Jakob Werlin (10 May 1886, in Andritz – 23 September 1965, in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

) was an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n auto salesman who worked primarily in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Due to his early contact with

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

, he became an honorary SS leader and Hitler's primary interface with the

Daimler-Benz The Mercedes-Benz Group Aktiengesellschaft, AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German Multinational corporation, multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It ...

company.

History

In 1921, Werlin worked for the Benz motor company in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. He became acquainted with Adolf Hitler in 1923, as the Benz dealership was located next to the office where the ''

Völkischer Beobachter The ''Völkischer Beobachter'' (; "'' Völkisch'' Observer") was the newspaper of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) from 25 December 1920. It first appeared weekly, then daily from 8 February 1923. For twenty-four years it formed part of the official pub ...

'' was printed. That same year he sold a Benz to Hitler for the use of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

, and thereafter the Party would come to Werlin to purchase limousines. Jakob Werlin, who not only advised Hitler on the purchase of his Mercedes-Benz automobiles but also often accompanied him to the annual German Auto Show in Berlin (Automobil- Ausstellung Berlin) and other motor related events. After the merger with Daimler in 1926 Werlin was leader of the local Daimler-Benz subsidiary, and started the Mercedes dealership in

(Niederlassung München). In 1934 Werlin became a member of the

and a confidant of Hitler. Along with

Ferdinand Porsche Ferdinand Porsche (3 September 1875 – 30 January 1951) was an Austrian-German automotive engineer and founder of the Porsche AG. He is best known for creating the first gasoline–electric hybrid vehicle (Lohner–Porsche), the Volkswag ...

, Werlin was involved with Hitler's attempt to build the People's Car (

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

), but was critical of its success. Although placed in an American internment camp until 1948, Werlin survived the war. Vertriebsgemeinschaft Werlin at Hochstrasse 14 is a Mercedes-Benz dealership started by Jakob Werlin after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The firm granted Werlin the facility for his part in protecting the safety of Bimbo, the

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

wife of

Wilhelm Haspel Wilhelm Haspel (1898 - 6 January 1952) was a German business executive. He served as the chairman and chief executive officer of Daimler AG from 1942 to 1952. Early life Wilhem Haspel was born in 1898. He graduated from the University of Stuttgar ...

, head of Daimler-Benz from 1942 to 1952.

Death

Jakob Werlin was buried at the Waldfriedhof in Traunstein after his death at age 79. His sons still operate Mercedes dealerships in

Traunstein Traunstein (Central Bavarian: ''Traunstoa'') is a town in the south-eastern part of Bavaria, Germany, and is the administrative center of a much larger district of the same name. The town serves as a local government, retail, health services, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Werlin, Jakob 1886 births 1965 deaths Mercedes-Benz Businesspeople from Munich Businesspeople from Graz SS-Oberführer Austrian Nazis