The Belgrade GP took place two days after the start of WW 2. The first post-war GP, Prisoners Cup, took place in Paris in September 1945 a week after Japan surrendered.

For those who are interested, the rich history of Formula 1 and its predecessor forms of auto racing – grand prix and formula – is gold waiting to be mined via research.

For example, the first race to use the name “grand prix” was the Grand Prix of Pau in 1901. A one-off, the race took place in the city in southwestern France that still hosts races more than 100 years later. Earlier this year, Pau’s street circuit was the scene of a round of the World Touring Car Championship.

The first ongoing event with the name “grand prix” was the French Grand Prix. The Automobile Club de France (ACF) staged the first race in the series in 1906. Initially, it was announced that 2007 would be the last French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours. But the French Grand Prix is on the provisional 2008 F1 calendar.

Grand prix racing evolved into formula racing, which, in turn, led to F1 starting in 1950. The fact that F1 calls each of its races a “grand prix” can be viewed as a tip of the cap to the sport’s history.

A recent mining/research expedition yielded some nuggets that resulted in a three-part series on Suite101. The question that prompted the research was, “Did World War 1 and World War 2 cause grand prix racing to stop?”

The general answer with regard to racing in Europe is “yes.” But research revealed some interesting exceptions.

This, the second article in the series, is on the only grand prix that took place in Europe after the outbreak of WW2 and the first post-war grand prix in Europe.

The title of the first article is “1914 and 1921 French Grands Prix.” It is on the last grand prix before World War 1 and the first post-war grand prix.

The third article is titled, "First F1 Champ Won 1940 Tripoli GP." It is on the seven grands prix – one in Africa and six in South America -- that took place outside of Europe during WW 2.

1939 Belgrade Grand Prix

WW 2 began on September 1, 1939, with Germany invading Poland. Great Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany on September 3, the day of the only Belgrade Grand Prix.

The race took place on a 1.74-mile cobblestone course through Kalemegdan Park. The race proved to be a big attraction as some 100,000 spectators attended. (The population of Belgrade at the time was around 400,000.)

By grand prix standards, the race distance was short – 50 laps for a total of 87 miles -- and the field was small – only five cars.

A larger field had been expected. The Maserati and Alfa Romeo entries – two cars each – failed to show. And there were no British entries as the government had warned its citizens not to travel on the continent due to the tense political situation.

The field consisted of two works cars each from Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union and a local privateer in an old Bugatti.

Manfred von Brauchitsch qualified on pole in a Mercedes-Benz W154. After hearing of the invasion of Poland, von Brauchitsch thought of flying to exile in Switzerland, a neutral nation. However, Mercedes-Benz team manager Alfred Neubauer persuaded him to stay.

Von Brauchitsch wasn’t alone in being concerned. Calls to postpone or abandon the race due to the war (and the dearth of entries) were disregarded by organizers, who sought to avoid financial loss.

Von Brauchitsch led early with teammate Hermann Lang second. Lang had to pit and turn over his car to a substitute driver after a stone kicked up by von Brauchitsch’s car broke his goggles.

It was then von Brauchitsch who encountered trouble. His car stalled. He re-started it by rolling the car backward down a hill against the flow of traffic. Despite the illegal move, von Brauchitsch was not disqualified.

Tazio Nuvolari of Italy won the race in an Auto Union Type D. It was the 43rd “major” victory of his outstanding career that included the 1932 European Championship. Nuvolari won in Belgrade at age 46. A complete list of his major victories is available on Wikipedia.

Belgrade is the only grand prix auto race ever to take place in Yugoslavia. After WW 2, Communists took control of the government and sought to erase the memory of the race because it had been sponsored by King Peter II.

1945 Prisoners Cup (Paris, France)

The first post-war grand prix race took place on September 9, 1945. The Prisoners Cup was contested on the Bois de Boulonge and was the main event of the Robert Benoist Cup.

It is fitting that the man who arguably is one of France’s two greatest grand prix drivers – Jean-Pierre Wimille – won the race.

The other French driver to be mentioned in the same breath is four-time F1 driver champion Alain Prost. Wimille had the misfortune of having WW 2 break out when he was 31 years old and in his prime.

It also was fitting that Wimille won the Prisoners Cup because the day of racing was named for his friend Benoist, with whom he teamed to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1937.

Benoist served in WW 1 in the French infantry before becoming a fighter pilot and then a flight instructor. Upon the outbreak of WW 2, he was called up by the French Air Force.

When France was occupied, Benoist escaped to England and then returned to serve in the French Resistance. It was Benoist who recruited Wimille and his wife into the French Resistance in 1942.

Benoist did not survive WW 2. After the liberation of Paris, Wimille joined the Free French Air Force and flew missions over Germany. Wimille was still in the service when he won the Prisoners Cup, driving a Bugatti 50B that he last used in 1939.