symbol of French and Jewish 66 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 1: defiance just completely wiped off the face of the earth. 67 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: But he didn't reckon with the car's owner, Lucy O'Reilly Schell. 68 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 1: She loved this car, and she decides to act in 69 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: a gutsy defiant move. She has the Delahaye completely dismantled. 70 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: The parts were buried underground in a French hillside to 71 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: save it from the Nazis. It was like a deadly 72 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:45,720 Speaker 1: game of hide and seek, but the Nazis never found it. 73 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:52,480 Speaker 1: The war finally ends, decades pass but the Delahay one 74 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: forty five was still mostly lying in pieces like a 75 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: priceless puzzle. It wasn't until the nineteen eighties that auto 76 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: experts began putting the Delahay back together. In nineteen eighty seven, 77 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:10,599 Speaker 1: billionaire philanthropist Peter Mullen, who founded several renowned car museums, 78 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 1: bought the Dellahy one forty five and separately, its original 79 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: magnesium engine, and had it finally restored to its original specs. Now, 80 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 1: think about the moment when that engine silenced, since the 81 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: onset of World War II roars back to life gives 82 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 1: it the chills, right, It was kind of a resurrection 83 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,520 Speaker 1: and at the same time another symbol of Hitler's defeat. 84 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 1: Until his death just a few months ago, Peter Mullen 85 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 1: drove the car regularly and even occasionally raised it despite 86 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:47,920 Speaker 1: its multi multi million dollar value, because, as he put it, 87 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 1: these cars are absolutely works of art. But a car 88 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 1: is meant to be driven, and a race car is 89 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: meant to be raced. Now in KSE, you're wondering what 90 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:02,599 Speaker 1: that della Hey one forty five is. Well, it's definitely priceless, 91 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 1: since there are no others to compare it to. But 92 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 1: within the past year or so, a nineteen fifty five 93 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,400 Speaker 1: Mercedes Silver Arrow Race car sold it auction for one 94 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:16,200 Speaker 1: hundred and forty million dollars, so you can start from 95 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 1: there now. This is a story of art defiance and 96 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:24,240 Speaker 1: a bit of rebirth. The paintings, sculptures, and other treasures 97 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:28,320 Speaker 1: hidden from the Nazis are a testament to the determination 98 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: of those folks not afraid to resist. I'm Patty steel 99 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 1: The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, Premier Networks, the Elvis 100 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:51,920 Speaker 1: Durand Group and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is Doug Fraser. 101 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:55,800 Speaker 1: Our writer Jay Kushner. We have new episodes every Tuesday 102 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: and Friday. Feel free to reach out to me with 103 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:02,039 Speaker 1: comments and even stories, suggest questions on Instagram at real 104 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:05,440 Speaker 1: Patty Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for 105 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 1: listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele. The pieces of 106 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,040 Speaker 1: history you didn't know you needed to know.