On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we travel back in time to look at the worst maritime disaster of all time, the sinking of the MV Wilhelm Gustloff. It was a ship with an interesting history that was being used by the Nazis to evacuate Germans from the oncoming Red Army in Operation Barbosa. However, it was packed ridiculously tight and ignored all safety and even military protocols, the result of which was over 9000 souls lost due to torpedoes from a Russian submarine.

The Wilhelm Gustloff was originally built as a luxury cruise ship by the Nazi Party to help give members of their labor union morale boost. It sailed over 50 voyages before the war got bad, and once the Spanish Civil War started, she was used to transport German troops. It served as a hospital ship at times, a troop transport, and even a floating voter platform off the coast of England for German citizens.

But, when the Red Army was sweeping West, they were known for atrocities toward any Germans they found. Thus, over a million people had evacuated into Prussia and nearby regions, desperate to escape the army. In the Gulf of Danzig on January 30, 1945, the Wilhelm Gustloff was packed to the gills. The ship was designed for 2000 passengers, but after the drained the water from the pools and threw out most of the furniture, there were over 10,000 people on board. That wasn’t bad enough. The trip was cursed by endless factors that should have made anyone turn the ship around.

What happened to two of the torpedo boats that should have been escorting Wilhelm Gustloff? What mechanical failure did the only remaining escort boat have? What was up with the mysterious radio transmission that made the Gustloff reveal its position to the enemy? What came of the drunken Russian captain Aleksandr Marinesko who sank the Wilhelm Gustloff, and why did he get a dishonorable discharge? Listen, laugh, learn.

Visit our Sources:

https://www.dw.com/en/75-years-on-little-known-about-the-wilhelm-gustloff-sinking/a-18226012 https://time.com/4198914/wilhelm-gustloff-salt-to-the-sea/ https://www.historyhit.com/the-sinking-of-the-gustloff/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/deadliest-disaster-sea-happened-75-years-ago-yet-its-barely-known-why-180974077/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Wilhelm_Gustloff https://www.marineinsight.com/maritime-history/sinking-of-mv-wilhelm-gustloff-the-deadliest-maritime-disaster/ https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2018/12/11/sinking-the-wilhelm-gustloff/ https://militaryhistorynow.com/2014/04/16/the-gustloff-incident-historys-deadliest-and-forgotten-ship-sinking/ https://unbelievable-facts.com/2016/02/wilhelm-gustloff.html https://www.deseret.com/2016/1/27/20581211/this-week-in-history-the-wilhelm-gustloff-is-sunk-by-a-soviet-submarine#the-passengers-on-board-the-german-liner-wilhelm-gustloff-acting-as-a-polling-station-for-germans-in-london-and-southern-england-enjoy-th...

Vācu pasažieru laineris „Wilhelm Gustloff”, padomju zemūdenes torpēdu trāpīts, nogrima Baltijas jūrā 1945. gada 30. janvārī, aizraujot nāvē ne mazāk kā 9300 cilvēku, no kuriem, iespējams, vairāk nekā puse bija bērni. Saruna par „Wilhelm Gustloff” traģēdiju un karadarbību Baltijas jūrā Otrā pasaules kara izskaņā ar vēsturnieku Valdi Kuzminu.

In the last months of World War II, German forces were in full retreat from Eastern Europe. German commanders decided they had no choice but to evacuate Courland in East Prussia. The last remaining route for escape was through the Baltic; and so the Germans launched Operation Hannibal. It would be the largest evacuation by sea in history. On the night of January 30th, the luxury cruiser, Wilhelm Gustloff was loaded down with more than 10,000 civilians and military personnel when it came within firing range of a Soviet submarine.

Horst Woit was just 10 years old when he and his mother boarded a ship in the hope of escaping Russian forces towards the end of World War II.

He recalls the night that ship - the Wilhelm Gustloff - went down with huge loss of life.

Horst Woit was just 10 years old when he and his mother boarded a ship in the hope of escaping Russian forces towards the end of World War II.

He recalls the night that ship - the Wilhelm Gustloff - went down with huge loss of life.