English Translation

The transcript of the. Reichsminister und Chef Berlin W 8, 18 January 1943 of the Reichskanzlei Vosstrasse 6 Rk 391 B To the Reichs Minister the state governments the lords Reichsstatthalter Betr: Use of railway special trains and special touring cars for trips of leading personalities Already in June of last year I pointed out on behalf of the Führer that the exceptionally tense operating situation of the German Reichsbähn imposes drastic restrictions, and that therefore until further railway special journeys must be omitted both with special trains as well as with special touring vehicles. The exemptions provided for in individual cases have so far only been granted in the most urgent cases. Meanwhile, the war has entered an even more decisive stage. It calls for the deployment of all forces and their complete commitment to the achievement of victory. The Reichsbahn needs every man, every locomotive and all its other material for the fulfilment of its enormous tasks. The use of railway special trains and special touring coaches, which often serves only for increased convenience, must therefore be restricted even more and to the extreme. It should not only be borne in mind that the wagons have to be promoted by the scheduled trains, not infrequently even by using a second locomotive, but that their use is always connected with shunting and feeder journeys. As a result, forces, which are urgently needed elsewhere, are lost. In addition, the special touring car can almost always be attached to the train only if it is reduced by one car. The number of seats in the train is thus considerably limited. I would therefore ask that in the future approval applications for special trains and special touring cars be made only if the applicant, after careful examination, is convinced that the granting of approval is also responsible for the present war conditions when the most stringent staff is laid down, so that the leader is not placed in the awkward position to object. Dr. Lammers ./. 4/6--