Wilhelm Gustloff - Fleeing Germans Board the ShipPeople living in the USSR endured unbearable suffering when the Nazi regime sent its military might into Soviet territory. Then, in January of 1945, the Russians got their revenge as the Red Army moved westward, liberating German-occupied lands. German people, living in the path of the advancing army, fled with as many of their possessions as they could transport. Untold numbers were killed as they walked on roads or crossed iced-over lakes and rivers. Thousands sought safety in ships which would, hopefully, take them away from certain death. More than 10,000 people were crammed on board a ship named the Wilhelm Gustloff which had been berthed in Gotenhafen. While they had successfully avoided capture by the Red Army, most of the fleeing refugees were not safe. Their fate would be decided by the captain of a lurking Soviet submarine.
CreditsVideo clip from Last Voyage of the Gustloff, a documentary combining historic footage with recreated scenes from a three-hour, made-for-German-television film (in 2008) directed by Joseph Vilsmaier entitled Ship of No Return: The Last Voyage of the Gustloff (or, in German, Die Gustloff). |
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