- Title: Nazi gold train replicated after search for original fails
- Date: 29th September 2016
- Summary: GLUSZYCA, POLAND (SEPTEMBER 27, 2016) (REUTERS) OLD TRAIN FACTORY TRAIN WHEELS ARMOURED RAILWAY CAR REPLICA VARIOUS OF FAUX GOLD BARS WITH EMBLEMS OF NAZI GERMANY HISTORICAL REENACTOR IN WORLD WAR TWO GERMAN UNIFORM IN TRAIN VARIOUS HISTORICAL REENACTORS IN WORLD WAR TWO GERMAN UNIFORMS VARIOUS OF TRAIN CONSTRUCTOR SLAWOMIR SUCHOROWSKI LOOKING AT REPRINTS OF HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) TRAIN CONSTRUCTOR, SLAWOMIR SUCHOROWSKI, SAYING: "The idea came from the long search of Walbrzych explorers for the legendary gold train, which unfortunately still cannot be found. So I decided that in this case we will build this train in a 1:1 scale and we have succeeded in part with this. We have built the first armoured wagon, next we will make three armoured freight cars and an armoured locomotive. This whole hall will be rearranged and connected with a tunnel to create the impression of the train arriving to be loaded. In the hall we will also create a treasury with gold bars and an armoury. And outside we will place World War Two era airplanes." VARIOUS OF WORKSHOP WALL WITH TRAIN PARTS AND DIAGRAMS VARIOUS OF TRAIN REPLICA VARIOUS OF WORKER COVERING TRAIN BUMPERS WITH OIL VARIOUS OF MEMBER OF FOUNDATION FOR HISTORICAL SEARCHES, JAN DOLNIAK, LOOKING AT OIL LAMP (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) MEMBER OF FOUNDATION FOR HISTORICAL SEARCHES, JAN DOLNIAK, SAYING: "We are creating the replica of the Poersel armoured train, built near the end of the defence of 'Festung Breslau' (German: Wroclaw Fortress). This train was fighting during the last days of May and destroyed at least 10 Russian tanks. After the war Lieutenant Poersel himself commented on the existence of the train and its actual participation in the battle but after Wroclaw was captured by Soviet troops, no trace of it was found. The train in fact dissolved into thin air." VARIOUS OF TRAIN REPLICA AND TRAIN PARTS
- Embargoed: 14th October 2016 10:55
- Keywords: Nazi train gold WW2 Walbrzych replica
- Location: GLUSZYCA, POLAND
- City: GLUSZYCA, POLAND
- Country: Poland
- Topics: Human Interest/Brights/Odd News,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA00151MCZEH
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A group of local history enthusiasts fed up with waiting for the results of a protracted search for a mythical Nazi train have begun work on building one for themselves.
Legend says the train disappeared carrying a cargo of looted treasures.
The 1:1 scale replica of a German armoured train stands inside a former factory in Gluszyca, less than 15 kilometres away from Walbrzych, where the search for an underground train continues despite setbacks and conflicting data on its existence and location.
Constructor Slawomir Suchorowski decided together with other history enthusiasts that it was time to take the Nazi train myth into their own hands.
"The idea came from the long search of Walbrzych explorers for the legendary gold train, which unfortunately still cannot be found. So I decided that in this case we will build this train in a 1:1 scale and we have succeeded in part with this. We have built the first armoured wagon, next we will make three armoured freight cars and an armoured locomotive," Suchorowski said.
Suchorowski proceeded with building the replica inside an old wood processing factory, which during World War Two served the Nazi war industry. When ready, the whole site will become a tourist attraction in an attempt to revive the region's popularity.
The nearly completed wagon replica measures over 12 meters, with a body made of laminate and steel wheels and chassis. It needs a layer of paint to make it look authentic.
The original train which served as a template for the builders has a mystery of its own.
It was named after a German Lieutenant Oberleutnant Paul Poersel who fought to defend Wroclaw against advancing Soviet troops and is said to have vanished after the city fell.
"We are creating the replica of the Poersel armoured train, built near the end of the defence of 'Festung Breslau' (German: Wroclaw Fortress). This train was fighting during the last days of May and destroyed at least 10 Russian tanks. After the war Lieutenant Poersel himself commented on the existence of the train and its actual participation in the battle but after Wroclaw was captured by Soviet troops, no trace of it was found. The train in fact dissolved into thin air," local history enthusiast Jan Dolniak said.
According to some historical sources, the improvised armoured train was built in three weeks with parts taken from various vehicles at the beginning of 1945 in the workshops of Fahrzeug- und Motoren-Werke GmbH in Breslau, today's Wroclaw. It was equipped with seven cannons of various types, two machine guns and a radio station and operated by over 100 railwaymen and soldiers.
Despite rather detailed information on the construction and operation of the train, it is missing from German inventories of World War Two armoured vehicles and descriptions of Soviet soldiers. Its existence has never been fully confirmed and its post-war fate remains a mystery, making it the perfect successor to the legend of the so-called "Nazi gold train". - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
