| 25
Million Reichmarks |
The
quoted cost to build the Wilhelm Gustloff.
A rough estimate in today's dollars would be
approximately US$250 million.
|
Amber
Room
|
The Amber
Room was a famous treasure originating back to
1701 in Berlin. Sometimes called the
"Eighth Wonder of the World", it was a
complete chamber created from ancient amber panels
and backed with gold leaf and mirrors. Presented to Russia in 1716 to cement a
Prussian-Russian alliance against Sweden, it
remained near St. Petersburg until the Nazis
plundered it during Operation Barbarossa and
relocated it to Königsberg (modern-day
Kaliningrad).
When it became clear that the Russians would
recapture Königsberg, the Amber Room was packed
up in wooden crates under the direction of
Gauleiter Erich Koch. They have never been
seen since. One theory proposes that
these crates made their way aboard the Gustloff
and went to the bottom of the sea when sunk by
Soviet submarine S-13.
|
Arbeitertum
 |
Official
journal (magazine) of the DAF (German
Labour Front) - often with particular emphasis on
the activities of the Kraft durch Freude
(Strength through Joy) sub-organization.
|
| Assassination
in Davos (movie) |
see
"Konfrontation"
|
| Browning
short-barreled revolver |
The
gun David Frankfurter purchased for 10 francs from
a female clerk in Bern during December 1935. He used this gun to
kill Swiss Nazi leader, Wilhelm Gustloff on
February 4, 1936.
|
| Cognac |
The last
round of drinks to be toasted by the captain(s) of
the Wilhelm Gustloff. Moments
before the torpedoes hit, Max Bonnet (the ship's
head steward) served three cognacs in the first
officer's cabin to Captain Zahn, Captain Petersen
and First Officer Reese. It is reported that
he served a final round of the drink approximately
forty-five minutes after the ship had been hit.
|
| Conning
tower |
The
lookout tower of a submarine.
|
| DJVZ |
The
Wilhelm Gustloff's radio call sign.
|
| Defense of Leningrad
(medal) |
One of the
medals Captain Alexander Marinesko received during
his tenure as a Soviet submarine commander. Established
in 1942, it was
awarded to all Soviets who contributed to the
defense of Leningrad (the famous siege that lasted
for 900 days - between September 1941 and January 1944).
|
| Der
Fall Gustloff |
Published
in 1936 by prolific Nazi author Wolfgang Diewerge,
presented (not surprisingly) a skewed
view of "The Gustloff Case" - its
literal translation. The book included a
forward by Adolf Hitler from his eulogy at
Gustloff's state funeral and compares
Gustloff to another Nazi martyr by calling him the
"Horst Wessel of Expatriate Germans".
|
| Der
Mord in Davos
|
Book
published in 1936 by Swiss-German biographer Emil
Ludwig. Written immediately after Gustloff's
murder in February 1936, Ludwig penned his
interpretation and implications of David
Frankfurter's assassination. He made it
clear that he did so for a sense of justice -
particularly in light of German government
policies.
Ludwig did not
outright condone the assassination of
Gustloff. However, he went to great
lengths to provide context and justification for
the act by exploring David Frankfurter's
troubled youth and drawing comparisons to other
historical acts of defiance.
|
| Der
Stürmer |
A
hate-filled, extremely anti-Semitic newspaper
controlled by notorious Nazi and "Jew-baiter",
Julius Streicher. David Frankfurter
attributed this newspaper as providing a
"final push" in his resolve to
assassinate Gustloff.
|
| Die
Wasserkante |
A
Hamburg-based program/magazine (translates as
"The Water's Edge") published for KdF
cruise vacationers.
|
| Eastern
Front |
The Eastern
Front was frontlines between the German and Soviet
armies of World War II. After significant
German territorial gains, it began to recede back
toward (and ultimately into) Germany after the
brutal and decisive battle at Stalingrad ended in
January 1943.
Panic ensued in East Prussia as the Russians
viciously returned the brutality while marching
toward Berlin and taking revenge for Nazi
atrocities. Ports in the Danzig swelled with
refugees trying to escape a certain nightmare if
caught behind the Soviet side of the Eastern
Front.
Since many land and rail routes were considered
impractical and dangerous, many refugees
hoped for a spot aboard a ship like the Wilhelm
Gustloff as a means of escaping to the west.
|
| Ein
Jude hat geschossen |
Follow up
to the book Der Fall Gustloff by the same
author (Wolfgang Diewerge), this Nazi publication
primarily covered events of the trial and legal
process surrounding David Frankfurter's
assassination of Wilhelm Gustloff. Once
again, an excerpt from Hitler's eulogy on February
12, 1936 kicked off the book. Numerous photos
of the trial, attorneys, and relevant locations
were included.
|
Freude
und Arbeit
 |
Official
publication (magazine) of the Internationale
Zentralbüro Freude und Arbeit (International
Central Bureau for Joy and Work), promoting the
interests of the KdF on the world's stage.
Colourful and oversized, it was ahead of its time
in style.
Unique in that each issue was published using multiple languages
(including English).
|
| Hassan |
Captain Wilhelm Zahn's
Alsatian dog that lived on the decks of the Gustloff.
|
Hero
of the Soviet Union
 |
The highest
military or civilian award of the former Soviet
Union - given for the most-pronounced deeds of
heroism to the Motherland. It was a solid
gold star suspended from a red ribbon.
Alexander Marinesko was denied this award until
Mikhail Gorbachev bestowed it upon him
posthumously in 1990 - twenty-seven years after
his death.
|
| KdF-Wagen |
The
original name for the Volkswagen Beetle.
Created by the KdF - the same organization that
commissioned the Wilhelm Gustloff.
Designed by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche. Although
the Nazi regime promised German's their own KdF-Wagen
and initiated a savings plan, not one was ever
delivered to a German consumer under Nazi rule.
|
| Ki
Tov |
A
Jewish day of good luck - Tuesday.
Frankfurter shot Swiss Nazi Leader Wilhelm Gustloff on a Tuesday.
|
| Konfrontation |
A 1975
Swiss film directed by Rolf Lyssy about the
assassination of Wilhelm Gustloff and trial of
David Frankfurter. Language: German but
available with English subtitles under its
alternate names: Confrontation and Assassination
in Davos.
|
| Landesgruppenleiter |
Official
title of Wilhelm Gustloff at the time of his
assassination - "National Party Leader"
in Switzerland.
|
| Lane
No. 58 |
See
Route No. 58
|
Lazarettschiff
 |
German term
for 'hospital ship'. The Wilhelm Gustloff
was known as Lazarettschiff D during late
1939 and 1940 when it served as a hospital ship.
|
| Lebensraum |
Literally
translating as "living space" in English,
Hitler used this term to exemplify implementation
of expansionist policies for Germany within
Europe. Though acquisition of new land and
its resources, he believed that Germany's status
and standard of living would dramatically
increase. The invasion of the Soviet Union
in 1941 was greatly influenced by this policy.
|
Nacht
fiel über Gotenhafen
|
A 1959
German film directed by Frank Wisbar about the Wilhelm
Gustloff tragedy. Translates as
"Night Fell Over Gotenhafen".
|
| Obstacle
73 |
The
inconspicuous label that appears on navigational maps for the location
of the wreck of the Wilhelm Gustloff.
|
| Order
QWA 7 |
The
order opened by Captain Bertram in August 1939
informing him to return the Wilhelm Gustloff
to port immediately. The order was one of a
few stored in a safe in the captain's
quarters. During what would turn out to be
its final cruise, the Gustloff turned
around and proceeded to Hamburg without any alarm
from the passengers. It became obvious soon
enough that the reason was the impending German
invasion of Poland and beginning of World War II.
|
Order of Lenin
 |
Established
in April 1930, the Order of Lenin was awarded for
outstanding services rendered to the Soviet
Union. It was the highest national award
available to members of the armed forces for
exemplary service, and was issued alone or
automatically accompanied recipients of the
"Hero of the Soviet Union" honour.
The
Order of Lenin was one a group of medals that
Captain Alexander Marinesko received during the
"Great Patriotic War" (the name Russians
give to WWII). He received it on its own and not as
a pairing with the "Hero of the Soviet
Union" gold star (a decoration that would
elude him until 27 years after his death).
|
Order of the
Great
Patriotic War
 |
Awarded
in a 1st Class and 2nd Class format, this order
was established in 1942 for all Soviet members of
the armed forces who participated in the
"Great Patriotic War" (AKA: World War
II). The 1st Class was reserved for those
who demonstrated skillful command of their units
during action while the 2nd Class was for personal
valour during action.
Captain Alexander
Marinesko obtained both.
|
Order of the Red Banner
 |
Awarded
twice to Alexander Marinesko, this was the very
first Soviet Order (established 1924). It
was bestowed upon military personnel who displayed
exceptional courage, self-denial, and valor during
combat.
|
| Osteomyelitis |
Tuberculosis
of the bones - a bacterial disease that afflicted
David Frankfurter (assassin of Wilhelm Gustloff).
|
Pea
Soup and a
Cold Meat Plate |
The last
meal enjoyed by captains Petersen and Zahn -
minutes before three Soviet torpedoes struck the
port side.
|
| QWA
7 |
see
Order QWA 7
|
| Route
No. 58 |
The
"minesweeped" more northerly route (as
opposed to coastal route), that the Wilhelm
Gustloff followed on its fateful night as it
headed toward Kiel.
|
| Running
Lights (Gustloff) |
Navigation
lights on a vessel which help determine a boat's
speed, direction, and type during travel at night.
On the night it
was torpedoed, Captain Petersen prevailed in
having the Gustloff's running lights
illuminated for fear of collision with an
approaching minesweeping convoy. These
lights were eventually spotted by Soviet submarine
S-13, allowing it to track and sink the
German escape vessel.
|
Speisekarte
 |
The
Speisekarte was a daily agenda and food
menu for passengers aboard ships of the KdF fleet.
During 1938 and 1939, they were produced on the Gustloff's
own on-board printed presses and distributed to
passengers. The front cover measured
approximately 13cm x 19cm (7.5 in x 5 in).
When opened, usually the left side displayed
announcements and the day's agenda, while the
right side displayed the food menu for meals on
board.
|
Swimming
Pool (Gustloff)
|
A
luxury from happier times before the war, the
empty below-deck swimming pool on the Gustloff
was converted into "crew quarters" for
members of the Women's Naval Auxiliary during the
doomed ship's final voyage. It
received a direct hit from the second torpedo
fired from Soviet submarine S-13, killing
most of the young women almost instantly.
|
| The
Davos Murder (book)
|
see
'Der Mord in Davos'. English version of
the book by Emil Ludwig. |
| Torpedo
#2: "For Stalin" |
Soviet
submarine S-13 tried to fire four torpedoes
at the Gustloff. However, torpedo #2
(with "For Stalin" painted on it by vengeful
sailors) became stuck in the tube, threatening to
blow the sub apart. A little luck and quick
thinking by Vladimir Kurochkin of the S-13
crew removes the threat of explosion.
|
| Tuberculosis |
The
medical condition that ironically afflicted both
the assassin and the assassinated in
the story of the Gustloff. David
Frankfurter and Wilhelm Gustloff both suffered
from tuberculosis, a contagious bacterial
disease that infects the lungs, bones, and other
areas of the body.
The disease
targeted bones (osteomyelitis) in Frankfurter and
lungs in Gustloff.
|
Twin-screw
 |
A
somewhat slang term used for ships that have two
propellers at the back or stern hull. The Gustloff
was a "twin-screw" while, for example,
the Titanic was a "triple-screw"
(having three propellers).
|
| Weber 1 |
The code-name for the Gustloff
wreck originally used by the Soviets to keep it
secret.
|
| 'Willi
G' |
Nickname
for the Wilhelm Gustloff.
|
