A little while ago, I was working on a project about local history and I found that the Long Island Rail Road sponsored a train that headed to Yapahank on weekends that transported thousands of Nazi supporters during the World War 2 era. From what I found, I got very little information about this but I thought it would be an interesting topic to discuss. Has anyone else heard about this?
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Moderator: Liquidcamphor
Yaphank was a haven for Nazi supporters during the 1930's and 40's. It does not suprise me that a train was run for a demonstration. The Nazi "bund" camps were out in Yaphank with lots of Nazi supporters.
There is a book called "Wunderlich's Salute" which describes the activities out at Yaphank. If you are interested you can probably find one at your local library.
My Grandparents were pretty recent German Immigrants in the 1930s and they heard about Camp Siegfried and all the "cultural events" out there. They took a ride out, got one look at what was going on, and got back in the car and left. Enjoying their culture was one thing, hanging around with Nazis was another thing altogether.
My Grandparents were pretty recent German Immigrants in the 1930s and they heard about Camp Siegfried and all the "cultural events" out there. They took a ride out, got one look at what was going on, and got back in the car and left. Enjoying their culture was one thing, hanging around with Nazis was another thing altogether.
Yaphank is on the Greenport Branch, it only has limited passenger service but there is a freight siding for Georgia-Pacific right by the station.
During the 1930's many German families sent their kids to Bund (brotherhood) pro-Nazi camps in Yaphank on the weekends. This was in response to Hitler's call for all overseas Germans to return to the Fatherland, those who didn't tried to be pro-Nazi in other ways like these camps. In fact, there is a song called, "Yaphank Used To Be A Nazi Town" but I don't remember who sings it.
But if you want to read about Nazis and the LIRR you should investigate the sabotage mission of 1942. Four Nazi spies landed in Montauk and took the LIRR to Penn Station on their way to sabotage a factory in Pennsylvania. There were not sucessful and were caught in Manhattan.
http://www.montauklife.com/history_nigh ... nazis.html
During the 1930's many German families sent their kids to Bund (brotherhood) pro-Nazi camps in Yaphank on the weekends. This was in response to Hitler's call for all overseas Germans to return to the Fatherland, those who didn't tried to be pro-Nazi in other ways like these camps. In fact, there is a song called, "Yaphank Used To Be A Nazi Town" but I don't remember who sings it.
But if you want to read about Nazis and the LIRR you should investigate the sabotage mission of 1942. Four Nazi spies landed in Montauk and took the LIRR to Penn Station on their way to sabotage a factory in Pennsylvania. There were not sucessful and were caught in Manhattan.
http://www.montauklife.com/history_nigh ... nazis.html
This is a relatively detailed story about the train that was run out to Yahpank in support of the Nazi's. It is in the Long Island "Our Story" book which was written by Newsday a couple of years back. If I recall correctly there is also a picture of the train in Yahpank station.
Signed off
I finished this project a long time ago but I found it interesting that these gatherings were so large that the Long Island Rail Road sent a train there for that purpose. I know about the article that Newsday published a few years ago, but it didn't mention much about the train itself, just the camp.
One of the previous posters mentioned something about the Nazis trying to sabotage the LIRR. I know that they sent spies to Amagansett during WW2 so I wouldn't be surprised if there were similar missions on American targets.
There is a picture of a few of the passenger cars that were used for this train. You can see them at this website: http://www.newsday.com/extras/lihistory/7/hs729a.htm
One of the previous posters mentioned something about the Nazis trying to sabotage the LIRR. I know that they sent spies to Amagansett during WW2 so I wouldn't be surprised if there were similar missions on American targets.
There is a picture of a few of the passenger cars that were used for this train. You can see them at this website: http://www.newsday.com/extras/lihistory/7/hs729a.htm
BMT
You are correct. I didn't believe it at first but I have seen town of Brookhaven records that confirm there was Adolph Hitler Blvd in Yaphank. The "new" name is German Gardens Blvd. and if you go down that street as an uninvited visitor you will be confronted by some not too friendly people.
You are correct. I didn't believe it at first but I have seen town of Brookhaven records that confirm there was Adolph Hitler Blvd in Yaphank. The "new" name is German Gardens Blvd. and if you go down that street as an uninvited visitor you will be confronted by some not too friendly people.
Don't strain your brain, paint a train.....
I delivered Pizza in German Gardens this was around 1997/98. I recall seeing a street called Adolf Ln. Yaphank is very nice community it doesn't have the hustle and bustle that you have every else on this congested island.
Signed off
While on the Subject of Nazis and Long Island -- even though this is WAAAAYYY off-topic -- I highly recommend the book "Lab 257", which was written by a Long Islander.
It is the true story of the mysterious Plumb Island "Animal Disease Laboratory" off the coast of Orient Point. One of the points in this very good invesitagtive work is how a former Nazi scientist helped to establish the facility. As well, much of the early 'research' was based on previous Nazi experiments that involved giving ticks bacteria that could be used as debilitating 'germ warfare' against an enemy combatant during war time. Well, one of the major bombshells revealed in the book is that Lyme Disease was an accidental release of contaminated ticks into the East Coast environment (the ticks were also carried to New England states via migrating birds).
It is also contented that the recent West Nile Virus outbreak was similarly due to some sloppy operations on Plum Island. And of course there in lies an ON TOPIC connection, since the $30 Million Dollar clean-up of the Bay Ridge Branch was due directly to the government's efforts at preventing the breading and further spread of the disease. There's a wealth of info in that book -- it's like something out of "The Hot Zone". Should be at your local library or bookstore. If they don't have it, request it!
It is the true story of the mysterious Plumb Island "Animal Disease Laboratory" off the coast of Orient Point. One of the points in this very good invesitagtive work is how a former Nazi scientist helped to establish the facility. As well, much of the early 'research' was based on previous Nazi experiments that involved giving ticks bacteria that could be used as debilitating 'germ warfare' against an enemy combatant during war time. Well, one of the major bombshells revealed in the book is that Lyme Disease was an accidental release of contaminated ticks into the East Coast environment (the ticks were also carried to New England states via migrating birds).
It is also contented that the recent West Nile Virus outbreak was similarly due to some sloppy operations on Plum Island. And of course there in lies an ON TOPIC connection, since the $30 Million Dollar clean-up of the Bay Ridge Branch was due directly to the government's efforts at preventing the breading and further spread of the disease. There's a wealth of info in that book -- it's like something out of "The Hot Zone". Should be at your local library or bookstore. If they don't have it, request it!