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FROM
FLOATING RESORT TO FLOATING HOSPITAL
WWII
officially begins on
September 1, 1939
when Hitler strikes at
Poland
in ‘blitzkrieg’
manner. On
this same day, the Wilhelm Gustloff is requisitioned into the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) for contribution to the war effort.
Just how the Gustloff will contribute will remain under wraps for only a few more
days.
On
September 2nd, most of the 417 crew members are
released. Only
a very few remain, including Captain Bertram and senior
members of his team. Officially,
at this point the Gustloff
has been identified for use in the war only as an
“Auxiliary” ship in the Navy.
By
September 9th, the remaining crew begin to
learn that the Gustloff
will be designated a Hospital Ship (Lazarettschiff).
It becomes official on
September 22, 1939
: the Wilhelm
Gustloff, joined by many other former KdF cruise
ships, will become a part of Nazi Germany’s naval
hospital fleet. Crew
members begin to debate whether their ship was originally
built with
this purpose in mind.
It will become fodder for many arguments in the
months ahead on board the ship now known as Lazarettschiff D of the Kreigsmarine.
Conforming
to international law regarding identification of hospital
ships, the Gustloff
changes its look. A
conspicuous green stripe is painted horizontally around
the ship’s hull and red crosses replace the KdF logos on
the funnel. Doctors,
nurses and medical equipment are brought on board while
500 beds are prepared to receive the wounded.
THE
FIRST CASUALTIES FOR LAZARETTSCHIFF D
Surprisingly,
the first wounded treated on board are not those of the
German Wehrmacht. After
leaving home port on September 27th, the
converted Gustloff
heads east toward the Baltic for the first time.
After docking near heavy fighting in
Danzig-Neufahrwasser, the floating hospital takes in over
650 wounded Polish soldiers.
Only 10 Germans are treated on board, crew members
from minesweeper M-85 that unfortunately misses one Polish
mine on October 1st.
One
wonders if the Gustloff
continues its influence as a propaganda machine.
Although Polish losses are notably more
during the campaign, German causalities are still
considerable – up to 40,000 (10,000 killed; 30,000
wounded) – plenty of opportunity for the Gustloff to treat more German soldiers.
What soldier would have refused an opportunity to
be treated on one of Hitler’s “dreamships”?
Regardless, only days remain until western
Poland
is under Nazi control.
Up
until mid-April 1940, nothing remarkable happens, as orders
keep the Gustloff
tied up in the
Gulf
of
Danzig
- specifically at Gotenhafen (now
Gdynia
).
It continues operating as a routine floating
hospital, supporting many Baltic Germans recently
relocated from Soviet-controlled
Poland
.
FINALLY
ABLE TO DOCK IN OSLO
Another
touch of irony occurs as the Gustloff is finally ordered
out of Gotenhafen by way of Sassnitz and returns to the
North Sea for the first time since pleasure cruising.
During peacetime, the ship had been never allowed
to dock at a Norwegian port.
With the country now a warzone, the Gustloff
ties down in
Oslo
on
May 10, 1940
.
Norway
officially surrenders
on June 10 while Lazarettschiff
D remains docked for over 3 more weeks to continue its
medical duties.
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The
Gustloff as Lazarettschiff D docked
in Oslo |
This
time, unlike the Polish campaign, the Gustloff
stays busy with casualties from its own armed forces.
On
July 2, 1940
, the hospital ship
leaves its port in
Oslo
bound for
Kiel
and Swinemünde with
almost 750 wounded on board.
The
Gustloff is originally supposed to return to
Oslo
but, once again
directives from the Nazi high command change its course.
It is to proceed to
Stettin
to await further
orders. From
July 10th to August 25th, the Gustloff
awaits participation in its most daunting operation to
date.
SUPPORTING
THE INVASION OF ENGLAND
In
early July, Hitler had given his order for the planned
invasion of
England
(Operation
Sea Lion). Lazarettschiff D, like many other resources in the Kriegsmarine,
is to be requisitioned for this massive undertaking.
The Germans know certainly to expect more
casualties during this campaign (they have no units
specifically trained and equipped for amphibious
operations). The
already famous ‘Battle of Britain’ is raging in the
air as RAF fighters heroically (and ultimately
effectively) defend the skies over
England
.
On
September 5, 1940, Lazarettschiff
D arrives in Wesermünde (Bremerhaven) after a brief
stop in Kiel for repairs to its defective mine protection
equipment. Clearly,
dangerous waters are expected.
The Gustloff
is joined by many more ships in Wesermünde preparing for
the invasion, and deployment plans call for it to be
stationed in
Rotterdam
for Sea
Lion.
However,
cracks in the Nazi war machine become visible.
Hitler demands air superiority in order to proceed
with Sea Lion and Luftwaffe head Göering cannot deliver.
The invasion is cancelled around mid-September, and
the Führer begins to turn his attention fatefully toward
Russia
in the east.
The Gustloff
will never sail toward the
English Channel
again.
THE
FINAL DAYS AS LAZARETTSCHIFF D
With
Operation Sea Lion cancelled, the demand for floating hospitals and
transportation diminishes significantly.
On October 22nd, the Gustloff
is sent one last time to
Oslo
and returns to Swinemünde
by November 12th with 414 wounded soldiers.
This proves to be the last time the Gustloff
services the war effort in its short history as Lazarettschiff
D. It is
ordered to return to the
Gulf
of
Danzig
by November 17th.
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