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Goering's private train (Sonderzug) and staff; Luftwaffe officers at HQ Eastern Front; Romanian air force visitors

Film | Digitized | Accession Number: 2003.122 | RG Number: RG-60.3354 | Film ID: 2549

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    Goering's private train (Sonderzug) and staff; Luftwaffe officers at HQ Eastern Front; Romanian air force visitors

    Overview

    Description
    Events seen may be 1941 to 1943, many are 1942. Brief scene of rifle practice at shooting range in Rominten, near Goering's HQ (train) with Luftwaffe men, including Eitel Lange, Goering's still photographer (see also Film ID 2551).

    Goering in summer uniform under trees with Romanian air force visitors including tall dark officer, & German officers, including Adolf Galland. (May be 4 October 1941 according to Goering photo album #39 at LOC) 01:00:32 - 01:00:36 glimpse of Goering's valet, Robert Kropp, walking unobtrusively behind the group, very close to the train. Goering & others walking, & next to train, talking, includes Romanian air force officers, Paul Koerner, Bernd von Brauchitsch. 01:00:48 L to R: (Unidentified), Goering, Gen.Kastner-Kirsdorf, Gen. Walter von Axthelm, (Unidentified). Camera pans left 01:00:50 - 01:00:57 Goering in conversation with many officers, seated at large round table next to train (Goering's moving HQ). Lunch under trees, round table with white cloth & flowers, passing photos. 01:01:17 Gen.von Axthelm facing camera, others seen from rear, including Goering's adjutant Jeschonnek and Gen. Galland. 01:01:28 3 officers in conversation, Josef 'Beppo' Schmid (head of Luftwaffe intelligence) almost facing camera; trees behind. 01:01:37 Camera pans to left. 01:01:45 L to R Galland, Axthelm, (Unidentified), Jeschonnek, Romanian air force officer. 01:01:49 Josef Schmid seen in several shots. Visitor & Paul Koerner greeting other officers, heil, walk to cars. 01:02:14 Cameraman filming.

    Views inside train. 01:02:34 Pan right out window to Goering, others outside at table. On the left, staff members and speaker (partly obscured by tree) [See Notes] 01:03:14 Goering's personal staff gathered in shirtsleeves, including Goernnert and (unconfirmed) Schwester Christa, Red Cross nurse in white, who administered Goering's drugs. According to Eitel Lange's book on Goering, they were listening to recordings of Reichstag speeches from 1932, in celebration of Goering's 10 years as Reichstag president. 01:03:20 Men at table with Goering include Jeschonnek, Galland & Schmid in white uniforms, probably Gen.Hugo Sperrle across table from camera 01:03:21- 01:03:27 Foreground, head of man photographing is probably Robert Kropp, Goering's valet. 01:03:47 CS Bernd von Brauchitsch, Goering's adjutant, seated at train window smoking. 01:03:50 Goering walking, visiting with nurses & wounded on, near train. 01:04:38 Civilian in train: Paul Pleiger. Pan to younger man, CU. Train moving slowly among trees. 01:05:-- Civilian, Paul Pleiger, industrialist, with Fritz Goernnert talking by train. (See Biog/Hist. Notes) 01:04:41 Barrier & sign: "Durchfahrt nur mit Sondergenehmigung". Small guard unit with rifles takes position. Cars arrive with Goering & officers, up & past.

    Goering's 2 regular special trains (Sonderzug) were called "Asien" and "Robinson."
    Duration
    00:07:08
    Date
    Event:  1941, 1942, 1943
    Locale
    Rominten, East Prussia, Germany
    East Prussia, Germany
    Credit
    United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, gift of Claranne Bechtler
    Contributor
    Camera Operator: Eitel Lange?
    Subject: Fritz Goernnert
    Subject: Paul Pleiger
    Subject: Paul Koerner
    Subject: General Kattengel
    Biography
    Written note on can of 'Goenert" refers to Dr. Fritz (Friedrich) Goernnert, of Goering's administrative staff (Stabsamt), responsible for the Reich Marshal's three special trains; he maintained close contact with Martin Bormann & the Nazi Party. OSS Report on Nazi Art Looting names Goernnert and Gen. Kattengel [sic] among participants in Goering's structure for looting art in occupied Europe. The report describes Kattengel as working directly under Goernnert, and indicates Goering's private trains were used to transport much of the art looted from German-occupied Europe. The trains were named "Asien" [Asia] and "Robinson."
    Paul Pleiger was found guilty in the "Ministries Case" (Wilhelmsstrasse Prozess) at Nuremberg 1947/48. Industrialist Paul Pleiger was General Director of the Reichswerke Hermann Goering.
    Paul Koerner was found guilty in the "Ministries Case" (Wilhelmsstrasse Prozess) at Nuremberg 1947/48. Koerner was also a defense witness for Goering in the main (IMT) Nuremberg Trial. Paul Koerner was chief of the four-year-plan. He was also known as "Pilly" Koerner during the Third Reich.
    Gen. Kattengel is included on the OSS report on Nazi Art Looting, described as working under Fritz Goernnert on Goering's administrative staff.

    Physical Details

    Language
    Silent
    Genre/Form
    Unedited.
    B&W / Color
    Black & White
    Image Quality
    Good
    Time Code
    01:00:00:00 to 01:07:08:00
    Film Format
    • Master
    • Master 2549 Film: positive - 16 mm - b&w - print
      Master 2549 Video: Betacam SP - PAL - small
      Master 2549 Film: positive - 16 mm - b&w - print
      Master 2549 Video: Betacam SP - PAL - small
      Master 2549 Film: positive - 16 mm - b&w - print
      Master 2549 Video: Betacam SP - PAL - small
      Master 2549 Film: positive - 16 mm - b&w - print
      Master 2549 Video: Betacam SP - PAL - small
    • Preservation
    • Preservation 2549 Film: negative - 16 mm - polyester - b&w - duplicate negative - B-wind - Kodak - 3234
      Preservation 2549 Video: Betacam SP - NTSC - small
      Preservation 2549 Film: negative - 16 mm - polyester - b&w - duplicate negative - B-wind - Kodak - 3234
      Preservation 2549 Video: Betacam SP - NTSC - small
      Preservation 2549 Film: negative - 16 mm - polyester - b&w - duplicate negative - B-wind - Kodak - 3234
      Preservation 2549 Video: Betacam SP - NTSC - small
      Preservation 2549 Film: negative - 16 mm - polyester - b&w - duplicate negative - B-wind - Kodak - 3234
      Preservation 2549 Video: Betacam SP - NTSC - small
    • User
    • User 2549 Video: Betacam SP - small
      User 2549 Film: positive - 16 mm - b&w - workprint
      User 2549 Video: Betacam SP - small
      User 2549 Film: positive - 16 mm - b&w - workprint
      User 2549 Video: Betacam SP - small
      User 2549 Film: positive - 16 mm - b&w - workprint
      User 2549 Video: Betacam SP - small
      User 2549 Film: positive - 16 mm - b&w - workprint

    Rights & Restrictions

    Conditions on Access
    You do not require further permission from the Museum to access this archival media.
    Copyright
    United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    Conditions on Use
    The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum places no restrictions on use of this material. You do not require further permission from the Museum to reproduce or use this film footage.

    Keywords & Subjects

    Administrative Notes

    Film Provenance
    Claranne Bechtler, the daughter of John Christopher Bechtler, donated her father's film materials to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in May 1995 [Accession Number 1995.A.875]. Most of these items were deaccessioned in March 2000; 18 reels of film, however, were transferred to the Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and were never officially deaccessioned or removed from the Museum's premises. They were officially "donated" again by Mrs. Bechtler in June 2003 with the Accession Number 2003.122.
    Note
    See Library of Congress: Goering photo albums: 39-59 has multiple photos of the same two foreign officers with Goering and mention of Gen. Ionescu; also Jeschonnek, dated October 4, 1941

    See NARA photos in Heinrich Hoffmann Collection, "FHQ" 5294, frames 8, 9, 10. Paul Pleiger wears same mourning band on lapel as in this film footage, dated 1943: Sept or Oct. Heinrich Hoffmann Collection on bsb-muenchen.de website dates it 14.-19. September 1943, and shows Pleiger with Goering, Bodenschatz, and Keitel at FHQ Wolfschanze during Mussolini's visit. See also FHQ 5149, 5150 & 5151, Frame 23, dated July 1941.

    Handwritten title on original film can: "Goering, Train, Goenert, Kattengell". Bechtler Collection Tape #5

    See also Film ID 2544 and 2548 for additional scenes with Friedrich 'Fritz' Goernnert, on Goering's administrative staff and responsible for his 3 trains; the wavy-haired man who may be Kattengel or Kaltengel; dark-haired man in shirt and tie; and the man with glasses (photographer Eitel Lange).

    See Film ID 2841, Story 4624 for newsreel coverage (DW 627/38/1942) of same scene as 01:03:50 to 01:04:48.
    Film Source
    Ms. Claranne M. Bechtler
    John C. Bechtler
    File Number
    Legacy Database File: 3356
    Record last modified:
    2024-02-21 08:05:47
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn1002569

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