Wilhelm Gustloff - World War II

Today will be a little different.  I will share several documentaries from World War II on one of deadliest shipwrecks in history: Wilhelm Gustloff.  I heard of the Wilhelm Gustloff from my pre-calculus teacher, Mr. Shiffer and was shocked to see that it was the biggest wreck.  I like learning about shipwrecks and not just the Titanic.

This ship was built by the Nazis and it was used to reward good workers with a cruise.  During World War II the Navy commandeered the ship for barracks for U-boat crews.  It sat at Anchor in Poland for the duration of the war.  Eventually it was the ship where thousands of refugees placed their hope in escape in before finally becoming their tomb.

The Wilhelm Gustloff story served as inspiration for Ruta Sepetys: Salt to the Sea.  You can purchase it on Amazon.  If you use that book in an English class, then I would recommend that you show your class a documentary about the shipwreck to enhance the reading experience.

World's Deadliest Shipwreck
The World's Deadliest Shipwreck was the Wilhelm Gustloff, it was sunk towards the end of World War II by a Soviet Submarine.  The survivors of this shipwreck were pushed aside as more pressing manners came to the forefront as well as the need to forget how Germany behaved during the war.  With the end of the war, since it was German ship, nobody didn't care they were German victims of a shipwreck since the atrocities of the Holocaust came out.  Now the remaining survivors are telling their tale as computer science answers the question how can so many people die in one night?

You can check out the video link here.

I would recommend that a teacher show this documentary in a classroom.

Sea of Death
Divers explore the shipwrecks of three refuge ships that were sunk at the end of World War II.  These ships were sunk by Soviet torpedoes and killed over 20,000 people over the course of several nights.  They were the Stueben, Goya and the Wilhelm Gustloff.  The divers check the condition of the wrecks.  Now the survivors of these wrecks are finally able to tell their stories after decades of silence.

If you need a filler for a class or to have available for the sub then show this documentary.

Available on YouTube

Last Voyage of the Wilhelm Gustloff
This is a National Geographic documentary on the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff.  The refugees were fleeing from vengeful Soviets.  Some refugees captured and sent to Siberia.  They go to the people who survived the Gustloff sinking.  The Gustloff was torpedoed by a Soviet submarines.  For those who manage to climb onto a raft it soon became a life and death struggle.

The story of the refugees was heartbreaking as well as a the story of the children who died with their feet sticking up above the water due to the life vests.

Available on YouTube

The Sea Hunters - Wilhelm Gustloff
The Sea Hunters, lead by Author Clive Cussler explore the wreck of the Wilhelm Gustloff and tell this forgotten story of World War II.  There were suggestions as to why this tragedy was forgotten.  The intention of this mission was to find, document and publish their findings about the wreck.

If you wanted a second option for a documentary to show to a class, this would be on my list as a recommendation.

Available on YouTube