German WW2 O.N.S/NSKK Kraftfahrzeug-Winterprüfung 1937
Very nice and large plaque for participating in the event described below.
Beautiful 3d effect were the mountain stands out from the rest.
Maker marked LN 1790 L.Chr Lauer Nürnberg-Berlin.
Diameter 80 mm.
Made of gold washed buntmetal.
It remain in excellent condition.
The Kraftfahrzeug-Winterprüfung 1937 (Motor Vehicle Winter Test 1937) was a major and prestigious motorsport event in Nazi Germany that took place between February 3 and 6, 1937, in and around Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
The competition was organized under the supervision of the O.N.S. (Oberste Nationale Sportbehörde für die deutsche Kraftfahrt) – the supreme national motorsport authority – in close cooperation with the paramilitary Nazi motorist corps, the NSKK, led by Adolf Hühnlein.
More Than Just Sport (Propaganda & Military Testing)
Although on paper it was a motorsport competition and a reliability rally (Zuverlässigkeitsfahrt), the 1937 winter test served two clear, underlying purposes:
1. Military Evaluation: The German armed forces (Wehrmacht) were in the middle of an intensive rearmament phase. Testing cars, trucks, and motorcycles under extreme, freezing winter conditions in the Alps provided invaluable technical data on how vehicles and their engines performed in severe cold. This later proved directly relevant for the military vehicles developed for future campaigns.
2. Industrial Propaganda: The Nazi regime used the event to showcase the superiority of the German automotive industry. Successes in these races were heavily publicized in the press to prove that German machinery and German drivers could overcome any force of nature.
Participants and Vehicles
The competition brought together both civilian factory drivers and drivers from the NSKK. A wide range of machinery was tested, from standard passenger cars (tested on snow and ice roads) to heavy trucks, motorcycles, and specialized vehicles. The official event program carried the title "NSKK Kraftfahrzeug-Winterprüfung".
