Over the past couple of years, I’ve searched in vain for photos of Hitler’s personal train. Nothing but close-ups of him leaning out a car window or something. I see a book on Amazon called “Hitler’s Trains” but Amazon has no description for it. Any suggestions? HO is my collecting sphere, if that has any relevance. Thanks much, Dennis!
i have been searching for it too. its weird how there is little knowledge of this train, it belonging to one of the most documented men in history and all.
I understand, I’ve been looking for the same book, but if its anyhelp www.chapters.com has a book called ‘Hitlers Trains: The German National Railway and the Third Riech’ its $30.00 to $40.00 dollars and reviews are so far postive.
Hopes this helps.
nedarb.Out.
I could be mistaken, but I believe the “Amerika” was Heinrich Himmler’s personal train.
According to a video I have that was produced around 1995 in Germany, Hitler never had a specific, dedicated train. The featured topic of the video is the Deutsche Reichsbahn 4-6-2 Heavy Pacific locomotive number 01-150, constructed in 1932, which was used to pull some of the trains that Hitler traveled in. The locomotive has been rebuilt and hauls excursion runs today, but there is no mention of a train named “Amerika” in relation to Hitler.
There was a show on The History Channel a couple of years ago where they’re interviewing the conductor of one of Hitler’s trains that suffered a derailment, and he makes no reference to it being named “Amerika.” He even goes so far as to say that Hitler never liked to travel by rail, but preferred to fly or to use the Autobahn.
Searches of Google and Wikipedia turned up no information about Hitler and a train named Amerika except an oblique reference from a news communique by Goebbels that Hitler was traveling from Berlin to Munich aboard his rail command post “Amerika” to attend an annual commemoration of the Beer Hall Putsch.
there is a docurmentry the i seen on the miltary chanel called hitlers bodygards were it shows a few videos of his train nothing to good but they also breifly show and talk about two cars with antiaircraft guns on them that were placed at both ends of hitlers armored train car
I would think it more likely he (or the Chancellor’s office) would have a private car named “Amerika” than an entire dedicated train?? I know the Nazis (so what’s allowed here…“National Socialists”?? “Nuttsys”?? [:)]) also had some plans for “super” railroads, built to a broad gauge of like 8’ and travelling at high speed which were never built - I think Trains did an article on the plans years ago - so maybe “Amerika” was the name of an engine, car or train from that “super” railroad that never got built??
Try the New York Times archives. A NYT article refers to the train as a double engined, twelve car armored train which took Hitler to Poland at one point. Other web pages refer to a complete train, used infrequently by him as transportation.
I did not look any further into these pages, but entering "Hitler’s Train “Amerika” into google’s search engines yeilds significant results.
Google Amerike, Hitlers Train One sit says it was a 12 car double engine train, 10 pages on this subject.
The Military Channel is running a one hour segment of Hitler’s Bodyguards this week that covers the train. They state it was pulled by two locomotives had a flack car on each end and a number of special coaches. The consist was usually 14 cars and it was often expanded with more cars if he travelled with a larger entourage. After they declared war on the US the train was renamed Brandenburg.
There wasn’t much footage of the actual train, just a few shots of it pulling into and out of stations that I’m sure came from newsreels. Interesting story about how on a trip from Poland the train was held up to wait on one with higher priority (I can’t imagine what had priority over that train) but the priority train hit a bomb meant for Hitlers train and 430 German soldiers were killed in the wreck.
The train’s last trip was carrying SS officials to the “National Redoubt” in the last days of the war after Hitler committed suicide in Berlin. The train was captured by American troops and Hitler’s private Pullman was destroyed.
I wonder if Pullman actually built that car as it was referred to as a Pullman throughout the show, or if it was just laid out like a Pullman car.
The show runs again at 5:00 pm Eastern on Monday 19 Jan 09.
I caught that particular episode of “Hitler’s Bodyguards” on the Military Channel, and it was pretty interesting. There is a very good chance that the car was built by the Pullman company, as the company made quite a few sleeping and dining cars for both British and European railways during the 'twenties and 'thirties.
But it was a fascinating program.
Tom
I have the book, It is a interesting but ultimately superficial overview of the German railroad operations, in Germany and the occupied countries, during WW2.
The author states tat most records were destroyed at the end of the war. A lot of the text is quotes of pamphlets, newspaper or magazine articles, and some letters and memos. Photos are mainly of people working, with very few good photos of equipment . I don’t think there is anything on “Amerika”, (definitely no good photos).
It would not surprise me at all that Pullman cars were made by Pullman for the train. There was a lot of businesss done with the Third Reich. Everyone seems to forget that Adolf Hitler was held in high regard by many countires before WW2… he was even ‘man of the year 1938’ and made the cover of Time magazine on January 2nd 1939. This is true.
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=16905
Try this link. It seems to indicate that the train was called ‘Erika’
Hope this helps.
Assuming it was a westbound train, likely Jews or captured Soviet soldiers. Theres many, many primary sources of Wehrmacht commanders complaining that, even as the Russians were closing in on all sides in the east, eastbound troop and war material trains would be held for westbound prisoners.
TRAINS magazine did an indepth article on Hitler’s train in the August 1984 issue.Also a book/magazine called “Railroad History”,did a 2 part story on Hitler’s locomotives.All are very good reading.
A later episode of the same series, documenting the final collapse of the ‘Thousand-Year Empire,’ had a statement that Der Fuhrer’s personal car and all documentation that could be found were deliberately destroyed by the Allies to remove a potential rallying point for diehards. Given that, the severe shortage of documentation is understandable.
Interestingly, on the opposite side of the world, the Imperial train survived the war, was refurbished and continued in use. I got to see it in Kyushu in the late 1950s - very impressive.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
There are scenes of Hitlers train in thei history channel episode “Hitlers Bodyguards” you could order the episode from the History channel and grab the image…that is how I got a picture of my uncle’s B-29 in flight over Japan…I saw the plane on one of their episodes on WWII #13 1st Squad, 9th BG, 313 BW,Tinian
Beware of thinking all film footage on the History Channel as authentic. They have a habit of using footage that doesn’t really relate to what they are specifically talking about but to fill the time and something to look at.They do that in the war documentaries too. To those that have watched many of their films and know the subject matter, they note the same scenes over and over again in different themes. There is some good material but it IS entertainment.
Hitler’s Bodyguard wasn’t a History production and never aired on History. It avoids a lot of the History Channel’s failings right off the bat. Anyhow. The one episode of the series that I recall featuring a lot of the Führer Sonderzug was the one about Hitler’s only official state visit to a foreign power. There was a lot of imagery and discussion about the train, because it was how Hitler traveled to a summit with Mussolini in Italy.
I mean, you can generally trust the authenticity of footage of the train’s arrival in Rome and Hitler detraining to greet Mussolini and King Victor Emmanuel, when it happened all of once.