Sinking of MV Wilhelm Gustloff | How 9000 Drowned

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The in-depth story of the MV Wilhelm Gustloff sinking and how over 9000 drowned.
It’s January 30th, 1945, and a 10-year-old boy named Horst Woit is fleeing the war. Germany is losing, and the Russians are coming for revenge. Everyone in East Prussia, North Germany, is ordered to evacuate. Their only hope is to get on board the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that will bring them to the safer city of Kiel.
Later that night, Horst watched the ocean liner disappear into the Baltic Sea. Estimates say between 7000 and 9000 people died. To put it into context: 1500 people died on The Titanic. It was by far the greatest maritime disaster of all time.
So why do we know so little about this tragedy?
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Tour footage used with permission:
• M.S. Wilhelm Gustloff ... by Shipster1912
We reveal the world's darkest and greatest disasters all based on true stories.
This disaster documentary is inspired by the fantastic "Fascinating Horror".

[@DarkRecordsDocs]

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[@fflind]

Is it an NFT?

[@specialed6357]

John has a long mustache; the chair is against the wall. Two sisters visit, an iron arrow is fired which pierces a pipe line. A black tap must be turned off to effect repair. Awaiting orders.

[@DarkRecordsDocs]

@@fflind it's not a NFT, it's actual artworks

[@newtwolfbuck]

@@DarkRecordsDocs digital art is art too, I don’t see how this is any different. You don’t get the actual artwork, you just get to say that you “own” a part of it. Same concept as NFTs lmao

[@stevie-ray2020]

Wasn't the art-dealer who runs this company just arrested for fraud, as he sold artworks to multiple buyers? Painting @ 5:22 was one of those shown in the news-story!

[@talontalk4886]

Eric Braeden, the actor who played John Jacob Astor in James Cameron's 1997 film Titanic, was also a survivor of the sinking of the Gustloff. He was three years old at the time.

[@ScatteredCollector]

That… I did not know. Thank you for that information. Kind of shocking he decided to do a movie about a sinking ship

[@kylederry5031]

The scene when he looks up at the glass dome as it collapses was genuine fear because they rehearsed the scene without the water until they were ready to shoot.

[@ScatteredCollector]

@@kylederry5031 Damn - I’ve seen that scene so many times and now I’m realizing it’s actual fear and not just acting. Cameron is cynical as hell. Though not unheard of, it happens a lot in film and tv

[@tarawillis5450]

That’s so interesting. Cool to know

[@darlenefraser3022]

Thank you for that bit of unknown trivia!

[@alfi6745]

My Grandmother was suppose to be on the Gustloff. Her Uncle was living near to the port and since they had been fleeing for days they decided to stay there for the night. They wanted to bord the Gustloff the day after, however my Great Grandmother fell sick the morning with the flue. The sickness was so intense that they decided not to take the Gustloff and try to get out of East Prussia by land. They ultimitly made it to Bordesholm a city in Nothern Germany. When they arrived they where told by another relativ (at this point I dont remember exactly who that was) that the Gustloff had sunk. It´s always crazy to me to think about this event. If my Great Grandmother wouldnt have gotten the flue just in time for them not to make it to the ship, I wouldnt even exist today.

[@crazyknitter22]

OMG! My grandma and my 5 year old mum and other family members should have travelled with the Gustloff too. But because some of them were late, my grandma waited and didn't go on the Gustloff. They went on different boat that took them to Denmark where they stayed for a few years. My grandma always said, if she had known that my granddad was dead, she would have stayed in Denmark. She loved it there.

[@alfi6745]

@@SzwegorzGwajn-lz2tw Thats like saying: Your family is from China so you must be a communist that supports the leading party... Makes absolutly no sense

[@crazyknitter22]

@@SzwegorzGwajn-lz2tw Wow! You don't know much about German history, do you? My great grandma listened secretly to BBC radio because she wanted to hear the truth and risking her life if anyone found out. My grandma secretly smuggled food to the prisoner of war camp. It was either be quiet, don't say anything to anyone or end up in a concentration camp. My family hated Hitler and the Nazis, like so many others and yes I AM very proud of them.

[@HowieHoward-ti3dx]

@@crazyknitter22 'My grandma always said, if she had known that my granddad was dead, she would have stayed in Denmarkdoesn't make sense.

[@serdarsoydan8772]

Büyük annen senin var olabilmen için o gemiden sağ olarak kurtulurdu.

[@DualKalibur]

These stories need to be said, and need to be heard. A lot of innocent people and children lost their lives and regardless of what’s happening elsewhere at that time these people deserve to be remembered.

[@timmyy420]

Innocent? We're talking about the Germans here. There were no "innocent" Germans during the war, they were all killed for resisting the Nazi's.

[@DualKalibur]

@@timmyy420 I’m pretty sure the 10 year old kids weren’t shelling allied troops and killing Russians bud. “They’re evil cause they were WW2 Germans!” is honestly the dumbest position you can take on this subject.

[@FTChomp9980]

@Tim S your pulling you Identity Politics BS here you can't group together a whole group of people back then there were some Germans that didn't believe the same thing as Hilter heck some rebelled against him other Germans hid Jews from the Nazis. The same goes with Russians they were living in a horrible Ideology that killed millions that's why some Russians fled because they wanted to protect there families from Stalin reign of terror.

[@paulkerr5082]

@@DualKalibur I think he's one of those who believe everyone German back then was a Nazi

[@Nat3_H1gg3rs]

@@DualKalibur THEY TOOK OUR JERRRRRRRBS 🇺🇲

[@emilyspector2728]

This guy had an instinct to bring a knife. Something told him to, and he wound up using it. By doing so, he saved 70 people. For a 10 year old, I find this pretty amazing.

[@yookalaylee2289]

he happened to have a knife... thats pretty much it.

[@Z0RDR4CK]

i don't know why, but years ago it was very common, that boys got a swiss army knife as a birthday present from their dads - guess its out of date now, but i remember - in my own case - i was carrying it all the time, no matter where i went to. it was, or maybe it still is, your daily companion.

[@EL-ISS]

@@Z0RDR4CK It's definitely less common as it used to be but that practice still exists, especially for people who live out if town or farm, fish, hunt etc. My dad gave me a Swiss Army knife when I was 16 lol and that was back in 2013. Also for any kid in the scouts program or anything similar in different countries, they always get some sort of blade or tool at the end of their training. Should be a lot more common though, I've used the tools on my Swiss Army knife more times than I can count now lol it's just handy.

[@soleiltounsi6754]

I don't understand English. How he saved 70 lives?

[@Z0RDR4CK]

@@soleiltounsi6754 with his swiss army knife he cut the rope which was attached to the sinking ship

[@carolynking9844]

I'm glad to hear that this little known story is coming out. It is important that all history is told , not just one side.

[@MisatoBestWoman]

yes!

[@mischarowe]

@The Guy Bro The Titanic was an iceberg.

[@HK-gm8pe]

only one side?? On which side this tragedy is then in your opinion? Ship might have been named Wilhelm Gustloff but people who died that night were INNOCENT CIVILLIANS , many of them didnt even like Nazi party...at least people who were aboard that ship the night it sunk, sinking this ship was 100% a war crime, I am amazed how they didnt consider it to me a war crime

[@carolynking9844]

@@HK-gm8pe Slow your roll there. All I was stating was that in North America (Canada) we usually only hear about the 'allied' tragedies - civilian along with military. This story about a German/Prussian ship sinking was new to me and I was grateful to hear it.

[@frankieb9444]

@@mischarowe So Titanic sunk the Titanic, crazy /s

[@bugbleach6530]

My Oma (great grandma) and grandfather were supposed to be on this ship, but the only reason they didn't get on was because my great uncle got very ill at the last minute and died. His death saved my family's lives. They ended up taking the last train out of Poland into Germany before the Soviets got there, and even though there was no room on the train, the conductor took pity on them and let them ride in the locomotive with him. They had many stories of near death experiences, war is a terrible thing

[@audionmusic2787]

For too long we have ignored heartbreaking tragedies simply because the victims were our enemies. Peace comes when you weep for them too.

[@AnthonyBlamthony]

These aren’t the enemy though, The majority of these (almost all)were literally just civilians. The enemy is the one who shooting at you, and sending people to shoot at you. Plus was an infirmary. Sinking this ship is equivalent to blowing up a hospital with only a few patients(soldiers) but it’s filled with staff members(doctors and nurses)and visitors(civilian families).

[@mrs.hancock4124]

@@AnthonyBlamthony Well said

[@mikelbrenn111]

Children, Women and elderly on both sides of the war are not enemies but civilians.

[@gidi3250]

@@mikelbrenn111 during ww2 they where just more potential recruits/factory workers/miners and thus where bombed, these 2 world wars where total wars, not like previous wars where a battle it 2 where fought the kings met shook hands and kissed then swapped a few city's, these where wars where the victors would completely destroy the losers, complete distroy cultures and traditions, attempts at genocide and utter destruction of stuff that isn't the invading nations own stuff. The civilians where caught in the crossfire but most often they where targeted, that's war, death and carnage that has grown and grown to the point where 1 country is capable of wiping most of the world off the maps with the mere press of a button, actually their are 2 who can do it easily and a few others who can do it to their neighbours only instead of most of the world.

[@vishaldeep5794]

Atrocities from both sides. Haven't U boats sunk enough of Brits merchant Ships??

[@puredemon5926]

In my opinion, we _should_ be learning about this and mourning those innocent lives lost. Of course, I do understand why it's not talked about that much, especially in Germany and Russia. WWII is hard to talk about, no matter where you are in the world. But incidents like this should still be talked about and those innocent lives should be mourned. I'm glad some people survived to tell their story.

[@Blox117]

its not hard to talk about, europe has become weak and feminized

[@wingy200]

When whole German cities were being incinerated from Allied bomber attacks, the dead from those attacks vastly overshadowed the deaths from this incident. Low estimates on the death toll of Dresden alone were 25,000-35,000 civilians. Some estimates bring the toll up to a quarter million due to the influx of undocumented refugees. 9,000 souls were a drop in the bucket. I can see how it can be overlooked.

[@Fauxbourg]

Who is saying that we shouldn't be learning about it?

[@wingy200]

@@F40PH-2CAT Ok Stalin.

[@byniasofficial2567]

Most of them were nazi officials and bureaucracy workers on Polish territory acclaimed by the germans during ww2. I wouldn't say they all were innocent. Even "ordinary" nazi germans who evacuated from Poland were brought there first to fill the houses of people killed or sent to death camps and I doubt they were unaware of that. It was planned extermination and replacing polish occupants with german ones.

[@mmaybee4379]

My Oma was on this ship and lost her sister, cousin, and other family members. She was even in the movie about the ship, she passed away last year but she had told me some crazy things she witnessed while under Nazi control.

[@siloemascolo2769]

Can you give some examples?

[@mmaybee4379]

@@siloemascolo2769 She was forced into a youth camp and would tell me about the bodies and limbs spread everywhere (seeing blown up hands in street at 8 etc). She told about everyone fearing neighbours as people would “snitch” to nazis even making things up to protect themselves…. Constantly running into bomb shelters when the sirens came on, during and after “schooling”. She would always tell me with a blank stare, I’m sure there is much more she wanted to forget and wouldn’t say.

[@LolLol-xy4rh]

@@mmaybee4379 oh it was much much worse I know of a ww2 historian mark Felton he has a KZbin channel and by god the nazis did such terrible things to people and animals

[@mmaybee4379]

@@LolLol-xy4rh No doubt, I've spent much time learning about specific instances there are a few other things my Oma mentioned but i never felt it was right to bring up or ask more detailed questions.

[@jlo7770]

​@@mmaybee4379don't worry the Germans really weren't that bad if you compare them to the Japanese.. now those are some disgusting people

[@model101t800]

Having studied the disaster from various sources it is impossible to get a good count, especially given the hasty boarding but it is likely that more than 10,000 drowned

[@maxinewalters]

do you by any chance no where a registration list for the Wilhelm Gustloff can be found? I'm curious if my relatives were part of the registered people on board or not

[@OmmerSyssel]

@@maxinewalters Why don't you simply research in Germany? They are actually famous for keeping records of everything...

[@gidi3250]

@@maxinewalters depends as was mentioned in the video they stopped recording entrents and stoped issuing tickets and after that around 2k or maybe more would get in board.

[@shelbynamels973]

@@maxinewalters Good question. Given the German penchant for paperwork and bureaucracy there prolly is one. Question is, did such a passenger list survive the chaos of the late stages of the war. My best guess is that a copy might have been forwarded to either the shipping company's headquarters, whereever that was, or to the relevant department of the government in charge of Operation Hannibal, the evacuation effort of East Prussia. It would take considerable sleuthing to track down any paperwork connected to the ships voyage.

[@Anonnermoose]

​@@AnyoneCanSee you're trying too hard

[@peregrination3643]

My mom's family is Austrian. I don't think it's just the war role that Germans didn't want to talk about this event or play victim. That generation had the old German tendency to not express too much emotion and stay practical. I would imagine this was more so after surviving the interwar years' depression. Basically a "suck it up and move on" mentality. That said, I'm amazed that after all the shipwreck stories I've heard, this is the first time I've heard of this one.

[@lucasrem]

Germans are not good Storytellers! They try to ignore how bad they are! Still saying Hitler was some Asutrian problem, not theirs... Konigsberg is still a big issue now, why the merkel Stasi bitch in power there? Still mad!

[@sollte1239]

That's not necessarily correct. My grandparents were telling stories about the war and their homevillage when they turned old. For example my grandmother nearly ended up on that ship and she was on another ship near the gustloff while the gustloff sank. She told us how everyone tried to be quiet because they were afraid to end up like the gustloff but that of course babies were crying. Thing is that for example my parents did not want to talk with my grandparents about the war because it simply was not an easy and light topic. I found the book "der Krebsgang" very good. The book is about the sinking of the gustloff and also how it's bad that the children of the old people did not want to talk with their parents about the war.

[@inconnu4961]

@@sollte1239 Grandmothers LOVE to talk and talk and talk some more, even if what they talk about isnt even remotely the truth! Your little example, while interesting & heartwarming, doesnt not negate the previous commenter's point. it was simply one example. Thank you for sharing it, but you didnt contradict.

[@whispermcgaughy7251]

😮 I'd never heard of this.. This is one of my scariest nightmares and biggest fears.. This story should definitely continue to be told..

[@Onora619]

Yeah, I have absolutely zero desire to go on a cruise. You're either gonna get sick because people are gross or drown XD

[@OmmerSyssel]

Yeah right, whining about merciless evil and stupidly stubborn Nazis? Some 2000 soldiers were on this vessel, fleeing the Red Army to support Nazi Germany somewhere else!

[@MsKatze]

Same! I have zero interest in cruises, I'd be playing the Titanic movie in my head the whole time 😬

[@shelbynamels973]

@@MsKatze How about playing the The Poseidon Adventure for a change ??

[@baalnetbek1352]

It's not well known because the winner writes history.

[@ChoppingtonOtter]

I read about this some years ago. I've never met anyone else who knows about it! Most People seem to think the titanic had greatest loss of life and have not even heard of this ship.

[@vercoda9997]

I know there have been many greater losses of life than the Titanic... but yes, I don't think I knew of this one. How awful for those poor people...

[@khaingeieiko8230]

There should be a movie about this one too.

[@captainsquiggles5958]

Do people just assume the sinking of the RMS Titanic had the greatest loss of life because it is the most famous or something? Because there are tons of much more fatal shipwrecks…

[@ulrichschmidt5559]

Interestingly, Titanic isn't even in the "top twenty" with 1500 casualties. During WWII several Japanese, British, German and Russian ships (troop transports as well as refugee ships like the Gustloff) were sunk, each time with several thousand casualties.

[@VoodooDewey69]

History hides a lot of dark secrets,in fact I never knew anything about this tragedy until right now.

[@johnstoddard4692]

Thanks for giving this narration with a sympathetic tone . All too often our media and our general consensus of the German people is absolute and entirely black and white . Hitler was a terrible German , but all Germans were not Hitler, nor are all Germans terrible. Thank you

[@giostisskylas]

Hitler was not German. Adolf Hitler was born in Austria and granted himself German citizenship after 1933.

[@cynthiamcgee4829]

Our dad was stationed in Germany in the 60s and then 70s I had a lot of German friends, they are wonderful people. I even got to help spread honey which most people that do farms will understand and I even got to ride their horses for helping them. And let me tell you there's nothing more comforting than sleeping under a goose down comforter with goose down pillows.

[@knrdvmmlbkkn]

​@@giostisskylas"Hitler was not (...) citizenship after 1933." So he WAS actually German at the time of this sinking?

[@jessh5310]

A survivor lived near me and many years ago we were talking about it. She was (right up to the day she dies) convinced that there were far more than 9000 on board as she stood and watched the ship fill up after the crew stopped counting. There was unhindered loading for alsmost 2 hours after the crew went for their meals. A conservative estimate by her was 14- 18,000. There were as many as 30 people in some cabins made for 2.

[@christianplatzbecker1784]

In a TV Docu say a Crew Member " behind 10000" we stopped the counter and many more people came on board "

[@OmmerSyssel]

Calm down, you clueless exaggerating clown! Germans has throughout researched this incident. Maximum estimates say some 10.000.. There was no room for more people.

[@timecircuits88]

Every life lost should be openly mourned, its irrelevant what 'side' they were on at this point. That's why I respect the makers of the Midway movie, for dedicating it to lives lost by the Americans and the Japanese. That is an act of respect. Thank you for making this video, you are an excellent storyteller

[@berits.2346]

What? Mourn Hitler because he had it tough? Mourn Stalin, Pol Pot or Atatürk? You must be soft in the head...

[@natowaveenjoyer9862]

I cannot think of a WWII faction that deserves *less* respect than the imperial Japanese.

[@natowaveenjoyer9862]

I cannot think of a WWII faction that deserves *less* respect than the imperial Japanese.

[@inconnu4961]

@@natowaveenjoyer9862 We have kissed and made up since then, sweet heart. let it go, bro, just let it go.

[@natowaveenjoyer9862]

@@inconnu4961 ur ghey

[@broken-lycan]

pretty sure that this is the ship one of my grandmothers, her brother and mother almost took but couldn't get onto. they were from prussia and she only ever said that they took another ship and later heard that the one they had originally planned to take sunk.

[@ashleyking6743]

Oh damn that’s so lucky

[@AlexandraVioletta]

My grandmother told me a similar story. Except her father, all family members survived. They were only 5 girls and their mother... They survived the Russians... She was an alcoholic later in life and died from liver failure 1998.

[@sollte1239]

I have the feeling that there were so many refugees that wanted to take the ship because this ship was so well known and there were so many refugees in the town where the ship left from.

[@supergirl0526]

It's so crazy thinking about our ancestors taking these ships across oceans during a war. Sheer bravery

[@michaellosert2285]

This story needs to be told much more. It is so sad that the world does not really know about that terrible disaster. I‘m glad that my mother in law could not enter the Gustloff, because it was already full of people. That saved her life.

[@AnyoneCanSee]

So you either in law is a literal Nazi? That's hilarious.

[@michaellosert2285]

@@AnyoneCanSee what do you mean?

[@user-hk1qn9ue2t]

To all those mourning the "Gustlov", I ask one question - what about the ship "Armenia"?

[@aloisnitschke4083]

My grandma almost went on that ship but her little brother went missing so they missed the ship searching for him

[@AlexandraVioletta]

My grandmother told me that her family (except her father, for reasons) want to go to this ship but the I've missed it, I don't remember why...

[@lucasrem]

did they stay in Konigsberg? are they communist skum now? Both Russia and Germany are still evil and mad!

[@joseybryant7577]

Super late, but did they find her brother?

[@somehaloguy9372]

Damn good thing bro got lost

[@whyjnot420]

I remember the first time I heard about this incident. When the sheer scale of the tragedy was clear, I was simply aghast. If this was the population of my little city it would mean 1 in 5 died....... granted in the overall scope of things the average daily death toll of Sept. 1939 - Aug. 1945 is something like 20k per day even with a more conservative estimate of the only the total deaths caused directly by the war.

[@masonhoover165]

each person in my town would be dead thrice

[@gidi3250]

@@masonhoover165 for my town that would be just below half of its population, if I'm doing the math right my town needs 55k to be classified as a small city and it currently needs about 3k to 4k for that so half of 51k would be around that ballpark.

[@suzannakoizumi8605]

They were nazis. Remember that: murderous nazis.

[@vcscts]

I have a program and a menu from this ship, when it was still a luxury liner. My husband's grandmother was on it.

[@luisito6314]

History is so surreal, like the people on that ship knew there was danger, but no one would've imagined that they would be in a situation like that, like a living nightmare

[@jimmykray9583]

They were already living in a nightmare before they got onto this ship.

[@deepdragon2]

This is history... that deserves to be remembered.

[@donaldzientz9200]

My father was junior officer in the u-boats in school in gydnia Poland. He told me he was supposed to be on that ship, but was chasing a girl and went on another ship instead. Kinda hits home for me.

[@suzannakoizumi8605]

Your father was in a country (Poland) that was brutally conquered by his country (germany). Did he ever make amends? Did he ever try to undo the horrendous deeds of the uboats?

[@donaldzientz9200]

Yes he made the same amends all the other countries did

[@suzannakoizumi8605]

@Donald Zientz the other countries that were INNOCENT of germany's crimes against humanity did not have to make anends. What did he do to make anends? Did he contribute to any Jewish charity in Israel? Did he support orphans in Poland? Did he help to rebuild the places germany destroyed? Did he seek out the widows of US Navy personnel and provide monthly assistance to them? You don't make amends by just walking away from the mess you helped to create. Or did he just regret that nazis lost?

[@jjnich4915]

It terrifies me the sheer number of people who on a whim decided not to take that ship that day and just "go do something else" and that small whim ends up saving your entire future family.

[@inconnu4961]

@@suzannakoizumi8605 You owe this man an apology for making stupid comment, and for embarrassing the rest of us! Do you intend to apologize, and make amends? The war is over sweetpea! The war has been over, and West Germany became a close ally while we were dealing with the soviets. Feel free to grow up whenever its convenient for you!

[@ottosaxo]

People from Northeastern Germany talked a lot about the Wilhelm Gustloff in the first decades after the war, but even more about their very personal war and flight experiences, and most of all about their lost homes. Those were the typical topics whenever the family and relations came together, the usual birthday-stuff. Tears weren't flowing, however. Beers and liquors were drunk, and peanuts and saltsticks were chewed, an the men were smoking, smoking, smoking. A national mourning day each year is still left from those postwar times, called Volkstrauertag, two weeks before the first Advent Sunday. Living in the past and self-pity don't really fit German mentality.

[@grzechu9821]

"Living in the past and self-pity don't really fit German mentality." Yeah, tell that to the AFD.

[@ottosaxo]

@@grzechu9821Believe it or not, the AfD isn't living in the past. Putinism and all its worldwide branches is their inspiration, Orban, PIS, LePen, Trump and so on. And of course, Brexit fascinates all of them. But you are right, nothing but nationalism, hate and international conflicts can result from that spirit.

[@knutarneaakra6013]

A terrible ship accident. My wifes mother was nine years old trying to ascape the russians.she was aboard william gusloff lucky to survive this sinking. She never talked about this experience until her last living year.

[@Quickfire412]

Not enough people talk about this disaster. I learned about this in my History of Germany class in college and it broke my heart.

[@natowaveenjoyer9862]

w*man moment

[@inconnu4961]

@@natowaveenjoyer9862

[@tedthesailor172]

Really? So your heart wasn't already smashed to pieces by the Holocaust then...?

[@MrFlyinghellfish]

@@tedthesailor172Oy vey, but what about us?!??!

[@FJERNSYN49]

@Quickfire412 It was no more a disaster than other deaths during ww2. It was an act of war.

[@JeffreyDeCristofaro]

People are PEOPLE, no matter what side they're on or whatever atrocities they commit during a war. That there were civilian refugees from other nations that weren't even affiliated with the Nazi regime makes it all the more tragic. And it's a far WORSE crime when people try to cover up a tragedy out of cowardice or forget it altogether out of apathy rather than openly acknowledge that it happened to try to prevent similar tragedies in the future. This is not only to Germany what the LUSITANIA was to America, it was mass murder, plain and simple. Simply heartbreaking, and that I'm only learning about it now is even more depressing - it needs more coverage. Thank you for this vid!

[@samsngdevice5103]

This channel constantly amazes me in their ability to cram so much detail into such short 14-minute videos.

[@DrMatey215]

Incredible tale. I'm 65 and this is the first time I ever heard about this.

[@grafkrapfen4906]

My great grandmother and great granddad almost took the ship on this voyage, but missed it by mistake. This mistake turned out to be (probably) their lifesaver. They took the heavy cruiser „Admiral Hipper“ a few days later.

[@SWEETtheMedic]

Must have been a common mistake. My grandfather and his family missed it, too.

[@pete5668]

The Gustloff disaster made the Titanic look like a weekend in Chicago.

[@jamrockreacts9231]

here i thought titanic was the worst

[@TheSourKraut]

According to my great-uncle (my grandmother's younger brother), who was a signal man on the Gustloff and who barely survived, the real story started immediately after the sinking. Many had survived the actual sinking but were trapped at sea, for several days (him included), either in the water or trapped in floating debris, but wet, cold and without food, water or help either way. The rescue was slow and most initial survivors did not make it. Most of the ones who somehow held on to life and eventually made it, found themselves stranded, basically at the northern edge of a country in ruins, with severe health issues from their time in the sea and no medical help. Yet, they started the long walk south/south west to find family or just a safer place. When he finally made it back home, roughly 500 miles away, mostly by foot, he was much closer to death, than life. The rest of his (still long) life he battled the severe physical scars from his ordeal and had to undergo many, many surgeries just to stay alive. (Not to mention the mental scars, which no surgery could repair) From what I heard, we'll never hear the full/real story or know the full extend of this tragedy. One piece of information I remember,is that supposedly the slow speed was intentional to "show the enemy that the Gustloff is NOT a threat, but a humanitarian rescue mission". Unfortunately that failed, and later explorations proved that she was, in fact, carrying more munitions than initially thought. I heard the theory that the overcrowding with civilians was just a ruse to hide that fact. THAT would make this a conscious war crime BY the Germans (and the Russians may well have known about the real cargo)

[@theposeidon6266]

This is almost the same shit about an American cruise ship that was shutdown by a U-boat.. if i spell it correctly, the ship name was Luisitania or something like that..

[@feelsimprovedman2188]

It is a warcrime by the russians first and foremost

[@saucyduckglobalomnihyperme7510]

You're thinking of the Lusitania. The Gustloff was carrying passengers, literally as many as they could pack in there

[@TheSourKraut]

@@saucyduckglobalomnihyperme7510 unfortunately for everybody on board, the Gustloff carried more than just (civilian) passengers. A portion of the cargo was recovered/documented at later years. Many rules that would have made this a true war crime, were broken by the Nazis. Worst: virtually all passengers AND crew had no idea what was on the ship. Or that they were just a cover or decoy to cover the illicit cargo of munitions and wanted military personnel. It was an atrocity that made a shitstorm look like a light summer rain.

[@saucyduckglobalomnihyperme7510]

@@TheSourKraut I would really love to see a source for this

[@1956paterson]

There are some mistakes in this video. Prussians were Germans. East Prussia was part of Germany that was lost to Poland and Russia.

[@Fauxbourg]

Also he called Nazi Germany "socialist", had to stop the video at that point to laugh.

[@1956paterson]

@@Fauxbourg The Nazis used the word “socialist” in the official name of their political party: The National Socialist German Workers Party or the Nationalsozialistische deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP) in an effort to appeal to workers, but the difference lies in the words “national German”. Nazi socialism was not the traditional Marxist class struggle of the workers or proletariat against the bourgeoisie or owners of the means of production. For the Nazis their struggle was not a social class struggle but what they deemed as a racial or ethnic struggle for domination. The Nazis defined “socialism” as a Volksgemeinshaft (people’s community) of ethnically pure Germans struggling against the racially or ethnically impure among them in society and outside of Germany in some bordering countries and beyond these countries. This was not a social economic class struggle, but rather a racial struggle for dominance. Although the means of production was nominally in private hands, the state was the ultimate owner in that the state could seize the assets of the owner not in compliance with Nazi ideology and war policies. This was a state capitalism similar to what exists in Communist China today.

[@jens-kristiantofthansen9376]

@@1956paterson I agree - and this also highlights just how the terminology shouldn't have been used the way it was in this video. The fact is that there were lots of class divisions in Germany at the time, also aside from the ethnic ones, and the narrator goes some way to make his first mention of 'socialism' even worse by expanding on the term socialism in an attempt to demostrate that Germany was socialist in.... exactly the ways in which it wasn't. Nazi Germany was socialist in much the same way that most countries with the word 'Democratic' in their name, live up to that particular part of their label. To be honest, the historical understanding displayed in this video of WWII is bordering on childish. The 'comparison' with Dunkirk also makes no sense in historical context, but is clearly included to try to suggest some sort of parallel where you could compare the evacuation/withdrawal from the East with Dunkirk. They were such different situations in such different circumstances.

[@ysy662]

@@Fauxbourg NSDAP = National SOCIALIST German Workers Party! They were SOCIALIST!

[@ailpaysthebills]

That’s what you guys got from this video?

[@CoraBuhlert]

I don't know why so many Germans claim they don't know about the Wilhelm Gustloff sinking, because I have known about this since I was about ten and saw the 1960 German movie "Nacht fiel über Gotenhafen" (Night Fell on Gotenhafen) on TV (it used to be available to watch on KZbin. Scariest shipwreck movie ever). Plus, my aunt and her family, who were from East Prussia, narrowly avoided boarding the Gustloff and took another ship instead. So even if it was not officially discussed, people knew. Of the many torpedo and bombing attacks on ships in the Baltic Sea towards the end of WWII with huge death tolls, the Gustloff is still the best known, compared to the General von Steuben, the Goya and the Cap Arkona, which killed several thousand people each.

[@emilyspector2728]

They also kept the concentration camps as if it never happened. As a Jew, my ancestors beg to differ, however, they were executed at Dachau. So yes it does exist no matter how they tried to hide it. Same with Japan keeping Pearl Harbor out of history books.

[@OmmerSyssel]

@@emilyspector2728 that's utter nonsense! No Germans are hiding the existence of Concentration Camps. Actually it is still art of their present mind. Still often mentioned and discussed in leading media..

[@strohsternbastler]

@@emilyspector2728 Concentration Camps are not kept out of German history books.

[@johnnylangen2839]

Maybe it is because not all Germans were Born in 1950

[@shootermcgavern2408]

@@emilyspector2728 The Germans ABSOLUTELY teach about the Holocaust. Stop being a bigot and a xenophobe.

[@Idontreallyknowstuff]

I read the novel ‘salt to the sea’ when I was 11 years old and it made such an impression on me! It is so devastating but interesting at the same time and I would really recommend anyone to read that book.

[@searain1573]

It's weird to think that this single shipwreck killed a lot more people than the 9/11 attacks did considering how destructive the 9/11 attacks was. The 9/11 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and this single shipwreck killed an estimated 9,000 people. So this shipwreck killed three times as many people as the 9/11 attacks did.

[@M16_Akula-III]

Why tf are you comparing it to 9/11..

[@charliekezza]

I think it has been long enough and we have hopefully grown to be able to say that there was victims and perpetrators on both sides no matter the winner or loser

[@lemo4739]

Wait what? You’re telling me that during the 6 years of WW2 the German people didn’t uniformly become malicious assholes and everyone fighting against them didn’t automatically become a righteous defender of purity? Well this is news to me…

[@Sanakudou]

Civilians are always (or at least should always be) regarded as victims, it doesn’t matter which country they’re from. Tho I also think all enemy soldiers can’t be condemned simply for being on the wrong side when most ended up there unwillingly in a cruel kill or be killed situation. Soldiers dehumanising the enemy wasn’t always an act of “evil” or “hate” but an essential step for the human mind to be able to cope with what they had to do to stay alive and win, the prevalence of PTSD is further proof that the human mind isn’t built to endure this much human on human violence. War is a messed up thing and it’s definitely too simple to view it as good guys vs bad guys, especially as every side has been guilty of war crimes against each other, involving civilians of enemy nations and prisoners of war. I’m glad that once the wartime propaganda fades it seems most people are able to look back at these events with unbiased clarity.

[@charliekezza]

@@Sanakudou that's not what our history teachers want us to believe sadly

[@jakeflint4018]

@@Sanakudou war is mostly closeted homosexual men who want to go and stay with a bunch of dudes and kiss all night

[@DadJeff-jo7pm]

Ain't that the truth!

[@jemmabean]

That sponsorship lead-in was gruesome. Interesting topic though.

[@whoohaaXL]

Yeah nobody wanted to talk about the priceless works and work that were also on that ship!

[@jemmabean]

@@whoohaaXL ... okaaaaay...? that's a point to be made but I'm unsure for whom you are making it

[@whoohaaXL]

@@jemmabean well I was intending it toward you because I wasn't sure if you knew that there were a lot of rumors of works of art including the famed Amber room that was supposedly smuggled on that ship. But I do agree that the lead into the ad was pretty abrupt 😂

[@jemmabean]

@@whoohaaXL huh, neat. :)

[@SRW_]

I thought it was pretty insensitive. But people gotta make money some how

[@sr633]

The Wilhelm Gustloff was inactive as far as leaveing it's dock just before her last voyage. Her engine needed repairs. She was not as fast as her old days. One torpedo struck the empty swimming pool where many nurses were sleeping. Quite a few German Officers used their rank to push by others to gain a place on board.

[@emusaurus]

And soon after, the swimming pool was full again

[@melanielouise635]

I read 'Salt to the sea' a few years ago, and I remember being so shocked that I'd never heard of the Wilhelm Gustloff sinking before. A truly heartbreaking book, but I'd totally recommend reading it. This disaster should definitely be spoken about more... a huge historical event where so many innocent people lost their lives- they deserve to be remembered.

[@merrimacksacoproductions4497]

I’d recommend ‘Deadwake’ about the Lusitania, it’s another fascinating read about a historical wartime ship disaster. Also, the Empress of Ireland, the Atlantic, the Arctic, and the Eastland are all tragic but intriguing disasters that just aren’t talked about enough given their significance to maritime safety.

[@gibraltersteamboatco888]

The Soviet hospital ship Armenia. Sunk on 7 November 1941 by German aircraft while evacuating civilians and wounded soldiers from Crimea. It has been estimated that approximately 5,000 to 7,000 people were killed during the sinking.

[@devonedesign]

My dad’s family (and him as a toddler) were supposed to be on that ship - they had tickets - but it was too full.

[@lucasrem]

Did they stay in Konigsberg? Are they communist freaks now?

[@F.R.E.D.D2986]

A reason why Titanic became so famous was also because the ships of that time were seen as really safe, and it was unthinkable to most people that a ship of Titanic's size would sink

[@jimmykray9583]

And because it wasn’t sank during war like this one, this was a wartime disaster that’s why it’s overlooked.

[@fredrichenning1367]

Finally, people can learn about the most tragic sinking that ever took place. Remember that 6,000 children were NOT the enemy.

[@infinitecanadian]

There weren't that many children.

[@Sleepy_head64]

​@@infinitecanadianunfortunately enough there was around 5000 most of which lost their lives which is really sad

[@infinitecanadian]

@@Sleepy_head64 I cannot find any information that this is correct. One thing is for sure: the ship was definitely a legitimate target.

[@BloodRavenSkull]

@@infinitecanadian If that ship was a legitimate target, then so was the Lusitania.

[@infinitecanadian]

@@BloodRavenSkull That may be so, but I must ask: what does the Lusitania have to do with this?

[@mischarowe]

People need to understand that it's OKAY to mourn the loss of human life. No matter who is friend or foe.

[@jdlamb4212]

Why mourn for people you didn't know existed til this video? Seems kind of disingenuous.

[@mischarowe]

@@jdlamb4212 Only if you're the kind of person who doesn't care about others.

[@markosmywords9202]

@@jdlamb4212 I'm confused. How are you supposed to mourn people without knowing they exist?

[@jdlamb4212]

@@markosmywords9202 you don't need to mourn everyone you hear about who dies. Hey there was a bus crash today. 12 people died. Cry about it.

[@markosmywords9202]

@@jdlamb4212 I mean, you don't NEED to mourn everyone you hear about who dies. Just like how you don't need to be nice to everyone you meet. Just because you don't have to do something, doesn't mean you shouldn't. It's just a respectful thing to do.

[@beelzebub248]

My grandma and her family were on the sister ship of the Gustlofd, the Ley whilst the Gustloff was sunk. My great grandpa however thought that they were on the Gustloff. Because he couldn’t imagine living without his family, he hang himself. That sinking was truly horrific. Edit: I did some more asking around in my family and I am now fairly convinced that they were not on the ley but a random ship.

[@TaterChip91]

Wait... 1:45 there were 22 life boats, which could carry approximately 70 people each. So thats 1,540 people potentially saved. 10:33 "The ship carried life boats for 5,000 people." Someone's math ain't adding up here...it would take 71 lifeboats to save 5,000 people.

[@ekstat1c]

They stored more lifeboats on board the ship. The ship could only hoist 22 lifeboats at a time. Also they were missing a huge chunk of their crew to help with the evacuation. I hope this clarifies things.

[@matthewzulauf4405]

It didn't even sail with all 22, only 12 were operational. There were additional life-rafts, but we can assume many were not utilized since much of the crew who would have been responsible for deploying them tried to save themselves first. I don't think there was a chance 5,000 people were making it off that boat.

[@RiftWalker111]

Thank you for telling us this story, may they Rest In Paradise.

[@spooders8424]

Happy to see attention being brought to this overlooked tragedy

[@m3gAnac0nda]

Tragedy? Lol

[@jimmykray9583]

It’s overlooked because it was a wartime disaster.

[@av4l4rion]

While the Gustloff was a legal way to leave East prussia, a few months earlier it was actually not allowed for the people to leave their homes and flee to Germany. Of course, they however started to escape. Some of them with waggons and horses. Because East Prussia was separated from Germany by about 100 kilometers, they had to go over the icy baltic Sea, where many were shot by Russians or break through the ice and died. Also some of the Soldiers ignored their orders and helped the people to escape. There were for example many Submarines which evacuated refugees despite there was hardly enough space for the crew.

[@revmo37]

First off. Love your channel ! Your story selection, research, and narration is as good as any station on YT. Also, Isn't that Pete Townsend from The Who holding the artwork at 4:53 of the video ? Thank you for posting

[@baronvonjo1929]

Lots of people were crushed in the panic in the stairways. The vast majority of these were women, children, sick, and elderly. If you ever been on a cruise ship imagine triple the capacity of the ship and then plunged into darkness. And the torpedoes hit the crew area in the bow. The swimming pool hosting women auxiliary soldiers who were ripped apart by the ceramics of the pool and only 2 escaped and then the engine room. Workers climbed out of the funnel. The ships boats were all frozen against the davits. And by the end for a unknown reason the all the lights aboard turned on before her final moments lighting the whole sky. It's hard to find accurate info on everything but that's what I have found on multiple sources but maybe it's wrong. 12:30 All those ships right there also had thousands of casualties. The Cap Arocona always interested me. It had thousands of POWs and the RAF bombed without knowing burning thousands of their own soldiers and peolle from other nations alive. The ship rolled over and ended up drifting onto a beach. Bodies washed up until the 1950s. Lots of cool but morbid pictures of it.

[@Syclone0044]

Interesting comment but badly in need of editing. “The swimming pool hosting women auxiliary soldiers”??

[@yowtfputthemaskbackon9202]

triple is putting it lightly. for the gustloff it was more along the lines of 7 times more than intended capacity.

[@OmmerSyssel]

@@yowtfputthemaskbackon9202 nonsense! 1471 allowed passengers and 424 crew members. Max estimated 10.000 were on board...

[@bobcatbigpaws5597]

I can't imagine trying to take care of that many people on a boat or how they got that many people on a boat. The first time I read about this I couldn't imagine the horror of those people and children that died.

[@joylinjoseph2153]

Thanks for sharing this story. This story needs to be shared more.

[@gdnd_7484]

I've been interested in this ship recently and now it appeared

[@Paranormalin416]

Remember in the movie, Captain America, when the doctor says “so many people forget that the first country Hitler invaded was his own“, sadly, that’s very true, the mob, mentality ruled, anybody who went against him was more than just shunned, they were killed and tortured, I know that Because part of my bloodline is German, I have relatives that died in the war, not from fighting, but from not wanting to be a part of Hitler’s evil regime. They were literally lined up and shot dead in front of her huge crowd. The people on that ship were innocent victims, nobody chose to be part of this war, it was forced on them, they may have toted, the party line, but only because they had no choice. This is a matter of pure fact, please remember that, these are human beings, not monsters, the monsters were the people, following Hitler, the truth is much of his own country did not approve of his methods, but most didn’t dare go against him for fear of being killed, bear that in mind, my ancestors died just because they had integrity.

[@AmericanMike815]

Amazing story....thank you for posting!

[@MrHeroicDemon]

Thank you! this was great, need tons more of videos like these man. Keep at it, love the work, it's like doing a video of periodic table of elements, one element at a time, until its over, but there are millions of terrible events, so keep at it. Short 10min documentry very well put, beginning middle to end. This is what makes history great, I hope videos like these go into history classes for short lessons. (I recently had a teacher use Steve Mould to explain Entropy lmao)

[@hksp]

dude, captain Alexander Marinesko sunk another german ship 11 days later with 4500 casualty , totaling him with about 13000 kills

[@jerromedrakejr9332]

Absolute "recorder" was Paul Tibbets with over 300.000 kills...

[@OmmerSyssel]

A heroic effort to stop the insane Nazis! Honour to his memory 🙏🏻

[@beechcraftkingair3799]

@@OmmerSyssel hello fellow “White” person

[@timetravelingshark8811]

@@OmmerSyssel Imagine thinking murdering thousands of innocent civilians, many of them women and children, is a "win." You are a soulless, inhuman, sociopathic freak.

[@jimmykray9583]

@@OmmerSyssel5k innocent women and children are not nazis

[@slovibesx188]

this video was so sad yet so informative... you should cover the hindenburg!

[@P_RO_]

Before the internet, the story of the Wilhelm Gustloff and Cap Arcona was almost unknown here in the USA, and the General Von Stuben and Goya are still very obscure. One of the greatest man-made tragedy's to have ever happened, and yet we still have not learned that the price of war is always heavily paid for by those who did not wage war.

[@flanncakes]

Fantastic video, my only suggestion is maybe be a bit more blunt on the ad transition instead of trying to find ways to weave it into the narrative. Like, "and with our scene set, a word from our sponsors" if they require it to be in the middle of the video as I know a lot do. It'd make it a bit less awkward lol

[@jesterjd7127]

Holy shit your channel grew quick af, I remember when you had 20k, congrats on 100k

[@injusticeanywherethreatens265]

...War is hell...

[@F.R.E.D.D2986]

For anyone who wants more background: By 1945, the Germans in the East had been pushed into Poland, with the Soviets establishing a beachhead across the Vistula. The year before, in 1944, the German Wehrmact had been shattered in Operation Bragation, and Operation Overlord. What little strength their nation had left had been destroyed in these operations. On January 12th, the German army against the Skviets where exhausted, under equipped, under strength, undermanned, untrained, they had no fuel and were starving. On January 12th, 1945, the Soviets started the Vistula-Oder offensive. Ripping through the territory of Poland and East Prussia with stunning speed. Seriously, they went 300km in 3 weeks. The battle of Konigsberg began in mid January, and by the 30th January, Wilhelm Gustloff was sent out and sunk by the Soviet submarine

[@matthewstec3026]

Great video!

[@Ro6entX]

The extra spooky thing is I don’t think any bodies have been found or remain in areas not accessible to divers. I heard the stories of Russians (or someone at least) messing with the wreck or something among those lines.

[@None-zc5vg]

The sinking of the British liner "Lancastria" during the 1940 'Dunkirk' evacuation cost some 4,000 lives including troops and civilians: the sinking was covered-up at the time by a 'D-Notice' which is still in force until 2040..

[@marklammas2465]

That notice should be lifted, now.

[@deejayimm]

I always congratulate anyone who makes content about this. It is absolutely unbelievable how many people have no idea. It seems like most people sincerely believe the Titanic is the worst ship sinking in history.. A successful military officer with an alcohol problem? Gee, I freaking wonder why.....

[@emmanuelpower2439]

Very informative. Thank you.

[@gervanwilliams1409]

What’s amazing is that we often talk about the Lusitania and other civilian ships sunken by German Uboats, taking countless lives. The truth is that it also happened on the other side.

[@OmmerSyssel]

Of course military targets were taken out. The Red Army were fighting megalomaniac Nazis, who denied to stop their insane murdering!

[@gervanwilliams1409]

@@OmmerSyssel you did understand the point I was making, right? Civilian deaths at sea occurred on both sides of the war.

[@lucasrem]

Germans are not great storytellers, they say Hitler was not their problem, Austrian problem! Germans try to ignore history, and still need a wall to protect Europe! Merkel is a Stasi clown, why the Stasi in power?

[@kateemma22]

As touched in this video at the end, Germans are not eager to talk about their WW2 victims, and it's a mindset they've carried since the war ended and to this day. I've spoken personally to people that were in the Nazi party and lived during that time and they will talk about divided Germany and everything after 1945 but before they'll just shake their heads or change the subject. There is a lot of 'we deserved it' in the mindset there which is heartbreaking. We are nearing the end of people that were alive in those days and soon everyone that saw pre-1945 in person will be gone. It's going to be peaceful for Germany to let that time period remain only history, including for the people that lived during those days to finally get some peace from their personal tragedies, and maybe when that happens we'll be able to talk about the fact that the victims of Nazi Germany included the Germans that the NSDAP pretended to represent.

[@gervanwilliams1409]

@@kateemma22 Great insight. Thank you for the comment. It must have been a social tragedy for those Germans who did not agree with what was happening, but kept their heads down. I only wish Hollywood was not so singular-focused when they depict WWII. Hearing true stories from real people is definitely a benefit I wish we all could experience.

[@stevepunter3704]

I’ve never heard of this tragedy before, thanks for enlightening me and keeping history alive 👍.

[@brookelynnenewcomer943]

I had a funny feeling they used that boat as a way to diverge the target to them. That why they went so slow and in deep water. So the higher ups could get away.

[@tofucanmakeyourgaysonpregnant]

The sinking of Wilhelm Gustloff was a disaster, a TERRIBLE disaster, but not a war crime

[@YanestraAgain]

Some details appear not rendered correctly to me, but you get my upvote anyway hoping for more historic stories in the future.

[@DarkRecordsDocs]

oh snap, which part?

[@SmDJeremy]

Did you say... "on that faithful day"? Lol

[@shootermcgavern2408]

@no The Nazis: Nationalists Socialist's Workers Party. It's literally in their name. lolz The Nazis confiscated all the guns, nationalized all schools, gave out universal healthcare... But no you're right. Not socialists at all. Lolz

[@leigha2814]

@no assuming our host had American education and thinks socialism and fascism are the same, and thinks only jewish people were killed in the holocaust. Meanwhile there are people in the comments straight up confessing that their nazi officer grandaddy or whatever was supposed to be on the boat but he was too busy aping girls in Poland. Terrible tragedy what happened to the fleeing civilians, but maybe more blame should be placed at the feet of the nazis using them as human shields.

[@argumentum-ad-absurdum]

@@leigha2814 go easy on the crack pipe brother

[@dangoldbach6570]

I knew the kriegsmarine radio operator who received the transmission that the Wilhelm had been torpedoed. The first torpedo hit at 8:56pm. She remembered that clearly because it was before her shift change at 9:00 PM. Her name was Hanni Goochee. She was conscripted when she called the local official in her town a Nazi pig. Not everyone in Germany was supporting Hitler. She also told me that the Deutschland, the Tielbeck, and the Cap Arcona were full of refugees and were all attacked by British spitfires AFTER Germany fell, they were terrified of the Russian army and were fleeing, the ships had zero military value. Their only crime, disobeying an order to remain in port. Funny how that story is never talked about either. Or even worse, the Hipper, which was attacked and sunk while berthed IN port. That one got left out of the papers too, I guess reports of allies murdering civilians wouldn't play out too well back home. Don't kid yourself, the allies were just as brutal as the Nazis in that war. History looks a little different when you hear it from the other side. The sick truth is the people who suffer the most from war usually had nothing to do with starting it.

[@dovetonsturdee7033]

Cap Arcona was sunk by Hawker Typhoons, on 3 May, 1945. Before Germany surrendered. You have a problem with sinking an enemy heavy cruiser simply because it was in port?

[@dangoldbach6570]

@@dovetonsturdee7033 my friend in the kriegsmarine did. At that time Germany was losing and everyone knew it. Brutality was on both sides. Like I said before, history looks a little different when you hear it from the other side. War is hell. There were a lot of things that didn't need to happen. She believed that was one of those things. After hearing about it from her, I think a little differently about it too. Also, to be clear, the Cap Arcona was a passenger ship that was full of concentration camp prisoners. Not Nazis. Look it up.

[@dovetonsturdee7033]

@@dangoldbach6570 I know about Cap Arcona, and who were aboard. However, I have never heard any suggestion that the allies knew any of this. Was your friend aboard Hipper when she tried, usually unsuccessfully, to intercept convoys in the Atlantic or the Arctic?

[@dangoldbach6570]

@@dovetonsturdee7033 she was in port and saw the bombed out hull. She also told me that at the end of the war the Germans were using kids as young as 12 to fill in and they were aboard. I have zero reason to doubt her. The pain in her face as she told me that cannot be faked.

[@dovetonsturdee7033]

@@dangoldbach6570 A warship in port doesn't suddenly become any less of a target.

[@JuliusCaesar888]

A certain group has ensured that these people are never remembered.

[@member5488]

Alexander Marinsesko, the captain of S-13 also sunk the General von Steuben which added another 4000 casualties to his credit. I believe he is the submarine captain responsible for the most deaths in history. He maybe well be the captain responsible for the most deaths, period.

[@annabellelee4535]

Actually no, the USS Tang destroyed 4x as many ships while commanded by Cap't O'Kane, and she did it all in one year. He was also XO of the USS Wahoo before Tang. USS Wahoo had a decent kill record as well.

[@member5488]

@@annabellelee4535 I doubt those ships had anywhere near 14,300 people aboard combined, as many were just cargo ships that wouldn't even have 100 man crews.

[@annabellelee4535]

@@member5488 Don't be so sure.

[@OmmerSyssel]

Raging war on innocent countries has consequences, especially when denying to stop the senseless destruction! W. Gustloff carried at least 2000 uniformed soldiers making it a legitimate military target.

[@aaronlimeuchin7352]

@@OmmerSyssel "innocent countries"? Then why about those German children with their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins on that ship, dead? Are they not civilians as well? Or is it because in your feeble mind, you think they are subhumans who deserved death because they are indoctrinated with the so called Nazi values? Or is it because German civilians deserve death because Hitler disgard the international law on war? Do not go justify everything as black and white. Yes, it was a period of war where both civilians and soldiers died, but this was a murder of thousands of civilians and soldiers as refugees on a refugee ship in broad daylight. You are giving a rubbish excuse to justify such blatant atrocity done by a drunken Soviet submariner.

[@giovanni_7191]

I've read about this story a long time ago. It's a very nice documentary. Only one thing: Except from Poland, the rest 5 countries you mentioned in the end were not exactly neutrals: Prussia is/was German like Austria. Latvians and Estonians are said to hunt Jews before Ww2 began; when the Germans approached, they said "we've already cleaned the area". (I don't know if Lithuania is also included). Even worse it goes for the Croatians: they took the side of the Germans and they really slaughtered the Serbians. The had an infamous concentration camp called Jasenovac, and when the Germans went to see how they operated it they were appalled (!) from what they saw and told them not to be so cruel... That's why the later civil war had so much hatred in it.

[@rustyshackelford3371]

I want to know how much a Russian has to drink for other Russians to court-martial him for his "alcohol problem."

[@jimmykray9583]

I was thinking the same 🤣

[@funbricks1]

I was physically REPULSED when I saw you used Titanic II as the Titanic

[@lsixty30]

Great nuanced take at the end.

[@lovelight6973]

Wow I've never heard about this. I have been meaning to read Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepety. I didn't really know what it was about. Thanks for doing a video on this definitely going to look into this morning. For something of such epic proportions of loss still surprised in 2022 we haven't heard about this much.

[@sophiewells7318]

ugh i’m not much of a reader at all anymore but salt to the sea is amazing

[@Itried20takennames]

Obviously, at the time (end of WW 2 and the full discovery of the concentration camps horrors) there wasn’t a lot of interest, plus it was complicated by Germany’s history with U-boats and the many drown in their attacks, but agree that by now, it’s definitely time it was better known. .

[@bemusedbandersnatch2069]

That's how I learned about it. It's worth the read.

[@purcascade]

Excellent book.

[@lr8786]

This sounds like the titanic. I can't imagine what 9000 people even looks like

[@jaimetrevino9244]

Imagine 100-500 million dead by the hands of communism.

[@TheLenaweeTrekker]

The question raised is a good one. Yes, give the facts of what happened regarding this event in history, and let people decide. Hiding historical events will not change them, but knowing those events may well prevent us from finding ourselves doing the same thing again.

[@koryabel6319]

Your respect for all sides is admirable

[@mzrcnn]

Oh My God ! Sadly, the video is showing a totally wrong departure port on the map @ 0:51 , showing Pillau (now Baltiysk) instead of Gdynia, but fortunately, @ 7:54 that minor flaw at least gets corrected. Secondly, construction started on 04 August 1936. Not in 1933 as pretended @ 3:37 Thirdly, @ 12:36 SS Cap Arcona definitely did NOT sink during Operation Hannibal, neither with German refugees from East Prussia aboard, but was bombed by the RAF when she was immobilized with about 7,500 prisoners from the Neuengamme concentration camp aboard, of which about 6,400 were unnecessarily killed by the British. The ship was a temporary concentration camp !!! That's not just a minor flaw in this video. Fourthly, @ 14:36 the narrator carefully omits to mention the first two waves of attack during the bombing of Dresden flown by the Royal Air Force, and tells us exclusively about the third and last wave by US war planes. And finally, @ 14:49 there had been thousands of concentration camp prisoners from countries which Hitler had invaded on the Cap Arcona, whilst only a tiny handful of foreign nationals died during the Gustloff tragedy. So what is so SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT with the Gustloff ? Well, there were of course much less foreign nationals aboard than suggested in the video, whilst the Gustloff was indeed a military ship during war time, transporting military personal when she got torpedoed whilst ALSO used in the evacuation of civilians, and so she was indeed a legitimate target for the Soviet submarine. Yes, truth is unpleasant and can hurt us, as much as I feel for the many innocent civilians who died in this tragedy. Why these unnecessary errors when accurate information is easily available ? Whitewashing the Germans as they're allies now ? Re-writing history ? Reluctant to admit the brutal war crimes by the Royal Air Force, which didn't have any consequences and received absolution, whilst happily pointing the finger at the Russians ? Just wondering, it's 2022. War is terrible, but we should not abuse history for propaganda purposes. And I still wonder which @ 15:00 alleged "Prussians" were aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff ? And which imaginary country 'Prussia' Hitler might have invaded ? Those were Germans !!! And most of the other alleged nationalities were Volksdeutsche, i.e. ethnic Germans. After all, this is indeed Dark History which has little to nothing to do with the true events of that time. That's sad.

[@paixeon8816]

I guarentee this guy has better things to do than make up countries he probably just looked up some quick and easy sources that included that stuff

[@Kaidhicksii]

The sinking of the Gustloff is a very sensitive tale given the political climate that was present at the time. Nonetheless, stories like these must be told, and I think I'll make an attempt to tell it at some point as part of my list of liner stories, The Steamship Series.

[@dimebagdave77]

🔥Thanks🔥

[@richardkeilig4062]

Yes, this tragedy must be remembered.

[@momokawashima9464]

Regardless of your opinion of the war and of the Germans in general, it should be noted that a grand majority of the people who were slain that day were civilians, and likely few of them, especially at this point, cared much for nazi-ism or its ideals. International law or not, the intentional killing of civilians should always be considered a war crime. Just as the Lusitania attack in World War I was. This is one of the many forgotten war crimes of World War II, and one of the few that is known to have been committed by the allies in WWII. War is a messy business, and unfortunately everybody gets their hands very dirty, very quickly. Not even the good guys are immune from the animosity that we all posses in our very animalistic DNA. For those who want to know more of this tragedy, there is an excellent, although dated, documentary of the tragedy. Which gives an updated death toll of over 10,000 people, which the documentary points out is more killed than the Titanic sinking, the Lusitania sinking, and the entire Pearl Harbor attack combined, multiplied by a factor of 3. Something else that is not well known is some years after the sinking the Soviets revisited the wrecksite and destroyed as much of the ship as they could before it became protected by international laws as a war grave. As if trying to cover up the crimes they had committed on that day. The wreck is virtually unrecognizable and is a huge danger to those who are lucky enough to be permitted to dive on it.

[@OmmerSyssel]

That's a plain lie, which (only) Neonazis are busy spreading! Fact is, Gustloff were under way as a military vessel. Transporting soldiers, marine personnel along with civilians. Lanterns were not on and no Red Cross showed. The Russian submarine sank a legitimate military target, never mind what Nazi lovers are happy to tell, displaying cheating Nazi as victims.

[@mzrcnn]

@@OmmerSyssel You hit the nail ! She was a military vessel. Also keep in mind the other side of that lie serving to whitewash the Nazis. Interestingly, nobody in the West is ever talking about SS Armenia, a Soviet hospital ship sunk by Nazi German aircraft on 07 November 1941 in the Black Sea. 5,000 - 7,000 dead (exact numbers unknown just as later in 1945), wounded Red Army soldiers and thousands of civilians fleeing Crimea during the German advance. Ever heard western media talking about the many millions of Soviet civilians fleeing their homes when the Nazis first came to THEIR country in order to kill or enslave them? Poor democratic peace-loving Germans. Get ready for WWIII. BJ urgently wants it, JB & UvdL as well.

[@bemusedbandersnatch2069]

Really? I was under the impression that part of the issue was that the Gustloff wasn't marked as a hospital ship or any other kind of "off-limits to war crimes" kind of boat, in part because it absolutely did have military personnel on it. Mind you, at that point in the war I'm not sure the Soviets would've really cared if it was civilian only but still.

[@mzrcnn]

@@bemusedbandersnatch2069 Yep. The Gustloff was a floating barrack, and she had been used by the 2nd U-boot-Lehr-Division of the Navy, a training unit for future U-boat officers and those 918 sailors actually got evacuated, and they were scheduled to go into combat after their arrival in Kiel. That was the primary purpose of the voyage. In addition to those officer candidates, there were about 1,500 other male soldiers, among them 162 wounded, and 340 female auxiliary Navy staff (volunteers) aboard, a total of 2,500 - 3,000 military personal. The actual capacity of the ship in peace times was 1471 passengers. The estimated up to 8,000 civilian refugees - nobody truly knows the number - were only additional payload. In modern propaganda terminology we would say they were 'human shields', and the Soviets easily accepted collateral damage on a military ship. She only served briefly as a hospital ship in 1940 during the Norway campaign, as was painted as a such in white, and the funnel with a big red cross. But she got re-painted for her new service in the ordinary navy gray in early 1941.

[@mrsmerily]

@@bemusedbandersnatch2069 we now now very well that lusitania was not "so called" civil ship as well tho... having weapons on the board so it is really similar case with both.

[@C2K777]

For all those discussing how amazing it was he brought his knife. He wasn't the only with a knife so whilst his knife might have helped it wasn't he alone who saved the day. Unfortunately I'd go further to say this is an 'embellished' story for reasons i'll explain. Lifeboats are connected to davits by heavy ropes on either end back then. If there was only his knife then the result of cutting the rope at one end would be, lets say the bow end, falling free and tipping down into a vertical position when the stern end rope that would still be attached bites. This would plunge those aboard into the water with varying results. Further even brand new the blade on a Swiss Army Knife is fairly small and the metal used has always been designed for longevity not highly effective cutting ability. It would likely take a grown man 15-20 minutes, if not longer, to cut through one rope at which time the aforementioned carnage would ensue. Even if they reacted the second the 1st torpedo hit( unlikely due to their lack of knowledge & understanding to their surroundings) then you have to factor in that they had to make their way through the other frightened passengers, his mother fell down several flights of stairs so with time taken getting to the stairs initially, her falling and somehow not being knocked unconscious or breaking a limb/ her back, getting back up the stairs, getting to the front of a disorganised, panicking and likely aggressive crowd then securing their place on the lifeboat it's debatable if there would've been time to hack through said rope with his pocket knife. As useless and catastrophic as that would've been. Sorry to be the one to say it but I think this is a case of this story being invented by him in his head as a way of him as a child to deal with the severe trauma it caused something like 'I did something to save lot's of people so there is a positive from all the bad in my case' would be an understandable & predictable action created in his subconscious initially to protect him/ his brain from a catastrophic breakdown and to mitigate further metal health impacts from 'survivor syndrome'. Then over time it became a thing and I've no doubt he probably genuinely believes it was him and his trusty Swiss Army Knife alone that saved the day and all those people. I don't think his story was invented maliciously, just the opposite and I certainly wish him no ill. To the point that I hope he never happens across this comment as I think he should die still believing his story to be true. He was a young boy with no responsibility for the war and whether his country started the war or not he is by all definitions an innocent civilian casualty & one that experienced something that would be horrific and incredibly hard to deal with mentally for a war hardened soldier or sailor let alone a 10 year boy.

[@6z0]

What a waste of a novel comment. Buddy, the lifeboat was resting in the water. Meaning if one rope was cut, the lifeboat would not tip. Lmao, I still can’t believe you wrote this entire thing.

[@C2K777]

@@6z0 Even if that was the case, it wasn't as per his own story, the ship sank in less time than a grown adult would be able to cut through a sodden rope of that size. So I mean there's that awkward fact in the way eh

[@sarge420]

Phenomenal history that I never realized.

[@lancevangen6485]

Dosen't matter who was on the boat, RIP to all.

[@ashleyking6743]

So I’m confused. At the 2 mins mark we are told that there was 22 life boats that can hold 70 people each which comes too 1540 but then at 10 mins you say there was life boats for 5000 people which would be 71.4 boats. So which is it because that’s a huge difference

[@isabellind1292]

IKR?! The minute a podcaster puts out the wrong information, I won't watch anything else they have to say because I can't be sure they get it right in any story they're telling. (There are too many podcasters who do this).

[@jdeedee5097]

I agree, get ur shit straight

[@yowtfputthemaskbackon9202]

@@isabellind1292 the story as he tells it is mostly right. he does get a bit confused about lifeboats and the capacity of the ship. the gustloff was terrifically overcrowded considering it's intended for just about 1400 passengers. the generally accepted death toll is 9343, the gustloffs passengers in total counted around the 10 000 marker. with all boats, they had a seat for just about 1 in 7 people on board. that is if they had all lifeboats. ultimately, with how few boats actually launched, they had a seat in a lifeboat for every 1 in 20 passengers. it also should be noted that the animation he shows of the ship heavily listing when the lights go out is wrong. the lights went out almost immediately after the third torpedo struck, at which point the ship wasn't listing that badly yet.

[@terminallydrunk1900]

god dam its Wilhelm Gustloff week is it lol. so many making vids about it. i do think urs is the best though. very imformative about its previous histroy which many gloss over.

[@cwavt8849]

You just earned yourself a sub