Please note:  This is NOT an attempt to demean or disrespect any of the fine resources below (we are thankful for the efforts made in making them available to us).  The purpose is to ensure that facts are as accurate as possible and to point out any inconsistencies that may need to be resolved in the future.  Of course, this website is not immune from scrutiny, and will record our own inaccuracies below and promptly update content.

On an another important note, many different resources quote many different numbers (or number ranges) for the death toll from the sinking.  This website generally accepts the findings of the recent Discovery Channel project involving numerous experts in the field with the help of computer simulation.  Because we will never know the actual number on board, unless a source quotes an unreasonably low or high estimate, it will not be noted in this section as being inconsistent or incorrect.

• Unsolved History - Wilhelm Gustloff  Discovery Channel (TV)
• The 3-D models used in computer animation of the sinking sometimes display the Lazarettschiff D (hospital ship) appearance including red cross markings.  The Gustloff was painted naval grey at the time of its sinking.

• Killer Submarine  History Channel (TV)
• Some of the stock film clips intended to be within Soviet submarine S-13 clearly display sailors with German U-boat uniforms.
• Author Norman Polmar claims the ship was “from the outset intended as a military transport”.  This is unlikely.  Many, including shipbuilder Blohm & Voss and this website dispute this theory as the Gustloff’s top speed was considered rather low for such a task.  It is more plausible that it may have been considered as a potential hospital ship (a role it conducted for roughly one year at the beginning of the war).  Regardless, the Gustloff had a very important role in the KdF (Strength through Joy) organization that was central to Nazi ideology during the period leading up to World War II.  See Shelley Baranowski's book Strength through Joy for a much more detailed understanding.

• The Cruelest Night  Dobson, Miller, Payne (Book)
• Incorrectly states that the Gustloff never served as a Hospital Ship.
• Has Dr. Ley's first name as Richard instead of Robert.
• Misspells the last name of VP-1703 Petty Officer Werner Fick (it appears as Fisch in the book)

• The Damned Don’t Drown  A.V. Sellwood  (Book)
• Produces the impression that Friedrich Petersen is the sole captain on the ship.  Wilhelm Zahn and the two other merchant marine captains are not mentioned.
• The ship is described as “nearly 650 feet long”.  In reality it was over 680 feet.
• States that when the Gustloff was requisitioned for use as a hospital ship, that it “simultaneously.. became an accommodation ship for off-duty U-boat crews”.  Not true - it served exclusively as a hospital ship for approximately one year before becoming floating U-boat barracks in Gotenhafen.

• Crabwalk  Günter Grass  (Book - English Version)
• The planned invasion of England is referred to as Operation Seal (instead of Sea Lion).

• Great Ship Disasters  A.A. Hoehling  (1971 - Book)
• Incorrectly states that "one and probably not more than two torpedoes" hit the Gustloff.  We now know that three struck the ship.
• Similar to how history itself has dealt with this tragedy, the sinking of the Gustloff receives only "footnote-like" mention in this book.

• Wartime Disasters at Sea  David Williams  (1997 - Book)
• States that the Gustloff  "sank inside 45 minutes" after the torpedoes struck.  Most historians agree that the Gustloff sank around the 70 minute mark.

• Cruise Ships  Philip Dawson  (2000 - Book)
• In a photo of the forward social hall of the Gustloff, Dawson incorrectly asks the reader to "note the portrait of Adolf Hitler on the main wall".  The photo is actually that of Dr. Robert Ley, head of the Deutsche Arbeitsfront and KdF sub-organization that commissioned the Wilhelm Gustloff.

• A Terrible Revenge  Alfred-Maurice de Zayas  (1994 - Book)
• Before the testimony of Captain Weller, incorrectly states that the Gustloff "sailed from Pillau along the Pomeranian coast for Mecklenburg".  In reality, on its fateful voyage the Gustloff sailed from Gotenhafen (present day Gdynia) and was bound for Kiel and Flensburg.
• States that the Gustloff  "took 90 minutes to sink".  Most historians agree that the Gustloff took approximately 70 minutes to slip below the surface.  This inconsistency is repeated during the testimony of Captain Weller.

• Nacht fiel über Gotenhafen  (1950 - Movie)
• Very little ice is seen on the decks during sinking.  Ice coated most surfaces on deck and was a key obstacle to freeing and lowering lifeboats.
• For practical reasons and regulations during filming, the movie vastly understates the number of children aboard.

• www.wilhelmgustloff.com (web)
  • Please do not hesitate to e-mail us if you find ANY inaccuracies or items requiring clarification in this website.  Our goal is to make this the most factual and definitive website regarding the Wilhelm Gustloff.  Please see all corrections and updates for this website below.