Largely forgotten to history, the Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk January 30, 1945 by a Soviet submarine with a loss of over 9,000 lives. Most by far were civilian.
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Fleeing from a brutal Soviet Red Army onslaught, the Wilhelm Gustloff is ready to leave port jammed with over 10,000 German refugees, naval personnel and wounded soldiers. The vessel is designed to hold a maximum of 1,880 passengers and crew. Of the refugees, a staggering four thousand are infants, children and youths on their way to promising safety in the West. Minus 18° Celsius (0° Fahrenheit) weather grips the Oxhöft Pier in Gotenhafen (Gdynia) on Tuesday the 30[SUP]th[/SUP] day of January 1945.