WHEN Germany was defeated at the end of the Second World War, the Allies captured up to 30,000 vehicles which they parked up in a field, or fields, in Schleswig-Holstein.

Among them was the bulletproof car belonging to Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering who, from 1923 until his suicide in 1946, was effectively Hitler’s second in command.

The Northern Echo: Hermann Goering and Adolf Hitler.Hermann Goering and Adolf Hitler

The car must have stood out in that field of thousands of vehicles. It was 7ft long and weighed five tons, but with an eight cylinder supercharged 7.7 litre engine, it had a top speed of 108mph – the engine produced the sort of power that was used at the time in a 56 seater bus.

READ MORE: THE FORGOTTEN DARLINGTON HEROINE NOW STEPPING OUT OF THE SHADOWS

The Northern Echo: Hermann Goering's bulletproof car. Picture: Darlington Centre for Local StudiesHermann Goering's bulletproof car. Picture: Darlington Centre for Local Studies

Goering’s Hamburg-registered car was based on a Mercedes Cabriolet D, but had steel plates fitted all round it, and all the windows were made of five-ply glass that was 1.75 inches thick.

It was fitted with many modcons, from a cigar-lighter to a searchlight to a case which pulled out from the dashboard and turned into a portable toilet.

HOW MANY OF THESE FABULOUS OLD CARS ON HIGH ROW CAN YOU IDENTIFY?

When the Allies realised the provenance of the captured car, the War Office sent it on a tour of Britain in the late 1940s and early 1950s, raising money for war charities through people paying to see it.

In this month’s exhibition in the Darlington Centre for Local Studies, there is a programme from when “Hermann Goering’s bulletproof car” visited Minories garage in Northgate, Darlington.

The Northern Echo: Minories garage on the west side of Northgate when a Victory parade was passing on June 10, 1946 - but when was Goering's captured car on display here. On the right elevation of the garage can be seen its petrol canopy which enabled fuel to be pumpedMinories garage on the west side of Northgate when a Victory parade was passing on June 10, 1946 - but when was Goering's captured car on display here. On the right elevation of the garage can be seen its petrol canopy which enabled fuel to be pumped over the pavement to a car waiting at the kerbside

Minories was on the west side of Northgate, where KwikFit is today, from 1932 until 1968. Can anyone tell us when Goering’s car was there – has anyone get any details of its visit?

READ MORE: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS HISTORIC CORNER OF DARLINGTON THAT IS FAR FROM BLAND