Manfred von Brauchitsch (15 August 1905 - February 5, 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. August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Racing cars redirects here. ... This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ... Silver Arrow – 1939 Grossglockner hillclimb Silver Arrows was the name given by the press to Germanys dominant Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix motor racing cars between 1934 and 1939, and also later applied to the Mercedes-Benz Formula One and sports cars in 1954/55. ... Georges Boillot winning the 1912 French Grand Prix in Dieppe, France Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organized automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. ... The 1930s (years from 1930-1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ...

Although an excellent driver who had reasonable success, he struggled with bad luck, and was overshadowed by his more successful Mercedes-Benz team-mates Rudolf Caracciola and Hermann Lang. Rudolf Caracciola Rudolf Caracciola (b. ... Hermann Lang (born April 6, 1909 – died October 19, 1987) was a German champion race car driver. ...

Racing career

He 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. 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... ADAC (German: ) is Germanys largest automobile club with 15. ... The ADAC Eifelrennen was an annual motor race, organised by ADAC Automobil-Club. ... Silver Arrow – 1939 Grossglockner hillclimb Silver Arrows was the name given by the press to Germanys dominant Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix motor racing cars between 1934 and 1939, and also later applied to the Mercedes-Benz Formula One and sports cars in 1954/55. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Monaco Grand Prix (Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One race held on the streets of the Principality of Monaco. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The French Grand Prix is a Formula One race held as part of Fédération Internationale de lAutomobiles annual Formula One automobile racing championship season. ...

He was twice runner-up in the European Championship, in 1937 and 1938, and finished third in 1939. European Championship (auto racing) - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

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. 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The German Grand Prix (Großer Preis von Deutschland) is an annual automobile race. ... Nuvolaris statue in front of PalaLottomatica in Rome. ... Alfa Romeo is an Italian automobile manufacturing company, founded as Darracq Italiana by Cavaliere Ugo Stella, an aristocrat from Milan in partnership with the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq. ... 1936 Auto Union Wanderer Auto Union was a joint venture of four German automobile manufacturers, established in 1932 in Zwickau, Saxony, during the Great Depression. ...

Personal life

He 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 Army after World War I, but after a serious accident he was invalided out in 1928. Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian... Walther von Brauchitsch in 1939. ... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Franz... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ...

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. After the war, in 1955 he defected to East Germany after various legal problems; Gisela committed suicide a year later. 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... GDR redirects here. ...

He later remarried, to Lieselotte; they were later permitted to occasionally visit West Germany.

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