75 years ago, on January 30, 1945, in the Danzig Gulf of the Baltic Sea, the Soviet submarine S-13 under the command of Captain 3rd Rank Alexander Marinesko sank the German transport "Wilhelm Gustloff". Together with the giant ship, according to various estimates, from 6 to 10 thousand people went to the bottom (according to the latest German studies - 9343 people), which made the death of "Wilhelm Gustloff" the largest maritime disaster of the 20th century. For comparison, the maximum estimate of the death toll on the Titanic is 1,635 people. But the sinking of the German ship went down in history not only by the number of victims. It was not an ordinary, albeit very large, transport. "Wilhelm Gustloff" was one of the symbols of the Third Reich. In Germany it was called - "ship-sun". What "Wilhelm Gustloff" meant for the German people and their leader Adolf Hitler,how and why he died, read in the material "Lenta.ru".
Sun ship
The ocean liner Wilhelm Gustloff was commissioned and funded by Kraft durch Freude (KdF), which was part of the Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF), a union of workers and employers in Germany. The KdF was responsible for organizing the leisure of German citizens in accordance with the ideological guidelines of National Socialism.
The pride of the German cruise fleet - liner "Wilhelm Gustloff".
Advertising postcard of the organization Kraft durch Freude ("Power through joy"), dedicated to the launch of the liner "Wilhelm Gustloff".
Memorable souvenir stamp of the liner "Wilhelm Gustloff".
One of the KdF cruise ships in the Norwegian fjords.
Promotional video:
Advertising card of the German Labor Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront, DAF).
Advertising card of the German Labor Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront, DAF).
The German Labor Front was led by Robert Leigh, the fourth person in the Reich hierarchy, one of the main ideologues of Nazism and a loyal follower of Adolf Hitler. It was he who invented the Nazi greeting - "Heil, Hitler!" Lei's task was to create the broadest social base of support for National Socialism in Germany, with which he successfully coped.
The DAF declared its goal "to fight for workers' rights, against capitalism, liberalism, revolution and support for the National Socialist state." Thanks to the activities of the Labor Front in Germany, working conditions for workers have improved significantly, wages have increased, and a whole network of social support and leisure activities has been created.
But any totalitarian system is in dire need of a demonstration of its achievements. No one should doubt that life is getting better and more fun. That is why grandiose demonstrations of inspired workers are held, exhibitions of achievements are opened, festivals are held, the best sports Olympiads in history are held, and giant ships are launched.
Kraft durch Freude ("Strength through joy") offers the German population of the Reich a holiday on the comfortable cruise ships owned by the KdF.
The Nazi organization Kraft durch Freude ("Strength through joy") was engaged in the recreation and leisure of the German population of the Reich.
Kraft durch Freude ("Strength through joy") for the entire German family.
Kraft durch Freude ("Strength through joy").
As conceived by Robert Ley, the giant and super comfortable cruise ship was to become the most important symbol of the achievements of the Third Reich. With its launch, any German worker could count on getting a union ticket to an ocean cruise for very little money. A week's journey to the shores of Italy cost 150 Reichsmarks, while the average wage of an ordinary German was 180-200 marks. In other European countries, such a vacation could only be afforded by representatives of the wealthy strata of the population and the nobility, which was to clearly demonstrate the concern of the German state for the common worker and the advantage of the system.
The distribution of trade union vouchers was handled by the "Department of Travel, Tourism and Vacations" KdF - the largest tour operator of the Third Reich. Before the start of the war, more than 60,000 German workers and their families had taken advantage of the opportunity to rest on the Wilhelm Gustloff.
Girls from the Nazi organization Kraft durch Freude (KdF, "Strength through joy").
Post cancellation of the Kraft durch Freude organization ("Strength through joy") 1940.
At the same time, there was no question of any low budget. Everything was done at the highest level. There was no division of cabins into classes on the ship, which was supposed to emphasize universal equality. All cabins were equally comfortable. Comfortable wooden furniture, teak deck for walking 160 meters long, swimming pool, cinema, library, gyms, playgrounds for sports and playgrounds for children, hobby groups. Famous German artists and sportsmen could rest together with the workers in the same conditions.
Eva Braun visited the Wilhelm Gustloff. And in 1939, German pilots of the Condor Legion returned to Germany on a liner from Vigo, who fought on Franco's side and distinguished themselves by bombing Madrid, Barcelona and the destruction of Guernica. In Hamburg, on the occasion of the return of the "heroes", a big celebration was organized.
As you name the ship, so it will float
Initially, Robert Leigh planned to name the liner "Adolf Hitler", thereby making a gift to his beloved leader on behalf of the German workers. However, the superstitious Fuhrer opposed this - it would not turn out well if “Adolf Hitler” suddenly stumbled upon underwater rocks or, God forbid, drowned. For the same reason, the heavy cruiser "Deutschland" in 1939 was renamed "Luttsov". But fate cannot be easily escaped. The history of both ships mentioned only confirms this.
As a result, the new liner received its name in honor of the Nazi new martyr Wilhelm Gustloff, who was killed in Davos (Switzerland) in February 1936 by a Jewish student David Frankfurter.
Gustloff, a financier by training, was the leader of the NSDAP in Switzerland and a violent anti-Semite. It is believed that it was through him, thanks to his connections among bankers, that the activities of the branches of the Nazi Party abroad were financed.
The murder of Gustloff by a Jew was effectively exploited by German propaganda. Mourning was declared in the country, the funeral of the "hero" was attended by the leaders of the Reich, including Hitler and Goebbels, a memorial was opened in Schwerin, demolished in 1945, streets, factories, newspapers and steamships were named …
1939 year. Spanish dictator Francisco Franco escorts German pilots of the Condor legion to Germany.
Souvenir commemorative cancellations of the "Condor" Legion.
Meeting of the pilots of the Condor Legion in Germany.
Souvenir commemorative cancellations of the "Condor" Legion.
The ten-decked snow-white handsome "Wilhelm Gustloff" cost "Strength through Joy" 30 million Reichsmarks. The liner was launched in Hamburg on May 5, 1937 and put into operation on March 23, 1938. The ceremony was attended by Frau Gustloff and the Fuhrer himself. In his welcoming speech, Hitler noted the absolute safety and unsinkability of the new ship. "The Third Reich does not need Titanics!" - declared the Fuhrer.
"Wilhelm Gustloff" had a displacement of 25.5 thousand tons, a length of 208.5 meters, a maximum width of 23.5 meters. The height from the keel to the top of the mast was 56 meters. The disadvantages of the liner include relatively weak machines (9500 hp), which allowed it to reach a speed of no more than 15.5 knots.
The liner was designed for 1463 passengers. The crew, according to the staffing table, consisted of 415 people.
Protected by the Red Cross
Until the end of August 1939, "Wilhelm Gustloff" managed to make 44 commercial flights, becoming the embodiment of the German workers' dream of social equality, impending happiness and triumph of the German nation.
Three days before the start of World War II, the captain of the liner received a secret order to immediately return to Germany. This was the end of the civil service of the luxury cruiser. Like other ships belonging to KdF, "Wilhelm Gustloff" was transferred to the German Navy.
September 1939. "Wilhelm Gustloff" receives wounded Polish soldiers.
September 1939. "Wilhelm Gustloff" is used as a floating hospital.
1939 year. "Wilhelm Gustloff" in the livery of a hospital ship.
The liner was converted into a floating hospital, repainted white, and instead of the emblem "Strength through joy" (a swastika in the solstice), a red cross appeared on the only ship's pipe. With this design, the ship fell under the protection of the Hague Conference.
The first salvo of World War II was fired by the German training ship Schleswig-Holstein. The battleship built in 1908, which came to Danzig (Gdansk) on an official friendly visit, was in the inner roadstead. On September 1, 1939, at 4:47 am, while the city was still asleep, he opened fire on the Polish coastal fortress Westerplatte.
It is curious that even during the war German propaganda continued to actively exploit the image of the liner "Wilhelm Gustloff". Together with wounded German soldiers on board, as a testament to the humanity of the Nazi regime, the victims of the shelling of Poles were placed, whose photographs immediately appeared in German newspapers.
In the summer of 1940, the Wilhelm Gustloff was trained as a military transport for the invasion of the British Isles. However, the air battle for Britain was lost by the Luftwaffe and the invasion did not take place. After that, "Wilhelm Gustloff" was transferred to Gotenhaven (Gdynia, Poland), where she was anchored and used as a floating barracks for the Kriegsmarine submariners' school.
Now it was painted camouflage, and anti-aircraft guns appeared on its decks. From that moment on, the ship lost the status of a hospital ship and the corresponding protection of international maritime law.
The first volley of World War II was fired by the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein.
Reverse side of a German postcard depicting the battleship Schleswig-Holstein.
The battleship "Schleswig-Holstein".
Project 21
The first cadets arrived on the Wilhelm Gustloff in early 1941. The commander of the Kriegsmarine Doenitz personally met the future submariners. Pope Karl, as he was called in the navy, preferred to know his subordinates by sight.
At about the same time, the laboratories of the top-secret Project 21, which was engaged in the design of the new generation of German submarines, were deployed on the Wilhelm Gustloff.
Submarines "Project 21" were supposed to become, along with the FAU missiles, atomic bombs and jet fighters, the "weapon of retaliation" of Greater Germany and bring about a radical change in the course of the war.
From that moment on, "Wilhelm Gustloff" became one of the most secret and well-guarded objects of the Third Reich.
British naval intelligence learned about the existence of Project 21, intercepting and decrypting the text of Doenitz's telegram, and soon guessed about the place of his deployment. On September 30, 1943, the British Air Force launched a powerful airstrike against Danzig and Gotenhafen. The main target of the raid was "Wilhelm Gustloff". But the huge liner at the dead anchor was practically not damaged.
The next day, Joseph Goebbels said: "The Wilhelm Gustloff does not sink - this ship-symbol is like our Reich." The Allies unsuccessfully tried several times to destroy the ship from the air. However, in some way they achieved their goal - at the end of 1943 the scientific laboratory and all its documentation were secretly evacuated from "Wilhelm Gustloff" in submarines in an unknown direction.
1945 year. German refugees in East Prussia.
Winter 1945. German refugees in East Prussia.
Operation Hannibal
In October 1944, Soviet troops entered the territory of East Prussia. The first captured German city after three and a half years of war on its territory was Nemmersdorf (now it is the village of Mayakovskoe in the Kaliningrad region). The Wehrmacht managed to retake the city for a while and witness the facts of looting and violence by Soviet soldiers against the local population. German propaganda immediately took advantage of this evidence, launching an extensive campaign to "denounce the atrocities of the Red Army."
The propaganda resulted in an increase in the number of volunteers in the Volkssturm (people's militia), as well as panic among the German population of East Prussia. Hundreds of thousands of people left their homes and, taking everything they could carry, moved west, and after East Prussia was cut off from the rest of Germany, headed for the Baltic coast in the hope of evacuating by sea.
The evacuation of troops and a huge number of refugees from East Prussia and Courland to the western part of the country was carried out by the German Navy under the personal leadership of Grand Admiral Doenitz. In the course of the largest naval operation, which went down in military history under the name "Operation Hannibal", nearly two million people were taken out by sea.
The evacuation took place under the conditions of absolute domination of Soviet aviation in the air, but at sea … For some unknown reason, the Baltic Fleet decided not to interfere in the matter, limiting itself only to the action of several submarines.
One of them, C-13 under the command of Captain 3rd Rank Alexander Marinesko, sank the Wilhelm Gustloff on January 30, and then on February 13 - the large transport General von Steuben (14 660 tons). On April 17, L-3 of Captain 3rd Rank Vladimir Konovalov destroyed the Goya transport (5230 tons). More than 4 thousand people died together with "Steuben". At Goya - from 6 to 7 thousand. In total, about 20 thousand people died on these three transports, most of whom were refugees.
Thousands of refugees flocked to the Wilhelm Gustloff transport.
Wilhelm Gustloff goes to sea
By the time of her last sailing, the Wilhelm Gustloff had been at the pier for four years. The already rather weak ship machines were in need of repair and could not develop sufficient power. Now the former flagship of the German cruise fleet was able to accelerate to no more than 12 knots. The ship's crew was urgently recruited from naval sailors and reserve veterans, but insufficiently staffed. The number of life-saving equipment - lifeboats, rafts and life jackets - corresponded to the standard, but in no way the real number of people on board.
Wilhelm Gustloff accepted the first passengers (even with pass tickets) on January 22, 1945. They were submarine officers, their family members, women from the navy volunteer organization and the wounded. Then, refugees, mainly women and children, began to pass on tickets. Applicants were placed on decks, in passages, as well as in any vacant rooms. So, women from the auxiliary naval division were placed in the former basin. This is where one of Marinesco's torpedoes hit.
The passes ran out, but the ship continued to receive refugees. Having already departed from the pier, "Wilhelm Gustloff" lifted on board from several hundred to one and a half thousand people from small ships unable to leave the harbor on their own.
According to modern estimates, more than 10 thousand passengers and 173 crew members could be on board.
The last trip of the sun ship
The departure of "Wilhelm Gustloff" was scheduled for 12 noon on 30 January. The transport departed from the pier with an hour and a half delay. The visibility was poor, the air temperature was –18 degrees, with strong wind and snow. The Germans considered that in such weather, Russian planes would not dare to take off, and no submarines were seen in the area, therefore the overloaded transport went practically without protection. The tiny torpedo boat returned due to damage, and the destroyer Lowe (397 tons, captured in 1940 in Norway) was constantly lost sight of.
The situation was complicated by the fact that four captains were in charge of the transition at once. Formally, Friedrich Petersen, who was called up from resignation, was considered the main one. In addition to him, on the bridge were two cautious captains of the merchant fleet and the self-confident commander of the submarine division Wilhelm Zahn. All decisions were made after fierce disputes and harsh wrangling.
According to the original plan, "Wilhelm Gustloff" had to go at top speed, constantly performing anti-submarine maneuvers. But due to the poor condition of vehicles and minefields, this had to be abandoned. It was decided to take a straight course at a speed of 12 knots.
At 18:00, a message was received on board about a group of minesweepers allegedly operating in the area. The message was transmitted in clear text, which raised serious doubts. The captains were divided. The military believed that it was necessary to turn on the navigation lights so as not to collide with their own minesweeper in the dark, the civilians called for vigilance and camouflage.
Whether these minesweepers existed in reality and where the indicated radiogram came from, no one managed to find out. But as a result, navigation lights were lit on "Wilhelm Gustloff", indicating the dimensions of the vessel. This decision was fatal.
Image from the collection of P. Kamenchenko.
Alexander Marinesco.
Alexander Marinesco with his comrades.
Monument to Alexander Marinesko in St. Petersburg.
S-13
By and large, the Soviet submarine S-13 should not have been in that area that day. She was ordered to leave for the assignment much earlier. But on New Year's Eve, Captain Marinesco with several officers left the unit without permission, "hovering" for several days in the civilian sector. The crew of the C-13, left without supervision, did not abuse the study of materiel either. The dashing submariners ran to the Finns several times for vodka (the boat was on the Hanko Peninsula), and then started a fight with the new allies.
The guilty sailors were supposed to be brought to trial, but there was simply no other crew and another commander at the base. The punishment was borne by the immediate superior of Marinesco, who received a ten for the moral corruption of the unit entrusted to him. The submariners were offered to atone for their guilt with blood. And your own or someone else's - that's how it goes.
On January 9, 1945, the S-13 with a team of "penalties" went on a military campaign with a firm understanding of the choice given to her - either pan or disappeared.
For motherland for Stalin
For almost the entire war, the Soviet Baltic Fleet was locked in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. The Germans blocked the shallow bay with anti-submarine nets and stuffed them with mines. There are still a lot of them there.
The already weak Soviet submarine fleet was placed in extremely disadvantageous conditions. Almost all attempts to enter the operational space ended in serious damage or death of submarines. Of the ten Baltic "esks" only one survived the war - C-13 commander Marinesko.
After the Finns left the war in the fall of 1944, several Soviet boats were relocated to our former military base on the Hanko Peninsula (before the war, the USSR rented it from Finland). Getting out into the open water has become easier.
Until late in the evening of January 30, Marinesco's boat was not marked with anything useful. Having floated to the surface once again, the C-13 charged the batteries. It was dark, the wind was carrying snow, the boat was shaking on the wave. And suddenly, literally opposite, bright lights flashed, illuminating the giant ship, like a New Year's disco.
January 30, 1945. Attack of the Soviet submarine S-13.
S-13.
Scheme of the C-13 attack on the Wilhelm Gustloff.
Marinesco had two hours to work out a plan of attack without sinking, bypassing the target, taking a position from the coast, getting close to the slowly crawling giant within a safe shot distance and thrusting three torpedoes into its side. From the outside, it resembled an ambush hunt for a tame elephant tied to a tree.
At 21:04 a torpedo "For the Motherland" left the S-13 nose apparatus, followed by "For the Soviet people" and "For Leningrad". The fourth torpedo "For Stalin", already cocked, got stuck in the torpedo tube and almost exploded there. Fortunately, they managed to get her out and neutralize her.
"Wilhelm Gustloff" is drowning
At that time, the next message from Hitler to the German people was heard at the Wilhelm Gustloff. Because of the frozen antennas, the Fuhrer's voice sounded dull, like from a grave, and was constantly interrupted. At 21:08, Hitler's speech was cut off completely. At this moment, the first torpedo hit the bow of the ship. Behind her, a second torpedo tore apart the side in the pool area. The third hit the engine room.
The huge ship sank for about an hour. It was hell. Those who did not die from the explosions and did not instantly drown on the lower decks, rushed along narrow aisles, crushing under the feet of children, fell off ice-covered decks, were hurt when falling, were crippled and crushed by boats that fell off crane-beams, choked, drowned or froze in ice water.
Transport "General von Steuben" (14 660 tons). Second prize of the C-13 in the campaign.
Transport "Goya" (5230 tons). Sunk by the Soviet submarine L-3 of Captain 3rd Rank Vladimir Konovalov.
Due to the significant heel, it turned out to be impossible to lower the boats from the starboard side. The hoists on the port side of the boats were frozen over. The ropes were cut with penknives. The boat, already launched and filled with people, was crushed by an anti-aircraft gun that fell from the deck. Those who fell into the water had to endure a few minutes of horror before dying of hypothermia.
The destroyer Lowe and the destroyer T-38, which happened to be nearby, were engaged in the rescue of passengers and the crew of the dying transport. A passing heavy cruiser "Admiral Hipper", which already had about two thousand refugees on board, did not stop for fear of being hit by another torpedo attack.
When the rescue ships arrived an hour later, only corpses were floating in the water. But in one of the abandoned boats, rescuers found a survivor - a baby forgotten in panic. The kid was asleep.
According to various estimates, together with "Wilhelm Gustloff" killed from 6 to 10 thousand people. Wikipedia gives a figure of 9985. According to the latest German research, the disaster claimed 9343 lives. Most of them were refugees: women, old people and children.
Feat or crime
Years after the tragic events, a number of researchers have a question: did "Wilhelm Gustloff" represent a military goal and is not its destruction a war crime?
It's easy to answer. There was a war going on. The Soviet boat was on a combat mission. There were no red cross markings on the Wilhelm Gustloff. But there were anti-aircraft guns and protective paint. The transport was in the combat zone, presumably carrying troops and military supplies, and was guarded by a torpedo boat. Marinesco had no choice.
Two weeks later, the C-13 attacked and sank another large enemy transport, General von Steuben (14,660 tons). The majority of the four thousand dead were also refugees.
Thanks to these victories, the S-13 became the most productive submarine of the Soviet fleet. Marinesko was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but never received a star. The command decided to confine itself to the Order of the Red Banner. The further fate of the sailor was tragic, but that's another story.
German women thank their beloved Fuhrer aboard the ship "Wilhelm Gustloff".
"Wilhelm Gustloff" before leaving for another entertaining sea cruise.
"Wilhelm Gustloff".
The year is 1938. Liner "Wilhelm Gustloff" is going to the next sea cruise.
Wilhelm Gustloff teak promenade deck.
Fatal numerology
Many legends and strange coincidences are connected with the death of "Wilhelm Gustloff".
There is a story that the chief astrologer and graphologist of the Third Reich, Dr. Karl Ernst Kraft, who accurately predicted the date of the assassination attempt on Hitler, in 1937 predicted the death of "Wilhelm Gustloff". Kraft believed that the ship would be ruined by the coincidence of three numbers - 30, 13 and 3.
The numbers really matched. The Wilhelm Gustloff sank on 30 January. It happened on the birthday of the person whose name he was named after - the Swiss Nazi Wilhelm Gustloff (born January 30, 1895). On this day, he would have turned 50 years old. On January 30, 1933, Hitler came to power in Germany. It was for this occasion that the Fuehrer's speech was timed, during which C-13 Alexander Marinesco (born in 1913) fired 3 torpedoes (the fourth, as already mentioned, did not want to leave the apparatus and almost destroyed the boat itself).
"Wilhelm Gustloff".
"Wilhelm Gustloff" receives passengers.
What was stored in the holds of a sunken vehicle
And here are facts from another area.
The place of death of "Wilhelm Gustloff" is well known. On Polish nautical charts, it was designated as "Obstacle No. 73". The ship lies not deep, at 45 meters. But until 1955, the Poles were forbidden to board the sunken ship. But Soviet military divers were constantly working there. There were rumors that in addition to refugees, "Wilhelm Gustloff" was supposed to take to Germany and the treasures looted in the occupied territory: the most valuable works of art, gold and jewelry. Including the Amber Room. There were also many valuables in East Prussia itself. They also needed to be saved.
When the Poles descended on the Wilhelm Gustloff, the ship as such no longer existed. Instead, a heap of debris rested at the bottom. The entire middle part of the ship was cut or blown up. What the Soviet divers discovered on the sunken liner is unknown. All documents are classified. And none of the living witnesses has yet told anything.
Author: Petr Kamenchenko
