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It was posted in another thread. I know that the Nazi's were running trainloads of art, gold, and other valuables out of occupied territories and into Germany and stronghold areas (like Poland) like crazy. Then as the Allies advanced, they were moving valuables as fast as they could to keep them out of the hands of the Russians from the east, and the US/Britain/French Resistance from the west. Rumors abound of secret stashes of gold and other valuables at the bottoms of lakes and in train tunnels where the entrances were dynamited. On its face, the story is somewhat plausible, but the proof is in the photo-documentation and authentication of whatever, if anything, they actually find when they excavate the site.

I can't count the number of found 'armored train' stories I've heard over the years. There was even one of a Russian armored train found in Bosnia by some IFOR troops. The version I heard was a joint USMC/British Ordnance Corps group extracted the entire train (with a steam locomotive) and moved it... somewhere. Problem was, you could never find any hard data on it from anyone. Classic urban legend. No evidence, vague description of what and where it is, and all 'info' coming by second, third, fourth or fifth hand...

The media is buying into this, but it sure seems like they snuck some sarcasm into the story: http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/20/...n-mystery/index.html The thing is, there wouldn't be tons of gold and explosives on the train. There simply wouldn't be a need to transport both. Blowing up the gold would just scatter it (and not all that far), so that wouldn't make any sense. No sane military would transport a treasure alongside any considerable amount of explosives (other than some grenades or man-portable anti-tank weapons in case of ambush), in a place where the Allies would have had full air superiority long before the train vanished.

The "Lost Dutchman Mine" in eastern Europe, and you don't have to worry about those signs warning you to look out for scorpions on the trails east of Phoenix.  How many lost mine stories are there in the old west?   I can visualize a train crew and its guards being mostly killed off in further progress of the war, and the few survivors either keeping the secret with the hope of getting back or getting caught up by the War Crimes trials.  However, the Resistance was spying on everything, but they might not have wanted to mention such a train to the Russians coming from the east, or had that same hope that they'd get back "there" and become rich.  Which they might not have dared do under the Russian-installed Communist government. That, of course, is "possibility".   Did it happen.....not yet proven or disproven.  Oh, a couple in Calif. were out walking their dog up a hillside on some property they owned, and discovered a buried bag exposed.  They dug out more and found a quantity of gold coins, some newly minted when buried.  I have forgotten details, but think it was hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of collectible coins.

 

An article in this morning's Chicago Tribune states: "Last week two explorers -  Andreas Richter, a German, and Piotr Koper, a Pole - moved in with heavy equipment and dug deep near rail tracks in Walbrzych, after comments by residents who said they had knowledge of the trains existence." 

"Explorers' great hopes for finding a legendary Nazi 'gold train' in Poland appeared dashed Wednesday when, after digging extensively, the found 'No train, no tunnel' at the site."

 

Sounds like Al Capone's famous safe "live on TV" stunt by Haroldo Rivera, some years ago.   

Everyone seems to be looking for "Nazi gold", of course , but people are also looking for the contents of the Amber Room, which was a room in the Catherine Palace near Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), totally covered with decorative amber. This amber was removed by the Nazis, packed in a number of crates, and sent west as the German army withdrew before the Russian counteroffensive. It was sent as far as Koeningsberg, Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russian Federation), and kept in an old fortress, which was later destroyed by the Russians. Rumor has it that it was sent further west on another train before the destruction of the fortress, and that parts of this train were secreted in a Polish tunnel, the entrance of  which was then blown up to cover its existence

I think that the existence of this train, or at least several boxcars of it, is more plausible than a train full of "Nazi gold", most of which is probably at the bottom of any number of eastern European lakes, if it exists at all. All of this is more plausible than the "Lost Dutchman Mine", or any number of other lost gold fantasies. 

 

Remember, we're dealing with the people who invented the First ICBM's( V-1, V-2 ). The First Operationally, fielded jet fighter, ( Me 262 ). The First Stealth Fighter, ( Horton 229 ). AND designed the First Intercontinental Bomber ( Horton 18 ), both Flying Wing configurations. If anyone could make a train disappear it would be the Germans.

Just because it is not where we think it should be, doesn't mean it isn't there. Personally I think it is a Munitions Train.  

Clarence Siman posted:

Remember, we're dealing with the people who invented the First ICBM's( V-1, V-2 ). The First Operationally, fielded jet fighter, ( Me 262 ). The First Stealth Fighter, ( Horton 229 ). AND designed the First Intercontinental Bomber ( Horton 18 ), both Flying Wing configurations. If anyone could make a train disappear it would be the Germans.

Just because it is not where we think it should be, doesn't mean it isn't there. Personally I think it is a Munitions Train.  

I could consider the V-1 a cruise missile.  

Hi,

Well, the Germans were certainly out in front regarding missiles, but according to Wikipedia the V2 only had a range of about 200 miles. That's not an ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile). The Jupiter missile which we had in Turkey in the early 60's was considered to be an IRBM (Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile).

When I was stationed at Redstone Arsenal in the early 60's, we had many V2's. I saw some cut in half and the lower half being used to burn trash.

Dick

Hi,

I never met von Braun. He worked at the George C. Marshal Spaceflight Center (NASA), which is next door to Redstone Arsenal.

The Jupiter IRBM that I mentioned earlier had a reported range of about 1500 miles.

You might find it interesting to read about Robert H. Goddard, America's rocket pioneer.

Take care,

Dick

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