The Führersonderzug (from German : " Führer 's special train") 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 a headquarters until the Balkans Campaign . Afterwards, the train was not used as Führer Headquarters ( Führerhauptquartier) , however Hitler continued to travel on it throughout the war between Berlin, Berchtesgaden , the Wolfsschanze and his other military headquarters.
5-537: 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
10-580: 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 . The exact elements of the train are not known; documentation for each journey was destroyed after
15-583: 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 ( locomotives and railway cars ) in order were: Otto Dietrich indicates that the Flakwagen never had to be used when Hitler
20-565: The western part of Germany. It was much more cramped than Hitler's other headquarters, having only four rooms. Hitler was at the Felsennest in the autumn of 1939, because there were plans to invade France and the Low Countries. He was there again on May 10, 1940 when the invasion took place . 50°32′45″N 6°46′10″E / 50.54583°N 6.76944°E / 50.54583; 6.76944 This German World War II article
25-534: Was travelling. The "Pressewagen" was to receive and release press reports , not for journalists. There were other special trains ( Sonderzüge in German) used by prominent German officials; Felsennest The Felsennest ("Rocky Eyrie" in English) was the codename for one of several Führer Headquarters used by Adolf Hitler during the course of World War II . It was located near Bad Münstereifel , in
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