When Major Ivan Hirst thought the VW would make a great cheap method of transport for the allied forces in Germany, the car he painted British Army green was a pre-war Beetle and the car that the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (REME) eventually put into production was very close to the original Kdf-Wagen. Production was very difficult during this period, food was scarce, raw materials were scarce and Germany was in turmoil. The factory also employed some workers who previously were German POWs, Hirst recalled that this workforce was unpredictable as various people were arrested and questioned, sometimes returning and sometimes not - occasionally even murdered as a war time reprisal.
Production details throughout this period are often inconsistent, with the factory using whatever parts or materials they can lay their hands on until they run out when new parts needed to be sourced. In very early production, steel was not available in large enough sheets to press in one piece, so two sheets were welded together to press the roof panel, with the joint clearly visible. These were not intended to be pretty or comfortable vehicles, these were utilitarian cars for soldiers.
Another area of difficulty in authenticity is the fact that the British set up a 'recycling' programme, where serviceable parts from unrepairable crashed vehicles were re-used and repairable crashed vehicles were fixed with new parts. It was important during this time that nothing was wasted.
Some identifying parts of the 1945-1949 Beetle are: