Newly-discovered archives have revealed that that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was obsessed with the idea of building the world's fastest train.
The Fuhrer hired a crack team in a bid to beat the times set by train designer Sir Nigel Gresley and snatch speed records from the British, the Daily Star reported.
He has employed more than 80 engineers and 100 officials from the mid-1930s and throughout the Second World War, who built a series of locos including one code-named No.05.002, which resembled a huge rhinoceros and topped 120mph.
Lars Quadejacob, who found the files, said that it wasn't Hitler's first intention to impress the public but the military elite, as they were reluctant to support the Nazi party at first and on three occasions the Nazi regime showed their commitment to the railways - during the 1935 Nuremberg Centenary celebrations, on the high-speed 05.002 runs and during the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.
Quadejacob added that there was also a guest list from the trial run in 1936 which reveals many top-notch Nazis attended the event, including Heinrich Himmler, Reinhard Heydrich, Fritz Todt and Martin Bormann.
Another project involved a revolutionary rail car called the Flying Hamburger, which was dubbed "the fastest train in the world" by propaganda chief Goebbels and Sir Nigel Gresley, who considered running similar coaches on the East Coast line.
In May 1936, the 05.002 set 124.5mph on the Berlin-Hamburg run - an incredible achievement for a 197-ton machine, which beat Gresley's own record by 12mph, however, Gresley hit back with his Mallard, which reached 126.2mph on July 3, 1938 - a steam locomotive record which still stands today.
