Rzepin train disaster

Polish train disaster

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

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]

## Contents

* 1 Events
* 2 Cause
* 3 Memorial
* 4 See also
* 5 References

## Events[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

* Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki train disaster, another train disaster in Poland that was not confirmed by Polish authorities.

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Soviet Train Crash Kills 160". The Arizona Republic. 19 July 1952.
2. ^ a b Reader's Digest Almanac and Yearbook, 1971, p. 281
3. ^ a b Franklin Henry Hooper and Walter Yust, Britannica Book of the Year 1953 (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1953), p. 225.
4. ^ a b c d "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. ^ a b c d "Russian Express". The LA Times. 19 July 1952. p. 1.
7. ^ a b "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. 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 January 23, 2017
11. ^ Pytanie do... - lista, rzepin.pl (April 28, 2009)

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Railway accidents in 1952 (1952)

Location and date|

* Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (4 March)
* Gibalta, Portugal (31 March)
* Rzepin, Poland (9 July)
* Harrow, United Kingdom (8 October)

1951 1953

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