Trains in WWII

15cm K (E) an 15cm SK L40 naval gun railway mounted army crewed
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Trains in service of evil.

 

British armored train

 

Romania

The Railroad Troops

At the beginning of 1941, there two railroad regiments (1st and 2nd) subordinated to the Railroad Brigade, as well as to guard battalions (1st and 2nd). On 1st May 1941, the Railroad Detachment Command was created.
The 1st Regiment was made up of the 1st Railroad Operation Battalion (1st-3rd Railroad Companies), the 2nd Railroad Operation Battalion (4th-6th Railroad Companies), the 3rd Railroad-building Battalion (7th-9th Railroad-building Companies) and the 4th Narrow Railroad and Bridge Battalion (10th, 11th, 13th Bridge Companies and 14th Narrow Railroad Company). In June, the regiment also mobilized the 1st Narrow Railroad Company and the 15th Bridge Company.
The 2nd Railroad Regiment had 6 battalions: the 3rd Railroad Operation Battalion (1st-3rd Railroad Companies), the 4th Railroad Operation Battalion (4th-6th Railroad Companies), the 3rd Railroad-building Battalion (7th-9th Railroad-building Companies), the 4th Railroad-building Battalion (10th-12th Railroad-building Companies), the 2nd Narrow Railroad Battalion (13th and 15th Narrow Railroad Companies) and 2nd Railroad Bridge Battalion (21st and 22nd Railroad Bridge Companies).
The railroad operation company had one engine platoon, one train platoon, one maintenance and destruction platoon, one station platoon and one guard platoon. The railroad-building company had one technical platoon, three railroad-building platoons, one battle train and one regiment train. The two railroad guard battalions consisted of 10 guard companies (1st-10th) each.
In November 1941, the 1st Regiment organized to detachments: Tighina (6th Railroad Operation Company, 13th Railroad-building Company, 21st and 23rd Railroad Bridge Companies) and Arciz (7th, 8th and 12th Railroad-building Companies and 22nd Railroad Bridge Company), which were going to be used in Bessarabia and Northern Bucovina.
On 10 February 1942 three more guard battalions (3rd-5th) were raised and on 22 February the Railroad Guard Battalion Group was created.
On 1st July 1942, the 3rd Railroad Regiment was created and the other two were reorganized. All three had an identical structure: 1st Railroad Operation Battalion (1st-4th Companies), 2nd Railroad-building Battalion (5th-10th Companies) and 3rd Railroad Bridge Battalion (11th and 12th Companies).
By 1944 there 22 railroad work detachments mobilized, subordinated to the Railroad Detachment Command. They were the 46th-59th, 62nd-65th, 67th, 68th, 105th and 107th Detachments. Each had between 2 and 7 companies.
In 1943, the railroad units received a new mission: to destroy the railways and bridges in case of retreat. In this operation were involved 13 companies (4 operation, 6 building and 3 bridge companies).
On 15 November 1943, the railroad troops were again reorganized. The three regiments had a similar structure: the 1st Railroad Operation Battalion (4 companies), the 2nd and 3rd Railroad-building Battalion (3-6 companies each) and the 4th Bridge Battalion (2-3 companies). The 2nd and 3rd Regiment also had a training battalion (4 companies). Also, two more railroad guard battalions (6th and 7th) were created.
In October 1944, the 4th Pioneer Regiment was transformed into the 4th Railroad Regiment. Also, the Railroad Brigade's Operations Group was formed. It was made up of the 3rd Regiment, the 4th Bridge Battalion from the 2nd Regiment and the 13th Telephone and Telegraphy Company. The group was assigned to the Railroad Command of the 2nd Ukrainian Front and followed the Romanian troops in the Hungarian and Czechoslovakian campaigns. The rest of the units that remained in Romania were used to rebuild the railways destroyed during the military operations on Romanian soil.
Sources:
Scafes C., Serbanescu H., Scafes I., Andonie C., Danila I., Avram R. Armata romana 1941-1945, Editura R.A.I., 1996

 

Hitler Conferring by "Fuhrer Train" Adolf Hitler conferring with his Foreign Minister, Joachim van Ribbentrop, beside the "Fuhrer Train." Hit ler is following his armies into Poland.

 

Experimental prototype for the DRG 1001 armored locomotive - 1941​

 

Hitler's special train, used as headquarters at Oppeln, during the Polish campaign.
Location:Oppeln, Poland

"Two versions of the Fuhrersonderzug existed before the war. One for peacetime travel and one for State of War. All coaches were constructed of welded steel, most weighing over 60 tons. The peacetime train was usually composed of a locomotive, baggage and power-engine car, Fuhrer's Pullman(No. 10206), conference car, escort car, dining car, two sleeping cars for guests and entourage, Pullman coach, personnel car, press chief's car, baggage and power-engine car.
The Fuhrerhauptquartier, code named "Amerika" was put into service in August 1939. It consisted of a locomotive(later two), armored antiaircraft car with 2-cm guns and a 26 man crew, baggage and power-engine car, Fuhrer's Pullman (No. 10206 in which his Chief Wehrmacht Adjutant, his chief Personal Adjutant and a valet were also quartered), conference car with communications center including several teletype machines, escort car for 22 SS-Begliet-Kommando and RSD men, dining car, two sleeping cars for entourage and guests, bath car, dining car, two cars for personnel(secretaries, cooks etc), Press chiefs car with communications center including a 700 watt short wave transmitter, baggage and power-engine car, anti-aircraft car.

from Hitler's personal security by Peter Hoffman

 

Slovak armoured train 1 of 3 used during the Slovak uprising of 1944.
complete unserviceable Lt35 tank placed on flatbed and plated in.
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This train was composed of 13 cars of Deutsche Reichsbahn:
- 105 060 Bln - SalMaschPw4ük-37 - Luggage and electric generator.
- 105 062 Bln - SalMaschPw4ük-37 - Luggage and electric generator.
- 10 206 Bln - Sal4ü-37 - personal Show of A.Hitler.
- 10 252 Bln - SalBer4ü-3å - Room of conference.
- 10 242 Bln - SalR4ü-37 - Restaurant.
- 10 244 Bln - SalR4ü-37 - Restaurant.
- 10 221 Bln - SalBegl4ü-37 - Berths for the personnel.
- 10 222 Bln - SalBegl4ü-37 - Berths for the personnel.
- 10 223 Bln - SalBegl4ü-37 - Berths for the personnel.
- 10 231 Bln - SalL4ü-37 - Beds for guests.
- 10 232 Bln - SalL4ü-37 - Beds for guests.
- 10 281 Bln - SalBad6ü-39 - Bathroom.
- 10 251 Bln - SalPresse4ü-37 - Room of press.

This train also was equipped with two coaches of anti-aircraft defence equipped each of two quadruple mountings of 20mm.

Axis History Forum • View topic - Hitler's train "Erika"

 

Sonderzug Göring, ASIEN.

Many personalities in the German High Command had their personal train, which functioned as a mobile command post, a communications centre and for accommodation. Göring's ASIEN was one of them, and it was used by him throughout the war including on his fateful journey from Karinhall to Berchtesgaden 21 April 1945. The train consisted of about 15 wagons, over the years the type and number varied, the below is a composition as known in 1941. The wagons are shown in the sequence in which they were coupled together. ASIEN was often accompanied by ROBINSON, the train of the OKL Fü Stab, but the composition of this train is unknown.

These trains were considered of high value and very vulnerable, so in many cases they were parked in existing railway tunnels. The tunnel was then closed for normal traffic for the duration of the stay of the train, or in at least one case the tunnel was commandeered for the duration of the war for this specific purpose. Some of these tunnels were located in the vicinity of FüHQs or in the case of Göring near static OKL GefStds. Please see Berchtesgaden and Bunker System . In Jeleń and Konewka 2 massive "shelters" were built of reinforced concrete.

Sonderzug Göring

 

918 001 [P] Bln - SdPl 4i-39 Flak wagon

 

Soviet transport

 

The Special Train (Führersonderzug)
The Führer's Special Train (Führersonderzug in German) was a train which was frequently used by Hitler to travel between various headquarters throughout Europe[1]. It also served as headquarters itself; it was called FHQu Frühlingssturm (Spring Storm) when it was located at Mönichkirchen, Austria during the Balkans Campaign in the spring of 1941. The train was named Führersonderzug "Amerika" in 1940, and later, Führersonderzug "Brandenburg". After the Balkans Campaign the train was never again used as a Führer Headquarters, but Hitler used it throughout the war when he travelled between Berlin, Berchtesgaden, Munich and other headquarters.
The exact components of the Führersonderzug are not known, but some details were revealed by the departure information "Bln 2009", when the train departed Anhalter Bahnhof in Berlin on 23 June 1941, arriving at Wolfsschanze on 24 June 1941;

The individual 17 components (locomotives and cars) in order were[4]:

• Two locomotives in tandem, behind them were:
• a special Flakwagen (armoured anti-aircraft train), armed with 2 anti-aircraft guns
• a baggage car
• the Führerwagen, which Hitler personally used
• a Befehlswagen (Command car), including a conference room and a communications center
• a Begleitkommandowagen, for the accompanying Führer-Begleit-Kommando
• a dining car
• two cars for guests
• a Badewagen (Bathing car)
• another dining car
• two sleeping cars for personnel
• a Pressewagen (car for the press)
• another baggage car
• and finally, another Flakwagen

There were other special trains (Sonderzug in German) as well, used by prominent German officials[5] [6];

• Ministerzug (Ministers' Train) was used by Joachim von Ribbentrop and Heinrich Himmler
• Sonderzug "Afrika" (also called "Braunschweig"), used by the chief of the Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW))
• Sonderzug "Asien" (also called "Pommern") was used by Hermann Göring
• Sonderzug "Atlantik" (also called "Auerhahn"), used by the supreme commander of the Navy (Kriegsmarine)
• Sonderzug "Atlas" (also called "Franken"), a command train used by the Armed Forces Operations Staff (Wehrmachtführungsstabes)
• Sonderzug "Enzian", a command train used by the chief of the Intelligence branch of the Luftwaffe (Nachrichtenwesens der Luftwaffe)
• Sonderzug "Ostpreußen" (also called "Sonderzug 4"), used by the Army General Staff (Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH))
• Sonderzug "Robinson 1", used by the chief of the Command Staff of the Luftwaffe
• Sonderzug "Robinson 2", used by the chief of the General Staff of the Luftwaffe
• Sonderzug "Steiermark" (also called "Heinrich" and "Transport 44") was used by Heinrich Himmler
• Sonderzug "Westfalen", used by Joachim von Ribbentrop
• Sonderzug "Württemberg", used by the Army General Staff (Gen. St.d. H. - Generalstabs des Heeres)

Führer Headquarters - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/7597276

 

Two Wounded Soldiers on Train An English and a Belgian wounded soldier on board a train after their arrival in England, World War II.

 

TOS mentioned this in another thread. Any more info?

"02/06/1940 Ju 87 B-2 A5+IL shot down by a Swedish armed train"