APPENDIX A. Part 1. Means of Communication and their Development Merchant Ships 1. The first phase began with the closing of the TransSiberian Railway when Germany attacked Russia. This railway constituted at that time the only substantial means for transporting goods between German Europe and the Far East, and its closure meant that substantial quantities of goods already purchased accumulated at both ends. 2. Plans were made for blockade running by vessels with sufficient cruising range to enable them to reach Europe without refuelling.