| 2nd
Submarine (U-boat) Training Division |
See
'2. Unterseeboots-Lehrdivision'
|
| 2.
Unterseeboots-Lehrdivision (U.L.D.)
|
The
2nd Submarine (U-Boat) Training division of the
Germany Navy based in Gotenhafen between November
1940 and March 1945. It was comprised of two
battalions (i.e., sections), I and II. The Wilhelm
Gustloff provided floating barracks for
battalion II, commanded by Wilhelm Zahn starting
in summer 1942.
|
| American
8th Air Force |
Established
in January of 1942, the American 8th Air Force was
one of the largest air forces ever assembled
in the history of warfare. Operating in the
European theatre during World War II, over 350,000
officers and men served before Germany surrendered
in May 1945.
In one of the
many operations conducted by the 8th AF, the port
of Gotenhafen (modern day Gdynia) was bombed on
October 9, 1943 by approximately 150 planes
(B-24's and B-17's). In this attack, which
occurred soon after 1PM, the Wilhelm Gustloff
narrowly escaped disaster when a bomb exploded in
the water just off its starboard side, creating a
gash 1.5 metres long in the hull.
Several other ships in the harbour were
sunk, including the hospital ship Stuttgart, another former KdF cruise ship.
See a record of
the bombing attack from the 8th Air Force archives
(scroll down to October 9, 1943):
http://www.8thafhs.org/combat1943.htm
|
|
BdM
|
see
'Bund
deutscher Mädel'
|
|
Blohm
& Voss
(modern-day
logo)
|
The
German shipbuilding company founded in 1877 that
designed and built the Wilhelm Gustloff - based
on specifications provided by the KdF (Strength
through Joy) organization.
Blohm & Voss
was completely dismantled after World War II and
it took years to re-establish itself as a
world-class shipbuilding organization.
Although not the primary source of its revenue,
B+V still builds passenger ships today.
www.blohmvoss.com
|
|
Bund Deutscher
Mädel (BDM)
|
The
"Federation of German Girls" was an
organization integrated into the Hitler Youth
during 1931. Membership was made
"officially" compulsory by December 1936
- although it took additional laws in 1939 and
1941 to effectively 'enforce' membership.
Young, pretty
and sociable girls from the BDM were often used for propaganda purposes in
the Third Reich. For example, 300 BDM girls
accompanied the Wilhelm Gustloff on its
maiden voyage in March 1938. They were also
present on the Gustloff for numerous photo
opportunities when it anchored near London England
in April 1938 to serve as a floating polling
station.
The official task
of the BDM was to "educate" young
women in the ways of National Socialism (Nazism),
promote physical fitness, and ultimately
motherhood. As Germany entered the
war, activities inevitably changed as young women
in the BDM were earmarked for war relief,
hospitals, air raid support, and other non-arms
bearing activities.
Members had to be
at least 10 years of age, of German citizenship
and prove that they were not more than one-eighth
Jewish. Finally, they were required to be in
good mental and physical shape. An age limit
was not imposed, but once a woman was married or
pregnant, she was required to withdraw her
membership.
See more about
the BDM at www.bdmhistory.com
.
|
| Condor
Legion |
see 'Legion
Condor'
|
| DAF |
See
'Deutsche Arbeitsfront'
|
| Deutsche
Arbeitsfront (DAF) |
Founded
in 1934, the DAF (German Labour Front) was decreed as the only legal trade union in Nazi
Germany. Hitler empowered it to replace all
other trade
unions through intimidation, confiscation of funds and
arrest of union leaders.
The
DAF, headed by Dr. Robert Ley, was the parent organization of the popular Kraft
durch Freude (KdF) ‘Strength through
Joy’ division - responsible for leisure,
tourism and commission
of the Wilhelm
Gustloff.
|
| Hamburg-South
America Line |
See
'Hamburg-Sudamerikanische
Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft'
|
Hamburg-Südamerikanische
Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft
(AKA: Hamburg-Südamerika or Hamburg-Süd)
(modern-day
logo)
|
Shipping
company founded in 1871 that owned and/or managed
many of the ships of the KdF fleet.
In the case of the Wilhelm Gustloff, the KdF
owned the vessel while Hamburg-Süd
managed it.
The company still
operates today (despite the complete loss of its
fleets after both world wars), but is primarily
engaged in the business of cargo transportation.
www.hamburg-sued.com
|
| Ingeniers-Kantoor
voor Scheepsbouw |
Company
that ironically designed the S-13 submarine
which eventually torpedoed the Gustloff.
Set up in Holland to avoid the restrictive clauses
of the Versailles Treaty, it was owned primarily
by German interests and was the product of illegal
cooperation between Germany and Russia before
World War II.
|
| International
Central Bureau for Joy and Work |
see
"Internationale Zentralbüro Freude und
Arbeit"
|
| Internationale
Zentralbüro Freude und Arbeit |
Created by Robert Ley
following a 1936 congress, the Berlin-based IZFA
was a permanent organization dedicated to assuring
Germany's stature as a leisure promoter.
Intended to rival the International Labour
Organization (ILO), it distributed its magazine Freude
und Arbeit (Joy and Work) to promote the KdF's
accomplishments.
|
| KdF |
See
'Kraft durch Freude'
|
| Komsomol |
The Soviet Union's Young
Communist Organization. Alexander Marinesko
joined in 1935 coinciding with his transfer to the
Navy.
|
|
Kraft
durch Freude (KdF)
logo of the KdF
|
The
Nazi organization responsible for leisure and
tourism (and integration with the
workforce). Translated as "Strength
through Joy", the KdF was a sub-organization
of the German Labour Front (DAF), headed by Dr.
Robert Ley. It enjoyed popularity with
citizens of the Third Reich because of its overt
agenda. By 1939, it engaged over 7,000 paid
employees and over 135,000 volunteers.
More ominously,
the KdF played an important role to the Nazis in
raising the average German's perceived standard of
living before "living space" could be
attained and rearmament policies were
implemented. Once the war started, the role
of the KdF was adapted to provide entertainment
and leisure for troops and abroad.
The organization
was responsible for commissioning the Wilhelm
Gustloff and the ship that bore its leader's
name - the Robert Ley. In 1936, Ley
announced that 20 new liners would be built - one
per year for the next 20 years. The first to
be ready in 1938 was of course the Gustloff.
Only two of the twenty would ever be built.
The
following ships were controlled or owned by the KdF at some
point during their lifetime: Berlin, Der
Deutsche, Milwaukee, Monte Olivia, Monte Rosa, Monte Sarmiento,
Robert Ley, St. Louis, Sierra Cordoba, Stuttgart, and
finally the Wilhelm Gustloff.
Unknown
to most in the world, the first Volkswagen
"Beetle" was created under the auspices
of the KdF - based on crude drawings provided by
Adolf Hitler to Ferdinand Porsche.
|
| Kriegsmarine |
Name of the German Navy
between 1935 and 1945. Literally means
"War Navy" in English.
|
| Krupps
Germania-Werft |
German
company and co-owner of "Ingeniers-Kantoor
voor Scheepsbouw" - which designed the
submarine S-13
in 1933 when Russia and Germany cooperated in
violation of the Versailles Treaty.
|
| Legion Condor |
A
unit of Nazi Germany's armed forces, sent to fight
in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) to support
Franco's nationalists. When the war ended
victoriously for Franco, the Wilhelm Gustloff
was diverted from its cruise duties in May 1939 to
pick up over 1,400 soldiers from the notorious
unit. They sailed to Hamburg and received a
triumphant welcome upon their return.
|
| Marinehelferinnen |
The
Women's Naval Auxiliary of the Kriegsmarine.
On the night the Gustloff was
torpedoed, almost all 373 women of the Marinehelferinnen
were instantly killed. The below-deck
emptied swimming pool area had been converted as
lodging for the young women, and unfortunately
received a direct hit from the second torpedo.
|
| Nazi
Party |
See
'NSDAP'
|
| NKVD |
Soviet secret/military
police in World War II and precursor to the
infamous KGB.
|
| NSDAP |
The
fascist government headed by Adolf Hitler that
ruled Germany between January 1933 and May 1945.
An acronym for Nationalsozialistische
Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist
German Workers Party), it is better known
in its short form - Nazi Party.
The Nazi Party
was responsible for creation of the peacetime
flagship Wilhelm Gustloff. It was
commissioned though its leisure and tourism
organization Kraft durch Freude under the
guidance of Nazi leader Robert Ley of the German
Labour Front. The Gustloff was viewed
by the Nazi organization as an important
propaganda tool both within and outside of
Germany's borders.
|
| Strength
though Joy |
see
'Kraft durch Freude'
|
Volkssturm
 |
Created
through Hitler's orders in the dying months of
World War II, the Volkssturm (meaning
"People's Storm") was a German national
militia with the intent of defending the
'Fatherland'. Although conscription was for
men between the ages of 16 to 60, battalions were
filled mostly with either the very young, very
old, or those previously deemed unfit for
military service.
There were no official uniforms, just a red and
black armband with white lettering to identify
members. After sparse training and an oath
to Hitler, inexperienced Volkssturm members
were thrown into battle - including the Eastern
Front as it closed in on the Danzig area which
held the remaining German ports.
|
| Wehrmacht |
Name
given to the German armed forces between 1935 and
1945. Literally means "defense
force".
|
| Women's
Naval Auxiliary |
see
'Marinehelferinnen'
|
