{"product_id":"original-rare-german-wwii-silver-serving-tray-from-der-fuhrer-deutsches-reichsbahn-dining-car","title":"Original Rare German WWII Silver Serving Tray from Der Führer Deutsches Reichsbahn Dining Car","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: Only One Available. This is a very rare example of a German WWII Silver serving tray, as used on the personal \u003cem\u003eDeutsches Reichsbahn\u003c\/em\u003e (German National Railway) dining car used by\u003cem\u003e Der Führer und Reichskanzler\u003c\/em\u003e of NSDAP Germany, Adolf H. While one might expect that the leader of Germany would travel by plane, at that time in Europe the king of luxury transportation was still the train, and the personal dining car of Der Führer would have had all the finest appointments money could buy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tray itself measures 11 7\/8\"W by 8 3\/8\"H, with a central oval recessed bowl about 9 inches wide. It is marked at the top with a raised Deutsches Reichsbahn insignia, a raised Reichsadler eagle insignia, flanked by the initials \u003cstrong\u003eD R\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe underside of the tray has a taped on label reading \u003cstrong\u003eHI**ERS TRAIN, DINING CAR 10 244\u003c\/strong\u003e, and there is also the correct hallmark depicting the letter \u003cstrong\u003eB\u003c\/strong\u003e beside a \u003cstrong\u003elocomotive\u003c\/strong\u003e, with \u003cstrong\u003eALPAKA\u003c\/strong\u003e to the right. Under these markings is the number \u003cstrong\u003e244\u003c\/strong\u003e, indicating that it was carried in the inventory of the \u003cem\u003eSonderzug\u003c\/em\u003e (Special train) of Der Führer Adolf H, and was used in car 10244, his personal dining car.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tray shows small scratches and swirls from polishing, but no major damage. There is some lovely tarnish on it, giving a great aged look. A very interesting piece of Third Reich memorabilia!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDeutsche Reichsbahn (1937 to 1945)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eWith the Act for the New Regulation of the Conditions of the Reichsbank and the Deutsche Reichsbahn (\u003cem\u003eGesetz zur Neuregelung der Verhältnisse der Reichsbank und der Deutschen Reichsbahn\u003c\/em\u003e) of 10 February 1937 the Deutsche Reichsbahn Gesellschaft was placed under Reich sovereignty and was given the name Deutsche Reichsbahn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWorld War II and military use\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Reichsbahn had an important logistic role in supporting the rapid movement of the troops of the Wehrmacht, for example:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn all the occupied lands the Reichsbahn endeavored to incorporate the captured railways (rolling stock and infrastructure) into their system. Even towards the end of the war the Reichsbahn continued to move military formations. For example, in the last great offensive, the Battle of the Bulge (from 16 December 1944), tank formations were transported from Hungary to the Ardennes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe railways managed by the \"Eastern Railway Division\" (\u003cem\u003eGeneraldirektion der Ostbahn\u003c\/em\u003e) were initially run from that part of the Polish State Railways within the so-called General Government gelegene Teil der Polnischen Staatsbahnen (PKP), but from November 1939 by the Ostbahn (\u003cem\u003eGeneralgouvernement\u003c\/em\u003e).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the campaigns against Poland, Denmark, France, Yugoslavia, Greece etc. the newly acquired standard gauge networks could be used without difficulty. By contrast, after the start of the invasion of Russia on 22 June 1941, the problem arose of transferring troops and materiel to Soviet broad gauge lines or converting them to German standard gauge. Confounding German plans, the Red Army and Soviet railways managed to withdraw or destroy the majority of its rolling stock during its retreat. As a result, German standard gauge rolling stock had to be used for an additional logistic role within Russia; this required the laying of standard gauge track. The price was high: Reichsbahn railway staff and the railway troops of the Wehrmacht had to convert a total of 16,148 kilometres of Soviet trackage to German standard gauge track between 22 June and 8 October 1941.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the war, locomotives in the war zones were sometimes given camouflage livery. In addition, locomotives were painted with the Hoheitsadler symbol (the eagle, Germany's traditional symbol of national sovereignty) holding a swas. On goods wagons the name \"Deutsche Reichsbahn\" was replaced by the letters \"DR\". Postal coaches continued to bear the name \"Deutsche Reichspost\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe logistics of the Reichsbahn were crucial to the conduct of Germany's military offensives. The preparations for the invasion of Russia saw the greatest troop deployment by rail in history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eExpansion\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCharacteristic of the first six and a half years of this period was the exponential growth of the Deutsche Reichsbahn, which was almost exclusively due to the takeover of other national railways. This affected both parts of foreign state railways (in Austria the entire state railway) in the countries annexed by the Deutsche Reich, as well as private railways in Germany and in other countries:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe logistics of the Reichsbahn were also an important factor during the Shoah. Jews were transported like cattle to the contingent and extermination camps by the Deutsche Reichsbahn in trains of covered goods wagons, so-called Shoah trains. These movements using cattle wagons, for example, from the goods station of the great Frankfurt Market Hall thus played a significant role in the genocide within the extermination machinery of the Shoah.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBreakup of the Reichsbahn\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith the end of the Second World War in 1945 those parts of the Deutsche Reichsbahn that were outside the new German borders laid down in the Potsdam Agreement were transferred to the ownership and administration of the states in whose territory they were situated. For example, on 27 April 1945, the Austrian railways became independent again as the Austrian State Railway (\u003cem\u003eÖsterreichische Staatseisenbahn or ÖStB\u003c\/em\u003e), later renamed as the Austrian Federal Railways (\u003cem\u003eÖsterreichische Bundesbahnen or ÖBB\u003c\/em\u003e) on 5 August 1947.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40583614169157,"sku":"ONSV23IDM1","price":3995.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/ONSV23IDM1__01.jpg?v=1685642422","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-rare-german-wwii-silver-serving-tray-from-der-fuhrer-deutsches-reichsbahn-dining-car","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}