The Mauser Train: High Adventure in the Last Days of WWII

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Only days ahead of the French Army in April 1945, Ott-Helmuth von Lossnitzer and about 250 Mauser engineers and technicians fled Oberndorf with the core of Mauser's new projects. They had the drawings, components, and gages for guns like the new StG-45 assault rifle, MK214 aircraft cannon, and Volkspistol and they were headed for an impregnable series of tunnels in the Austrian Alps to carry on the war. In a story that is absolutely worthy of film adaptation they scrounged a series of locomotives, dodged P47 Thunderbolt attacks, and went careening through the Alps with about 2 dozen boxcars of the most important prototype guns in the German arsenal.
Of course, the idea of continued resistance was a complete fantasy. When it did finally arrive in Ötztal, the Mauser refugees found all the tunnels already occupied by other groups with the very same idea. So they basically made camp and waited for American forces to arrive. The train was found by a British-American CIOS (Combined Intelligence Objective Subcommittee) party, the engineers were all questioned, and the train contents packed up for shipment to the UK and US. Ott-Helmuth von Lossnitzer himself emigrated to the US as part of Operation Paperclip, where he worked for Springfield Arsenal for many years until retiring in 1968 and then living in Wisconsin until his passing in 1989.
For anyone interested in this story, I highly recommend Lossnitzer's oral recollections compiled into book form by Leslie Field and Bas Martens - ISBN 9789081737807. It is out of print now, but you may be able to find it on the secondary market.
Much more accessible is the reprinting of the original CIOS report on Mauser published by Peter Dallhammer (whom you may recall from his Textbook of Pistol Technology and Design). This is a 360-page treasure trove of details on Mauser's ongoing R&D in 1945, and it is available on Amazon:
amzn.to/2RrnNgT
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
6281 N. Oracle 36270
Tucson, AZ 85740

[@AsbestosMuffins]

12:28 This just gives me the image of some hogan's heroesesque comedy where every cave and bunker they go into already has its own secret wonder weapon program and they joke about how hard it is to setup a secret weapons program

[@hammerlundtuber5067]

Ja

[@anuvisraa5786]

this iz ze balisticrakete bunderweapon cave go get your own cave.

[@luisnunes2010]

Those in Silesia were ocupied already. Wir haben ein ciclotron hier, go away!

[@wilhelmklink6953]

Oh i bet it's a joke to you! I'm not intent on going to the eastern front.

[@anuvisraa5786]

@@wilhelmklink6953 No problem ze eastern front is coming to you

[@joshuarebennack68]

"I guess the country is still happening" - The best motto ever.

[@bobroberts2371]

" We do our best , with the worst. "

[@Taylor-KY3G]

Put that on a T-shirt and take my money

[@Seb-Storm]

What does that means?

[@caymanhunter2612]

@@bmstylee I think he means the original posters quote

[@msngrpat]

*careening around the alps* IM GOIN OFF THE RAILS ON A MAUSER TRAAIN

[@Lerxstification]

Hitler: " I know that things are going wrong for me--you gotta listen to my words, ja ja jaaaaaa!"

[@OGAR35]

I started to sing it...

[@oliver5230]

When Ian was talking about the experimental cannon, I really wanted to hear that they managed to fire it at the Airplanes.

[@loucypher1060]

Same. "Fuck it, let's test these things!" is the best possible response when you're under attack with experimental weaponry in tow.

[@andersjjensen]

That would have gotten them obliterated. The planes figured they were shooting at a boring cargo train. If they'd shot back reinforcements would have been dispatched ASAP..... but yes, for a moment I was hoping the story would take that turn too! :D

[@thequesomanishere]

That will be in the Hollywood adaptation

[@collinmclaren6608]

**Glitch Mob Seven Nation Army intensifies**

[@bickyboo7789]

@@thequesomanishere man I'd be cool with that.

[@ostsan8598]

"Oh bugger, the train is on fire!"

[@MrMolotov888]

"Oh mist hans, ze train is on feuer!"

[@janwacawik7432]

A potential emotionally significant event.

[@51WCDodge]

We have built a whole new type of weapon! And it's more danger to the locals than the enemy ' Congreve rockets and Woolwhich come to mind:-)

[@stevenclark2188]

"Oh bugger, the train is a bomb!"

[@lukum55]

*Proceeds to clumsily stumble out of the train while cursing with a heavy irish accent*

[@JS-st5mf]

"we'll work remotely for about 8 weeks until everything is better" from personal experience. *stares at my own laptop* That doesn't always happen

[@sorryociffer]

15 days to flatten the curve…

[@psinno]

Reminds me of the Thursday we did a proof of concept work from home day. Been in the office twice since then and on both occasions there were just two of us there.

[@senorcapitandiogenes2068]

@@sorryociffer *years

[@robertkennion9020]

So true. My employer said itll be a few weeks, 14 months later I am still sat at home tapping away

[@sorryociffer]

@@robertkennion9020 Honestly, working from home, for me has been kinda cool. Everything else sucks balls.

[@user-xq5og9lt8p]

"I've got further off track there" I see what you did, Ian

[@Kumimono]

Would make a great movie. Probably starring a dashing (American) CIOS operative, and with a tacked on love story with an Alpine milkmaid.

[@Arbiter099]

Or a Wolfenstein level

[@carsonm7292]

A train hastily crammed full of Mauser's latest weapon prototypes only days ahead of the advancing French and escaping into the Alps under attack by American planes? This is frigging wild source material for some kind of pulp adventure story.

[@andersjjensen]

I'd totally watch that as a movie. Tom Hanks as the chef engineer!

[@PoorMan972]

In the spirit of Von Ryan's Express.

[@kleinjahr]

Throw in Cap and Bucky and maybe, Fury's Howling Commandos. It would be Marvelous!!

[@magustrigger9195]

It would never happen, its pro german.

[@egomania2792]

@@magustrigger9195 more or less, i would say. In the beginning, yes, but like Ian said, Lassnitzer was very cooperative with the americans. Wouldn't that be a perfect character arc for all the "America good, everyone else bad" viewers out there?🤔

[@ryridesmotox]

I picture some dude like Arnold Schwarzenegger yelling "HURRRRAAAAY TO THE TRAAAAAAAAIN" to a bunch of engineers trying to ferry their entire factory down a bunch of dirt roads

[@Unus_Annus_]

I misread this and imagined Arnold Schwarzenegger yelling “Hurray” in celebration

[@jarink1]

GEEEHHHH ZUM DER ZUUUUUUUGGGGGG!

[@Unus_Annus_]

@@BadsaidMad damn you sound like you sympathize with Nazis

[@Phidelity1984]

GET TO DA TRAIN !!!!

[@wheedle]

@@Phidelity1984 The power is OOUUT!

[@semibreve]

This honestly seems like it should be made into a movie. What an amazing tale

[@bobroberts2371]

Yep, and made with the feel of " The Guns of Navarone " or similar era not peppered with augmented reality CGI. Maybe a subject for " Captain America " as the story needs to fit the time it originally occurred. The style of " The Hunt for Red October. " would be about the limit.

[@patrickgoode4230]

Nazi-affiliated protagonists are a tough sell with a few hurdles to clear.

[@DiggingForFacts]

@@patrickgoode4230 Worked for Schindler's List. You could probably do a parallel lines story between some CIOS operatives and the Mauser crew, so that Hollywood gets its American heroes on billing.

[@mikepette4422]

wrong nation to start with

[@semibreve]

@@zoiders hahahahaha true, i concede that

[@draddams]

I love this "story time" format (even without a gun to disassemble). More, please.

[@hyruleright4776]

"They didn't have any dummy 50mm ammunition, only live rounds." -I can't be the only person hoping they would mount the cannons on the moving train and use them to fend off the attacking fighters, right?

[@Archangelm127]

Nope.

[@terry7907]

I thought that was what was going to happen.

[@justindunlap1235]

In the movie it will happen, artistic license and whatnot.

[@TheShadowOfZama]

@@justindunlap1235 I would not complain one bit if they decided to use artistic license for that. Such awesomeness can erase historical inaccuracy any day. Haha.

[@gushasford]

An A-Team montage where they are busy welding and cutting metal, gathering up parts, then boom! The side door of the boxcar swings open and there is a 50mm cannon firing away.

[@mfree80286]

Little alpine kid runs into the cottage... "PAPA! PAPA!" "What is it my son?" "I was tending the flock and I saw a man in a smoking car stealing our fenceposts, he threw five of them the back and drove off!" "Ahh, not again..."

[@LehewTech]

Lmao!

[@josephmontanaro2350]

"he had a giant crate of guns in the back and what looked like an autocannon!"

[@BlahGuyson]

Albert Speer: "Come on, let's go to the Alps, in and out, quick 20 minute adventure!"

[@hagashi1]

FW videos where it isn't actually a Forgotten Weapon and is just everyone's coolest uncle Ian telling dope stories are the best.

[@jmackmcneill]

Cinematic, but one of those 1970s films where the briefcase splits open at the end as the heros and villans alike stare at the loot fluttering away in the wind and it was all for nothing.

[@Arbiter099]

Dying man: this is invaluable and the characters spend the whole plot thinking it's designs for superweapon wunderwaffe, turns out to be letters from family

[@Redmenace96]

pure gold. Did that actually happened to Sterling Hayden? The best war and crime stories are when the men are left with nothing, at the end. We all die, fighting for an illusion.

[@lewisleonard7200]

Some years ago I was told the story of a train found at the end of the war that was a mobile factory for making Walther P38s. The sides of the box cars would lift up like an awning revealing parts bins. The work stations were numbered and featured assembly cartoons showing what to do with those parts. One did not have to be literate to assemble a P38. You would walk down the side of the train starting at # 1. going to the other side and following the numbers until the end, at which time, you would have a completed pistol. The fellow who told me about this had a P38 his father built at this train. I got play with the pistol, very nice, It looked new and I guess it was.

[@IceWolfLoki]

The amazing thing is all the effort that would have gone into producing something that was going to be such little help to the war effort.

[@messmeister92]

I remember a line from the old series “Air Power” (narrated by Walter Cronkite) where a fighter pilot voiceover said something like “By the time we were done, not a truck or train was moving in Germany.” I guess they missed one.

[@fishyc150]

I was part of the ground forces in 1991 desert storm. Air power started with big lorries and MBTs. Then smaller trucks and AFVs. Then cars, carts and anything else they could find. I found man pushable wheel barrows that had been attacked from the air. Anything with wheels and could carry anything was destroyed. That's how efficient "modern" air power is.

[@9deviltiger9]

Nono, he was right, the train was in fact not moving in germany anymore... It was moving in Austria

[@mostevil1082]

That's 50 years later with laser guided bombs and massive total air superiority. Back then it was over-claiming and 10% bombs within a mile counting as a "direct hit".

[@stefanmolnapor910]

@@fishyc150 Thank you for your service

[@travishutchings7068]

Was this what you were thinking of? kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4jOpZylhrCHsLc

[@Arientis]

I can’t help but think of Major Payne and the Little Engine that could choo choo😂😂

[@HCFyD]

I knew I wasn't the only one!

[@AsbestosMuffins]

imagine being a guy who was a little slow with the bicycle and didn't make the train, and also would apparently missed the end of the war

[@bobroberts2371]

Sounds like the movie / maybe real life person that was in the jungle for a long time that didn't know that the war ended.

[@MrKronikDeception]

*train leaving the station* *Hans pedeling faster after it* "Scheiße! Scheiße! Scheiße! Nein! Nein! Nein!"

[@dave_h_8742]

Sounds like he'd have been faster getting there than the train 🚵‍♂️🚴‍♂️🛬🚂 🛫😂

[@marks1638]

Weirder things have happened. My late uncle drove for the "Red Ball Express" during the War. They weren't supposed to stop for anything, but after the war was over they would run into groups on the return run with empty trucks back to base. Sometimes the lead NCO in the convoy would allow rides for refugees (it wasn't legal by Army Regs). During one return run they picked up a bunch of well dressed Germans (looked like an outing for the Professor's Union). One older gentleman sat up in the cab with my uncle (Our family was from German originally and spoke passable German). He talked about working with a group of scientists on a project in Austria and they were trying to get back home before the Russians took over. My Uncle mentioned this to his Sergeant (who notified the MPs who were waiting for the group back at base). The group actually seemed relieved that Americans were picking them up (even hugged the MP's, which shocked them). Found out later this group was working an early version of a cruise missile (not the V1) and they had been testing rocket engines somewhere in Austria. If they had been caught it would have been a lifetime working for the Russians. Instead, years later my Uncle saw the guy's picture in Time Magazine as one of the designers of an American Cruise Missile made back in the 50's.

[@isaiahcampbell488]

@@marks1638 Now that is actually pretty dang awesome!

[@UHCredhead]

“ bollocks I can hear french in the distance” someone in Mauser circa April 1945

[@josephmontanaro2350]

*meanwhile several years earlier on the eastern front* : "shit Boris! they are getting closer!" "yes I know reciver is only half milled, grab your half mosin and go shoot the bastards outside trying to break in!"

[@robertrobert7924]

Absolutely fascinating. I graduated from HS(1964)with a kid named Speer. We used to tease his Dad about being Albert Speer. Mr. Speer was in the Maryland National Guard Horse Cavalry before WW2. He worked at Martin during the war producing American airplanes for the War. RIP

[@PaulVerhoeven2]

"Surely, we will win the war in 6 weeks" ... 2 weeks to flatten the curve?

[@misterchow]

8:59 "...they set the boxcar full of live 55mm rocket ammunition on fire and it burns for several hours, destroys a bunch of stuff." "That's gotta be an exciting time."

[@eizol568]

“All aboard the Ian train..Choo Choo!!!”

[@oneofthoseguys2019]

Train of consequences

[@jonbush2370]

Sycophant

[@ChuckNorrisIsNothing]

Now he needs a conductor‘s hat.

[@DeviantOllam]

Absolutely marvelous story telling. One of the best videos and it wasn't even featuring a single gun on camera. Thank you for sharing this! 👍

[@rangefinder3538]

The best bedtime story ever. Thanks, Ian.

[@jamesallred460]

I wonder how many of those boxes are still lying on the ground somewhere at the bottom of some cliff in the middle of nowhere in the Alps.

[@multisam8717]

A lot of the missing weapons parts from the shipment back to Britain ended up in Elbonia, but they didn't do any useful with them.

[@peterwright4647]

Leutonia also received a few but they went unused. ;)

[@josephmontanaro2350]

no they used all of them, on one weapon, it's their answer to the atomic bomb, it's just a giant rube goldberg machine connected to a giant cannon made from all sorts of weird gun parts

[@Fedakeen]

12:48 "They heard that Mecha-Hitler went down fighting the good fight."

[@gnarshread]

Sounds like something that would be used for a 2nd Kelly's Heroes movie.

[@chartreux1532]

Thanks Ian! I work as Historian with a PHD focusing on Contemporary German History, mostly on all kinds of Niché Topics of both World Wars and i never heard of this! Shows you that there is always something new to learn. I will definitely check the Archives on this as well as that Book Prost & Cheers from Berchtesgaden

[@holykuhmeinefresse]

Hearing this almost reverse Indiana Jones-esque escape tale told by a great story-teller while sitting in front of the fireplace of the digital age, aka my laptop, made me forget the world around me for 20 minutes. Thanks, Ian.

[@PipMan1101]

For a second there, I honestly thought Ian was going to tell us how the burning rocket fuel propelled the train up a mountain or something.

[@VeraTR909]

I hoped they would improvise an anti-aircraft gun from their developmental cannons xD

[@carsonm7292]

@@VeraTR909 That's where I thought this was going as well.

[@phil1606]

I guess JATO rockets weren't just developed at JPL! "I had the weirdest dream last night, a train engine under aerial bombardment all the sudden seemed to have the soul of a V2 rocket and just pushed itself up the mountain toward safety..."

[@Sillybutts]

Been waiting for a dedicated video on the Mauser train for YEARS!

[@benjamindavidovichwaals2899]

yeah, His holiness promised to us about the holy pilgrimage of the mauser train

[@thekoolaidkid337]

Ian is giving Dr. Mark Felton a run for his money lol

[@Lerxstification]

He will copy this soon.

[@ostsan8598]

Mauser Train, best train since the Polar Express

[@vpweber]

Always love it when you get a little bit off track, Ian. You are a great historian because you are an even better story teller. Your passion for what you do is exemplary.

[@peterkroger7112]

German engineer: "I know some experienced German jet pilots who would be happy to fly these new planes over to you." American General: "Naaah,...I don't trust you guys. Besides: It can't be that difficult to fly these new contraptions...."

[@kw9849]

"How hard could it be?" _Engine flames out_

[@Hebdomad7]

German engineer: "Look, ve know a couple of pilots who actually flew these things! Day vill be very reliable, you can trust us, ze war ist over". American: "So where are these boys you speak of son?" German Engineer: (points to a bearded drunk in a feild running around with arms out pretending to fly) " Over there! Hans! Comon ze here, shnell!" Hans: (Stumbles out of field, breath smelling of alchohol he snaps to attention and gives nazi salute to the American officer). Hans: "Ich bin hans mein Fura...(slowly thinks for a moment) ... Stalin.. goot yah?"... American Officer: yeah I think I'll let our boys take this one...

[@isaiahcampbell488]

@@Hebdomad7 That was almost poetic. Lol

[@dirtyblueshirt]

Fly, yes. Land, no.

[@anthonyjackson280]

The engines on 262's were notoriously underdeveloped and had extremely poor throttle response both powering up and down, hence they required extremely long take off and climb out runs and for final approach/landing as the throttles were gently nudged up or down by the pilot. During take off/landing approach they often had to be provided with conventional fighter escorts. Flame outs happened very easily resulting in engine fires. They were also extremely unreliable, after ~15 hrs it became a guessing game if the compressors and turbine blades would stay attached. A lot of it was metallurgical; nobody had developed metals at that time suitable for axial flow engines. One of the reasons that Britain concentrated on the centrifugal compressor type for the first few years of turbojet use.

[@mattfleming86]

Fantastic video! I suggest a couple of times a month doing "Story Time." They are ALWAYS great videos.

[@Archangelm127]

Seconded.

[@tobypoynder]

Thirded

[@markfergerson2145]

@@tobypoynder Thirtieth-ed.

[@speedandstyletony]

"Work from the Alps" - sounds good to me! This story would make a great movie!

[@dylanmilne6683]

The whole thing and especially the 262 part reminds me of when the Brits took charge of a Fa 223, a remarkable twin engined helicopter which was really quite advanced for the time. There was an incredible story of an Fa 223 being sent hundreds of miles around Eastern Germany following a "special order from the Führer". An Fa 223 was sent from Berlin to Danzig, a flight taking several days where they flew over the advancing red army before landing at the besieged city and promptly being sent back to Berlin! They clocked up over 1000 miles of travel. A truly impressive feat for such an early untested helicopter. Anyway, post war, the pilot from that incredibly long flight flew an Fa 223 over the channel for the Brits to have, being the first helicopter to fly across the channel . He was insistent on the machine receiving tightening on the engine housings. The maintenance tool was left in Germany and no effort was made to manufacture a tool or heed the Pilot's warnings. On it's 3rd test flight in Britain flight the helicopter buckled and crashed being unrepairable due to lack of spares. The crew was fine but the heli was most likely scrapped and none survive today.

[@BerndFelsche]

Where'd you get that, Hans? It fell off the side of a train!

[@PrebleStreetRecords]

Who knows, there might be an Stg45 parts kit buried on a siding somewhere in the Alps. Maybe I should take a metal detecting trip...

[@lairdcummings9092]

Like a Mauser version of The Great Escape or Von Ryan's Express.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Or Soul Train with less dancing... 🙄🚂🚃🚃

[@lairdcummings9092]

@@WALTERBROADDUS and more explosions. "Soul Train," as envisioned by Michael Bay.

[@jon-paulfilkins7820]

Wood gas systems on cars, not saying it is complex, but even experienced Steampunks give a mechanics 'sharp intake of breath' when contemplating building one!

[@sergeyplykin4413]

Great story Ian, please do more of those. You are a natural storyteller, as I had an opportunity to witness personally. Greetings from Amsterdam!

[@clarenceschaffner2342]

Germany: can move people from all over Europe to concentration camps by train. Also Germany: doesn't actually have a rail line connecting the Mauser plant to the rest of the country.

[@gunguide9201]

Depends on your Priority ...

[@TheMandalp]

well German Train Company are infamous for being unrealiable in germany ist nothing new

[@silubr1]

A lot of the deportees were actually forced to march on foot, especially in the infamous death marches at the end of the war: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_marches_(Holocaust)

[@clarenceschaffner2342]

@@silubr1 my point was that they put tremendous effort into the Holocaust and never bothered to connect their war infrastructure to the rail lines. It shows what their real priority was.

[@Theanimeisforme]

@@clarenceschaffner2342 or perhaps the camps can easily placed next to a rail system without the need to make new tracks. Assuming anything reported by Soviets can be considered reliable and true.

[@vertigo4236]

Was it a bullet Train? **runs away**

[@cofa4011]

"These P47 strafe up the train car and they set the boxcar full of live 55mm rocket ammunition on fire; and it burns for several hours; destroys a bunch of stuff... That's got to be an exciting time. They're under fire AND the train is exploding around them. Eventually the P47s ran out of ammunition and fly back to base. They made a total of i believe 3 sorties on that day." My god... Funny and disturbing. Loved it ;) It must be an awesome book. Another great video Ian, thanks !

[@undertakernumberone1]

"Specifically they were working on 50 and 55mm aircraft cannon". *Angry MG213 noises* 20 to 30mm Revolver auto-cannon! :P

[@DJliberal]

I like "Story Time with Ian" as much as the more technical videos.

[@elslick]

This would make for an absoultly kick ass movie. It would be one of those edge of your seat films for sure.

[@jimf1007]

I may try to make this film myself. Give me 2 years to write it and I'll be back.

[@clarenceschaffner2342]

Let's think about that🤔. Making a movie with Nazis as the heroes might not be a well thought out idea.

[@egomania2792]

@@clarenceschaffner2342 they aren't necessarily the heroes. It could be set up as a cat and mouse movie, with Lassnitzer and a CIOS operative as protagonists. If you characterize Lassnitzer as less of a Nazi and more of a caring worker who cares for his staff and factory and just wants them to survive, it wouldn't paint Nazis as heroes. Besides, Ian said that Lassnitzer was very cooperative after the war, could be a great character arc.

[@sbb_quickshooter4461]

Been teasing this for awhile now. Glad we're finally getting the full story!

[@AdlerGordon]

Well told, Ian. Of course, when picturing the train hurtling through the Alps, one needs to keep in mind that the route indicated at 10:25 actually follows a very long valley (in a relatively straight line), some of it alongside the river Inn, and gains a mere 400m (or so) in altitude - which is not quite the same as crossing mountain passes.

[@babis104]

I've read a typewriter copy of this book, it's really amazing how chaotic was the situation in the final days of war in Germany.

[@discipleofjmb]

A guy with a really extensive collection near me apparently has an STG-45 that's half crushed and unfinished. One of the employees at the shop I used to work at showed me pics and relayed a story of it being on a bombed out train... So this video has been very interesting!!!

[@xythobuz]

Kind of strange hearing you mention Friedrichshafen, my hometown and where I live right now :)

[@wacojones8062]

My dad as a machinist apprentice at Illinois Institute of Technology Worked on parts for the reverse engineering of the Mauser revolver cannon in 20mm which became the US M39 20mm aircraft cannon I believe the sample they had came off this train. They also worked on a boosted rocket cannon in 57mm for the competition for the arming of the F89 Scorpion the Mighty Mouse Folding Fin aircraft rocket won that contract. The boosted rockets were too accurate 1 mil dispersion at 1,000 meters. This might have been from the Mauser 5.5cm project.

[@crazyfvck]

What a mess! You've mentioned the Mauser train several times over the years, and it was awesome that you finally told the entire story :) And I went ahead and bought a copy of that CIOS report :) Thanks for providing the link!

[@0b3rz0nK]

WOW. I was born in Weingarten (neighbouring/growing together with Ravensburg, just north). Now living closer to Oberndorf. I have not ever heard thsi story until you told it. Btw the tracks between Ravensburg and Friedrichshafen (and also to the north) are still not electrified, they actually switch locomotives to Diesel in Ulm.

[@thequesomanishere]

If this story sounds like a movie you'd like to see, check out "The Train" from 1964. A German train full of art stolen from French museums is on its way to Berlin and the French Resistance tries to stop it without destroying the art. So many steam trains were crashed and blown up to make that movie.

[@drdoom-skull2244]

Also check La Bataille du Rail (battle of the rail), which depicts the true story of French railwaymen who worked for the Resistance and the allies, and paid the price of blood. There is one very understated scene but chilling, where a driver sabotaged his train knowing he would be arrested and shot. And I think they also included another vignette where a train crew know their train is going to be derailed but they stay on board so they wouldn't give away anything to the Nazis.

[@Ni999]

Both are *excellent* movies, do watch!

[@brienmauer8134]

Burt Lancaster!

[@stalkinghorse883]

The Mauser people should have painted the roofs of the first three cars white.

[@tech4pros1]

A load of old SNCF locomotives and rolling stock got smashed up making that movie.. In fact several film crew were nearly killed when a derailed locomotive went a lot further than predicted!

[@llamallama1509]

Fascinating story, it almost seems movie worthy even if high calibre aircraft cannons didn't go anywhere. Interesting stuff, thanks for the video!

[@TheVillainInGlasses]

AC-130 would like a word with you lol

[@GunsNGames1]

@@TheVillainInGlasses A-10 Thunderbolt would also like to join in

[@macstone9719]

You are a good story teller, as always. Not easy to create a picture of what was going on without any video backup.

[@MrKronikDeception]

As the boxes are being shipped back, French Resistance, American, and British forces loot the crates in turn. In the movie adaptation, lead by Ian, Karl, and Mike, respectively.

[@vimtheprotogen2855]

I would pay SOLELY to watch that scene

[@terry7907]

Or Jonathan.

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

Theft is a vital military skill and is practiced at every available opportunity. 😁

[@janwacawik7432]

With Othais documenting it all for reference for future content.

[@MrKronikDeception]

@@Kevin-mx1vi if it isn't guarded, it isn't stealing. If it is guarded, it isn't stealing if you're not caught.

[@williamlloyd3769]

Appreciate your telling of the Mauser train story.

[@christosmavrommatis912]

Ian the storyteller.... Can't get much better than that, excellent, story, good plot with a lot of twists, happy ending!!!! This is tale for the big screen for sure.

[@JohnnyLouisXIX]

"The P47s started strafing the train". Thomas had never seen such bullshit before.

[@josephmontanaro2350]

*meanwhile the fat mauser factory owner hipfires an experimental 50mm rocket propelled autocannon at them from the roof of a boxcar*

[@dirkbazuin8903]

Cool story. As a boy I sometimes had the privilege to visit Henk Visser’s collection in his cellar at his home. Quite impressive even though I was too young to appreciate it at the time.

[@billybob804]

I could listen to stories like this all day, especially from Ian.

[@chriszenier826]

Imagine the finds you'll be able to dig up along this train route!

[@Archangelm127]

Actually yeah. I wonder if anyone ever went looking.

[@AdlerGordon]

@@Archangelm127 Considering there's now an Autobahn along this route - yes, they've done plenty of digging!

[@lessharratt8719]

OMG. What a fantastic story. Cinematic indeed. Thanks Ian.

[@joaoie]

"I've gotten a little bit further off track there" Perfect way to end a video on a train and I bet that wasn't even intentional.

[@jrooney58]

Stephen Ambrose interviewed a number of German veterans for his books on the War in Europe. He comments that universally the thing ground soldiers most feared were “the Jabos,” so it’s easy to imagine how frightening the experience on the train must have been.

[@Burnt_Nipple]

For a second, I thought I was clicking a Mark Felton vid. Noice

[@Arbiter099]

Certainly the kind of story he likes to tell

[@Alexwww21]

Thanks for bringing this to us Ian, really interesting info and an overall great story. Much appreciated!

[@danisaladiesman]

This was amazing thanks for the video Ian

[@melchung1566]

Fortunes of War. Fascinating how it ended up. So many twists n turns. Thanks for video!

[@agustinperretta1043]

It's always nice to get some storytime with Ian. That was such like a film adventure that it's almost like unbelievable hahah, thank you for this

[@daroth7127]

what a story! thanks for making this, you're a really good storyteller.

[@lionblaze30]

I absolutely loved hearing this story and would love to hear more stories sometime.

[@highlandoutsider8148]

I was very much looking forward to this video, was awesome thank you!

[@hungryhank6044]

That was a fantastic story! Wonderful video Ian. Love those behind the scenes stories of WW2. Keep up the great work.

[@HalfWarrior]

Fantastic little piece of WW2 history, very interesting and well done,Ian! Thank you for your efforts to make this video!

[@5_qm610]

I’m not able to watch it immediately but I can tell this is going to be a great video.

[@Dozeyish]

You will not be disappointed.

[@KMac329]

This is one of your best videos. Really fascinating.

[@REXOB9]

Fantastic story, nicely told. Thanks

[@lahma69]

Such an interesting story!! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!

[@samanthaholmes8294]

Keep these kinds of videos coming. There quite interesting. I also really like how you present them.

[@motobenbh4722]

Thank you Ian. After a week scraping and painting barge hulls, that was just what I needed.

[@dragonhealer7588]

Best 20 minutes I've spent this week! Thanks Ian!

[@quintonb9870]

I love when you do videos like this; You're a good story teller and the topic is fascinating. More please!

[@saintleibowitz8401]

incredible video and story ian! i love hearing you describe the guts of firearms but i am a history buff at heart

[@jimk140]

This video was brilliant, well done lad.

[@keithrushforth4019]

Ian is a fantastic story teller. I could listen to stuff like this for hours.

[@happysalesguy]

Thank you, I enjoyed the story immensely!

[@BuntMeister66]

Great storytelling thank you for the history lesson.

[@DiggingForFacts]

History Channel: "lOsT nAzI gOlD tRaIn!!?!?11!" Forgotten Weapons: "MAUSER TRAIN"

[@luloadventure]

WOw! very great Story! Thank you so much Ian for sharing this story with us. Regards from Switzerland.

[@evilunclestu5862]

Fascinating story.Thanks for sharing.