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Read our Privacy notice In a single-carriage train at Gottmadingen a tiny hillside station on the German side of the Swiss border one of two German officers drew a line across the floor of the carriage corridor This chalk divide would have the status of an international border and if the carriage’s most notorious passenger stepped across it in a deal made with the German Kaiser during brief moments in April 1917 when the two men’s short-term interests were suddenly aligned The train that pulled out of the station at 3.10pm on the afternoon of Monday 9 April was like a missile that would travel the long way around Europe to Russia where it would deliver its incendiary human payload: Vladimir Ilyich Lenin There had been a revolution in Petrograd (as St Petersburg then was) the previous month fuelled by the deaths of more than 3 million soldiers in a war Russia was losing But Lenin could only read about it via the newspaper-sellers on the shores of Lake Zurich in Switzerland he had spent the war all but a prisoner there in a neutral country hemmed in by enemy belligerents London and Berlin the events raised an urgent question: would Russia stay in the war and the million German men stationed there could turn round and head west to where the Americans were suddenly heading – having dramatically entered the war that week Germany wanted “the highest possible amount of chaos” in Russia “It is in our interests that the influence of the radical wing of the Russian revolutionaries should prevail,” he wrote Both Lenin and the Germans wanted the same thing; and via the Swiss Social Democrat Fritz Platten a deal – extraordinary in both its grand intentions and its tiny details – was carefully brokered: the sealed train It would be a rolling Russian Embassy – albeit a renegade one – that would carry Lenin and 30 other members of Russian dissident families the full length of Germany (Russia’s enemy) before heading by ferry to Sweden then the long way up and down Scandinavia into a tempestuous Petrograd He had been agitating for revolution in Germany and yet here he was placing himself in the hands of the Kaiser the new government in Russia wanted to continue the war Collaborating with the enemy to bring about peace was treasonous People-smuggling is a constant feature of times of conflict; so is treason and triumphantly back to the country against which they are conspiring the public train that had carried the conspirators from Zurich to the Swiss border had been met by a crowd of 100 or so Russians “They’re going to hang you like German spies,” one spectator shouted Its passengers had to be able to insist that they were not German agents but simply relieved emigrés finally free to come home Several accounts of the journey exist from co-passengers including Lenin’s wife Nadya Krupskaya and his probable mistress It is recorded how Lenin’s hatred of smoking forced smokers to light up in the solitary toilet until that in turn angered those waiting to use it for its primary function He also became intensely agitated at the loud singing and merriment from many of his fellow passengers something of a dressing-down was passed on from the German officers over the loud singing of “The Workers’ Marseillaise” – a Russian revolutionary song set to the tune of the French national anthem – as they waited to depart Germany was very much at war with both France and Russia so the sound of the former’s national anthem sung in the latter’s accent could rightly be construed as inflammatory There was also a 20-hour lay-over in a railway siding at Potsdam Station in Berlin where those more susceptible to such theories claim Lenin was handed the equivalent of 40 million deutschmarks in gold by German authorities – equivalent to hundreds of millions of pounds today – which would fund the October Revolution that he would eventually lead (It is highly likely the Bolsheviks received funding from Germany but highly unlikely that the methods used were this direct.) As the train chuntered along for long days and nights concerned telegrams zipped around the globe between London and Berlin; Stockholm and Petrograd Would the travellers be accepted by the Swedish authorities Would Russia’s new government turn them away had been arrested and temporarily detained The liberals in the new government feared – rightly it transpired – that Lenin was coming not to consolidate the revolution but to lead a new revolution Efforts were therefore made to undermine him – leaking information to the press with instructions to “stress German involvement”.But it was ineffective the train was met with cheers and hands reaching through the windows Occasionally Lenin gave short speeches in return and it was clear they wouldn’t be arriving at Petrograd’s Finland Station until late at night be able to find a carriage to take them to where they were staying “The throng in front of the Finland Station blocked the whole square making movement almost impossible and scarcely letting the trams through,” recorded NN Sukhanov a leading chronicler of the Russian Revolution who was waiting there that night “Troops with bands were drawn up under red flags near the side entrance The ensuing months would be momentous for Lenin (and disastrous for the Kaiser) But as Lenin was swamped and overwhelmed and tried and failed to give several short speeches there were no Germans around to tell anyone off ‘Moments’ that have already been published can be seen at independent.co.uk/greatwar Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Constellium SE (NYSE: CSTM) announced today that it has expanded its longstanding partnership with Audi to supply advanced aluminium solutions for the Audi e-tron GT yet lightweight solutions to optimize range and prioritize safety Constellium provides ASI-certified* aluminium Auto Body Sheet solutions for closures and inner parts as well as extrusion-based components for the vehicle’s front and rear Crash Management Systems “We are very proud to partner with Audi for its battery electric e-tron GT,” said Dieter Hoell Global Automotive for Constellium’s Packaging & Automotive Rolled Products business unit “With its lightweight and energy absorption properties aluminium is the ideal material for the growing market of electric vehicles We have developed an integrated offer and unique solutions both in rolled and structural automotive products to provide our customers with high-performance products that achieve both safety and efficiency.” Constellium’s Surfalex® Auto Body Sheet solution used for the rear doors and fenders of the Audi e-tron GT is particularly well suited for the vehicle’s design as it allows bold styling while maintaining perfect surface aesthetics has a high-tech crash absorption capacity designed to fulfill the most demanding pedestrian safety requirements Both Auto Body Sheet solutions are supplied from Constellium’s plant in Neuf-Brisach a family of high-strength 6XXX-series extrusion alloys used on the vehicle’s Crash Management Systems is the ideal material to meet the demanding requirements of structural components in electric vehicles as it provides additional strength in the event of a crash The Crash Management Systems are produced at Constellium’s ASI-certified plant in Gottmadingen These products are also supplied for Audi’s first fully-electric model along with extruded components for the e-tron’s battery enclosure and side impact beams Aluminium extruded components make up the structure of the Audi e-tron battery enclosure crash and intrusion resistance required to safeguard EV batteries Constellium is a long-time supplier to Audi for both rolled products and structural components Aluminium continues to be a material of choice for automakers to lightweight vehicles for improved fuel economy and lower emissions and is a natural choice for electric vehicles for greater range *Constellium is a founding member of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative and its plants in Neuf-Brisach Germany have been certified against the Performance and Chain of Custody standards to supply their customers independently certified responsibly sourced and sustainably manufactured aluminium products Source: www.globenewswire.com I would like to receive the bi-weekly Foundry-Planet newsletter with all latest news Plus the special newsletters – all can be cancelled anytime and at no cost