Führersonderzug
The Führersonderzug was Adolf Hitler's personal train. It was named Führersonderzug "Amerika" in 1940, and in January 1943, was renamed the Führersonderzug "Brandenburg". The train served as Hitler's headquarters until the Balkans Campaign. Afterwards, the train was not used as Führer Headquarters , however Hitler continued to travel on it throughout the war between Berlin, Berchtesgaden, the Wolfsschanze'' and his other military headquarters.
Usage
Before the first permanent Führer Headquarters Felsennest was used in May 1940, the Führersonderzug served as a mobile headquarters. Hitler and his entourage used this train to visit various fronts and theaters of war. For safety, a front train and rear train were used to prevent any possible attack.The train was originally named Führersonderzug "Amerika", purportedly because Hitler wanted to pay homage to the European conquest of the Americas. After Germany declared war on the United States, on December 11, 1941, the train was renamed to the Führersonderzug "Brandenburg".
In late April 1945, Hitler ordered his aide and adjutant Julius Schaub to travel to Austria to destroy the Führersonderzug.
Components
The exact of the train are not known; documentation for each journey was destroyed after the trip to prevent it being used to plan an attack. Some details were revealed by the departure information "Bln 2009", when the train departed the Anhalter Bahnhof in Berlin on 23 June 1941, arriving at Wolfsschanze on 24 June 1941;The individual 10-16 components in order were:
- Two locomotives
- a special Flakwagen armoured anti-aircraft train flatbed car with two anti-aircraft guns, most often a pair of quadruple 20mm Flakvierling batteries, one at each end of the car. It also had the quarters for the officers and men from the Luftwaffe 9 Regiment General Göring that manned the guns. Goering's trainset flak cars used anti-aircraft cannons.
- a baggage car
- the Führerwagen, used by Hitler
- a Befehlswagen, including a conference room and a communications centre
- a Begleitkommandowagen, for the accompanying twenty-two-man security force
- a dining car
- two cars for guests
- a Badewagen
- another dining car
- two sleeping cars for personnel
- a Pressewagen for press chief, Otto Dietrich, and staff
- another baggage car
- another Flakwagen