"Wilhelm Gustloff" is the biggest sea tragedy of planet War II

wbijamszpile.pl 5 months ago

On January 30, 1945, the largest sea disaster in past occurred in the Baltic waters. The German ship "Wilhelm Gustloff", which evacuates thousands of people from East Prussia, was torpedoed by a russian submarine. Nearly 10,000 people died in the cold waters of the Baltic Sea. This tragedy, though small known, was of large importance to the final days of planet War II.

Three fast facts:

There may have been as many as 12,000 people aboard the “Wilhelm Gustloff”.
The ship was hit by 3 torpedoes launched by the russian submarine S-13.
The wreck lies at a depth of 45 metres off the coast of Łeba and is considered a war grave.

Escape from the Red Army

In late January 1945, German troops and civilians in panic fled East Prussia from the approaching Red Army. Operation Hannibal was intended to evacuate as many people as possible by sea. "Wilhelm Gustloff", an old cruise ship, was converted into a Kriegsmarine transport unit and sailed from Gdynia with thousands of passengers on board.

The conditions on the ship were dramatic – there was a piston, and the low temperature further hindered the journey. Most of the passengers were civilians, injured soldiers and members of the German Navy.

A amazing attack by the russian fleet

When “Wilhelm Gustloff” was at the tallness of the Łeba, it was tracked by the russian submarine S-13, commanded by Captain Alexander Marineska. The Soviets fired 4 torpedoes, 3 of which reached the target. Within minutes, the ship began to sink.

The attack tactics were surprising. Marinesko alternatively of attacking from the side of the open sea, from where he would have greater area for manoeuvre, struck from the land side. This unexpected strategy made "Wilhelm Gustloff" impossible to avoid a blow.

There was a panic on board. Many people died from the explosion, others were trampled in chaos. Those who fell into the icy water had only a fewer minutes to survive. The water had a temperature just above zero, which meant almost instantaneous death from cooling.

Was Wilhelm Gustloff a infirmary ship?

There's been quite a few controversy around this disaster. any say the Soviets attacked a infirmary ship, which would be a war crime. However, according to historians, "Wilhelm Gustloff" did not meet the criteria of the infirmary ship – it did not have appropriate markings and was armed with anti-aircraft guns.

There were besides soldiers on board, including members of the SS and Kriegsmarine. Moreover, the ship sailed in a military escort, making it a war target. Marinesko so had all right to torpedo it.

Read more: A plane crash in Gdynia. M-346 Bielik hit the airport plate

Not only ‘Wilhelm Gustloff’

The “Wilhelm Gustloff” disaster was not the only tragedy in the Baltic at the time. On February 10, 1945, the same russian submarine sank the ship "Steuben", killing about 5,000 people. 2 months later, on 16 April, russian torpedoes sent to the bottom of Goya, where more than 6,000 people lost their lives.

Today, the “Wilhelm Gustloff” wreck rests at the bottom of the Baltic off the coast of Leba. Since 1994, he has been declared a war grave, meaning no diving close him. Nevertheless, he was repeatedly looted and destroyed by treasure seekers.