Formed from the Prussian Ministry of Public Works after the end of World War I, the RVM was in charge of regulating German railways, roadways, waterways, and the construction industry - a kind of infrastructure agency in today's understanding.

The National Railway (Deutsche Reichsbahn) was initially organized as an independent state-owned company to guarantee that Germany paid war reparations according to the provisions of the 1924 Dawes Plan.

[3] By the beginning of 1932, the RVM was operating five departments each headed by directors: After the Nazi seizure of power in January 1933, among the first steps in National Socialist policy was the removal of all "non-Aryans" from the civil service.

In July 1933, Fritz Todt was directly appointed by Adolf Hitler to build the huge road system quickly, and Transport Minister Paul Freiherr von Eltz-Rübenach thought it prudent not to complain at this obvious bypass of his authority.

[7] On 24 June 1934, Maritime Director Klausener delivered a passionate speech at the Catholic Congress in Berlin that was critical of Nazi repression of the church.

Adolf Hitler declared the "Law for the Reorganization of Relations between the Reichsbank and the Reichsbahn",[10] effectively placing the bank and railroads under the regime's direct authority.

Ostensibly the law's purpose was to eliminate "foreign influence" from key national infrastructure; in reality it was about the dismissal of remaining Jews and political opponents, as well as the filling of positions with reliable Nazis.

Transport Minister Paul Freiherr von Eltz-Rübenach, a devout Catholic, explicitly declined the award to protest the rising conflict between the government and the Church.

A further adjustment to Ministry occurred under the Reichsbahn Act of July 11, 1939, wherein the Transport Minister retained the role of Director General of the National Railway by the simple virtue of his office.

[13] Paul Wülfing von Ditten (1940–1945) *Additional departments set up in wartime The Transport Ministry's structure and leadership changed only slightly during the war.

The Department of Maritime and Inland Shipping was split into Economic (full name in German: Wirtschaftliche Führung der Seefahrt) and Naval divisions.

[15] On 1 August 1940, after the victory in the West, the Belgian, Dutch and French national railways were returned to local control under German "observation", except in coastal areas where all transport remained with the Wehrmacht.

On November 1, 1941, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was annexed by Germany and its entire infrastructure, including all privately owned railways, were turned over to the Transport Ministry.

At the request of Julius Dorpmüller, Hitler ordered the Ostbahn be subordinated to the RVM on 4 January 1942 with a special branch office: Zweigstelle Osten des Reichsverkehrsministeriums.

It was responsible for the organization and timetables of special trains deporting Jews from Germany and the occupied territories, working closely with the SS Reich Security Main Office.

[23] Americans were far more concerned with retaining key staff to rebuild Germany, stating employees were "very cooperative and anxious to help in the reconstruction of the German Railway System.

Just before the outbreak of World War II, construction of a large air-raid shelter with a 2.6-meter-thick concrete ceiling began under the Ministry courtyard and was completed in 1940.

The RVM bunker included a passageway to the U2 subway tunnel south of the Kaiserhof station to provide a rail escape route for Nazi leadership.

[24] As the intensity of Allied bombing increased in 1944, essential RVM staff were moved southeast of Berlin to a secret area in Groß Köris on the western shore of the Güldensee, at a special rail siding code-named "Fishing Lodge".

[26] After a long-running legal dispute between Deutsche Bahn and the Federal Government, the approximately 10,000 m2 site was sold in April 2012 to Berlin Investor Harald Huth.

[26] By September 2014 the rest of the site was occupied by a new retail, hotel, office and apartment complex incorporated into the Mall of Berlin, one of the largest shopping centers in Germany.