In the book “Eine Familie in Deutschland – Am Ende die Hoffnung” by Peter Prange, published at the end of 2019, Josef Ganz plays an important role. His friendship with Georg Ising, first documented by Paul Schilperoord in 2009, is vividly described in the novel by the German bestselling author Prange. The real-life characters Josef Ganz and Georg Ising are joined by many invented characters, such as Georg Ising’s entire family, the Ising family from Wolfsburg, the main characters of his book.
Unfortunately, besides these invented characters, historically important facts are also sacrificed to the novel’s suspense. From our point of view, it is nice that Prange describes the story of Ganz as we also feel it is right – Ganz as the man behind the Volkswagen concept, Porsche as the designer of the Volkswagen Beetle which was mass produced and the executor of Hitler’s orders. The person in Prange’s novel who is in a worse light than we think is correct is the Volkswagen director Heinrich Nordhoff, a friend of Ganz. In his 1958 speech in New York, he only mentions Porsche and Ganz in reality – in the novel, however, he mentions Porsche and all the other designers associated with the VW Beetle, just not Ganz. In other words, a completely twisted presentation of the facts. Peter Prange, with whom I was able to talk on the phone on June 2, 2020, gives the following reasons: According to Prange, there are facts that show that the Volkswagen Group actively conceals the name “Josef Ganz”. For example, the fact that Josef Ganz is not even mentioned as a footnote in Hans Mommsen’s book “Das Volkswagenwerk und seine Arbeiter im Dritten Reich” (The Volkswagen Factory and its Workers in the Third Reich), in which Volkswagen names and reappraises numerous dark parts of its history. Prange expresses this “deathly silence” about Ganz in Nordhoff’s speech and puts it into the mouth of the former Volkswagen director. It’s a pity that this person in particular has to take the blame – after all, it was Nordhoff who had a beautiful friendship with Josef Ganz, with lively correspondence. It was Nordhoff who wanted to bring Ganz back to Germany in the 1960s: for a position at the Volkswagen factory. Nordhoff needed Ganz’ help, among other things because he knew more about the complex patent law situation in the automotive industry than anyone else (details and documents can be found in the book of Paul Schilperoord).
Other exciting facts that Prange mentioned were about the outbursts of rage of old Volkswagen functionaries when they hear the name Josef Ganz (I omit names and dates out of consideration for these people). Once again it seems very clear: Josef Ganz must not exist in the history of Volkswagen. The Porsche myth is inviolable.
It’s a pity that the author Prange doesn’t disclose sources in interviews, for example in the “Berliner Morgenpost” (7.10.2019):
During his research, the author [Peter Prange] came across something surprising. “The VW beetle is a German myth and we associate the car with the name Ferdinand Porsche. But the idea of a Volkswagen was already conceived in the 1920s by Jewish car designer Josef Ganz,” says Prange. The Hungarian-born engineer had built a prototype and presented his “May bug” at the Berlin Motor Show in 1933, two weeks after the Nazis seized power.
“Ganz had heard Hitler’s opening speech,” says Prange, “where he demanded autobahns and a car from industry that was affordable for everyone. Ganz saw the opportunity of a lifetime. Three months later, the Gestapo raided his office in Frankfurt.” Via Switzerland, Ganz eventually emigrated to Australia. His name is largely forgotten and kept secret today. “One obviously doesn’t want to scratch the myth of Ferdinand Porsche,” Prange believes. “But the basic idea of a Volkswagen didn’t come from Porsche, Ganz developed it.
Or on Wissenschaft.de, Peter Prange was directly addressed to how he came up with the facts about Volkswagen and Josef Ganz (20.11.2019):
How and when did you come up with it, [Peter Prange]?
[Prange:} Four years ago during the research for my novel “A Family in Germany”, which tells the story of National Socialism from the day the power was seized until the capitulation. Very important in this context is the story of the Volkswagen. Everyone thinks it was the product of Ferdinand Porsche. That is not wrong either. But there was a forerunner who invented the original VW, the “Urkäfer”, that was Josef Ganz. A surprising discovery for me.
The telephone conversation with Prange was exciting, the contact was positive. It would have been nice if Peter Prange had contacted Paul Schilperoord during his research for the book. As Prange expresses himself in interviews, he cares a lot about historical correctness in his books. In connection with Josef Ganz and VW history, a collaboration with Ganz’ biographer would have been very useful. However, we wish Prange much success with his books and a possible film adaptation, in which some historical facts could be corrected in our sense.
What is your opinion about this book and this post? Discuss in the comments below.
Links:
- Book “Het Ware Verhaal Van De Kever” (2009)
- Book “The Extraordinary Life of Josef Ganz” (2011)
- Book “Das Volkswagenwerk und seine Arbeiter im Dritten Reich”
- Interview with Peter Prange “Faszinierende Figuren: Peter Prange über Josef Ganz”
- Interview with Peter Prange “Der Schriftsteller Peter Prange”
- Article about Prange “Roman über VW in der NS-Zeit: Ein Mythos wird hinterfragt”
