In the final days of World War II, German civilians were in a panic and Allied forces were closing in from all directions. Berlin planned an evacuation of upwards of 10,000 women, children, and the elderly using the old Wilhelm Gustloff. Setting off into the icy waters of the Baltic Sea, the ship was soon located and fired upon by Soviet Navy submarines. The ship sank quickly and took an estimated 9,400 victims to their deaths. The sinking became one of the least-known human disasters of World War II.
year: 2014
call number/section: 1000
subjects: wilhelm gustloff (ship), shipwrecks, baltic sea, history, 20th century, germans, prussia, east (poland and russia), refugees, world war, 1939-1945, evacuation of civilians, shipwreck victims, interviews, submarine, naval operations, soviet