Rzepin train disaster

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The Rzepin train disaster was a railway disaster reported to have occurred near Rzepin, Poland, on 9 July 1952. [1] [2] [3] About 160 Soviet soldiers died in the accident. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

The incident was not confirmed by official Polish or Soviet sources, but was reported by Western press agencies. The day after the crash the West German Deutsche Presse-Agentur cited "unanimous reports" from "independent eye-witnesses". [4] The following week the Associated Press in Berlin cited "well-authenticated reports reaching Allied officials" there, [5] [1] and the United Press Associations named the West Berlin Railway Workers Union as a source, [6] along with "allied authorities". [7]

The incident happened on the east side of the Oder river, between Boczow and Rzepin. [4] [1]

Events

The train was a "Blue Express" travelling through Poland on the Frankfurt Oder to Brest-Litovsk leg of the Berlin to Moscow route. [6] It was carrying Red Army troops on leave to Russia. [6] [4] [1] It left the tracks and crashed into a lake. [4] [1]

Cause

According to Allied sources as reported by the Associated Press, the accident was caused by a General loading his automobile on a flatcar in the middle of the train, against the advice of railway staff. [1] The train consequently derailed on a curved section of track, and fell into a lake. [1]

Robert A.D. Ford, a diplomat at the Canadian embassy in Moscow, travelled the line the following week and saw a heavy military and police presence at stations en route. He attributed this to the disaster being blamed on Polish guerrillas. [8] This cause was also cited by the United Press agency, which stated "Allied officials" had received reports that anti-communist Polish Partisans had sabotaged the tracks. [7]

The Blue Express train, which was used by Soviet officials, had previously featured in accusations by the Soviets of attempted anti-communist sabotage. [6] [9] From 20 July 1952, the CIA noted that the Blue Express was rerouted through Czechoslovakia, possibly due to sabotage activity in Poland. [10]

Memorial

In 2009, an initiative to erect a monument in honor of the victims was made, but due to the lack of confirmation of the authenticity of the accident, the initiative was not implemented. [11] [ unreliable source? ]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Soviet Train Crash Kills 160". The Arizona Republic . 19 July 1952.
  2. 1 2 Reader's Digest Almanac and Yearbook, 1971, p. 281
  3. 1 2 Franklin Henry Hooper and Walter Yust, Britannica Book of the Year 1953 (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1953), p. 225.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Soviet Troop Train Crash". The Guardian . 12 July 1952.
  5. ↑ "Pig-Headed Russian General Causes 160 Deaths in Wreck". The Berkshire Eagle . 19 July 1952.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Russian Express". The LA Times . 19 July 1952. p. 1.
  7. 1 2 "Russian Express Reported Wrecked by Underground". The Star Press . 20 July 1952.
  8. ↑ Charles A. Ruud (2009). "Early Travels with Robert Ford, 1952-1953". The Constant Diplomat: Robert Ford in Moscow. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 221. ISBN   9780773535855.
  9. ↑ "How Things Are in Russia Today: Article 2". The Ottawa Citizen . 21 April 1953.
  10. ↑ Miscellaneous Railroad Information (PDF), Central Intelligence Agency, 3 October 1952, CIA-RDP82-00457R014000330010-3, archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2017
  11. ↑ Pytanie do... - lista, rzepin.pl (April 28, 2009)

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