PREFACE:  To 1937

AN ASSASSIN GIVES THE GUSTLOFF ITS NAME

David Frankfurter

It is January 31, 1936 - nine years less a day before three torpedoes strike the Gustloff, sending it to the bottom of the Baltic Sea.  David Frankfurter, a struggling 25 year old Jewish medical student studying in Switzerland, is leaving Bern by train carrying only a briefcase.

His destination is Davos – a 270 kilometre (170 mile) train trip via Zurich.  The purpose of his journey has nothing to do with his studies.  His mission is to assassinate Wilhelm Gustloff, leader (or Landesgruppenleiter) of the NSDAP (Nazi party) in Switzerland.

Wilhelm Gustloff

Frankfurter checks himself into the Hotel Metropol-Löwen in Davos and will wait until the 4^th of February to attempt his daunting task.  Why he chooses this date is open to debate.  Some claim it is sheer procrastination or tortured self-doubt.  Others claim he had been closely tracking his target - reading newspapers and Party material that document dates of public appearances - aware that Gustloff would be returning to Davos on the 3^rd.  Either way, the 4th falls on a Tuesday, considered a Jewish day of good luck (Ki Tov).  Clearly this idea pleases the would-be assassin. 

In the meantime, he anonymously explores the picturesque winter-resort town, known for its towering peaks and clean dry air.  In his room, the revolver he purchased for only 10 francs in Bern remains discreetly tucked away in his briefcase.

Historical hindsight being as it is, it is easy to understand why Frankfurter viewed the Nazis as a threat.  His own direct personal experiences with growing anti-Semitism in Germany had influenced his retreat into “neutral” Switzerland – ultimately providing a “safer haven” for his decision to take action against the Nazi menace.  Steadily, his studies become compromised by overwhelming fixation with the anti-Semitic charged political environment.  Periodicals such as Der Stürmer and the Nuremburg Laws passed in Germany during 1935 only fuel his resolve and conviction.  By the time Frankfurter purchases his short-barrel Browning revolver, he claims to feel like “an insignificant weapon in the hand of God”.

Tuesday the 4^th arrives.  Snow crunching under his feet, Frankfurter walks up to the front door of the Gustloff residence.  After ringing the doorbell, Gustloff’s wife, Hedwig, calls down from upstairs.  “Is Herr Gustloff at home and can I speak with him?” he calls back.  She is used to her husband having many visitors, so without a second thought she leads Frankfurter through the house to Gustloff’s study.  He promptly takes a seat.  For five minutes his eyes peruse Nazi regalia including a picture of Hitler signed for Gustloff.  Thoughts roll around in his head like a storm.  He clutches the revolver hidden in his coat pocket and at the ready. 

Gustloff's study - the scene of the shooting

Gustloff strides in the room and greets his guest with “Here I am!”  Without any response, David Frankfurter fires his revolver.  Four (4) shots hit their mark in Gustloff’s head and upper body.  Frau Hedwig enters the room just after the final shot and sees her husband lying crumpled, bleeding and dying on the floor of the study.  In haste, Frankfurter passes her without saying a word and leaves through the front door as the sounds of her cries ring in his ears.

Frankfurter has no intention of running from his premeditated deed, but he leaves the scene dazed, unstable, and contemplating suicide.  He remains of the conviction that his act is not a crime - it is a strike at the Nazi menace and revenge for the “spilled blood of Israel”.  He even returns to the scene of the crime to telephone the police from elderly neighbors.  Regardless, he eventually walks to the nearest police station and turns himself in.

After some initial disbelief on the part of an officer on duty, Frankfurter does not leave any doubt as to his culpability.  He makes a confession to the officer - explaining that he fired the shots not for personal reasons, but because he is Jew.  He further explains that he is fully aware of his actions and is without regret.  Later, he will repeat similar statements in a Swiss court – robbing the trial of any suspense.

The Nazis are anxious to use this opportunity to exploit the assassination of Gustloff to further the causes of an anti-Semitic agenda.  Only the Olympic games and the Führer's deliberate patience for retaliation subdue an outright attack on the Jewish community.  It is unlikely that many in the world (including perhaps many in Germany itself) had heard of Gustloff.  However, being the first Nazi leader to be assassinated by a Jew, the Nazis are determined to make him a martyr.  A garish state funeral on February 12th ensues in his birthplace of Schwerin, only after his casket takes a long journey of “martyrdom” from Davos through many towns on the way to his final resting place.

The unnamed Wilhelm Gustloff under construction in early 1937

It is during this memorial service for the Swiss Nazi leader that the superstitious Führer exploits an opportunity to rename a groundbreaking ship originally destined to bear his name – a project just recently commissioned to be built for the KdF by Blohm & Voss shipyards.  When the ship is launched next spring, it will be re-named the Wilhelm Gustloff.

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