February 28, 2020 ▸ Disaster, History, War & Conflict

Episode 459: The MV Wilhelm Gustloff: Hitler’s Titanic

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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-themselves-during-the-trip-to-sea-by-singing-and-dancing-as-the-ship-leaves-tilbury-essex-april-10-1938