Triumph und Tragödie der Wilhelm Gustloff (2012)

The sinking of the "Wilhelm Gustloff" on January 30, 1945 was the greatest ship disaster in human history: 9,343 people lost their lives after a Soviet torpedo attack on the defenseless refugee ship, including more than 5,000 children. Over decades, films, photos and documents from the "Wilhelm Gustloff" were collected and evaluated for this film. Survivors and rescuers describe their harrowing experiences on the night of the sinking on the icy Baltic Sea in front of the camera. But also the years before the tragedy, when the "Wilhelm Gustloff" sailed as a "Strength through Joy" steamer to Madeira, Norway, Italy and Libya, are reconstructed with fascinating and partly never before shown film footage. The main film is a spin-off from the DVD "Als das Reich zerfiel". The bonus interview with Heinz Schön is published here unabridged for the first time.