Stutthof evacuees and the ship Cap-Arcona's file / תיק – מפוני שטוטהוף והאונייה קאפ-ארקונה

The sources presented review the The tragedy of the ship "Cap Arcona" and later anti-Semitic events related to Holocaust remembrance in the city of Neustadt. The documents describe how thousands Concentration camp prisoners were killed in a bombing raid by the British Air Force in May 1945, an event that became one of the worst maritime disasters in history. Alongside survivor testimonies and historical reviews of Evacuation of the Stutthof and Neuengamme camps, reports appear about Desecration of the Jewish cemetery in the city in 2003 by placing a pig carcass and Nazi inscriptions. The texts emphasize the The harsh public reaction In fact, the vandalism, which includes condemnations from the mayor and letters of support from the local community. In addition, the sources include Official documentation and maps detailing the evacuation routes of the prisoners and the efforts to commemorate the victims over the years. The combination of materials presents a continuum between The horrors of war and the ongoing struggle to preserve the memory of the Holocaust in the face of modern manifestations of hatred.

The Ship Cap Arcona (Cap Arcona) was a German luxury liner that became the scene of one of the greatest maritime tragedies at the end of World War II (H69-9f, H69-10f). Starting in September 1944, ghettos and labor camps in the Baltic region, such as the Riga Ghetto, were evacuated to the Stutthof concentration camp (H69-1f). Towards the end of the war, in April 1945, thousands of prisoners from the Neuengamme, Stutthof and Mittelbau-Dora concentration camps were transferred to the port of Lübeck for loading onto ships (H69-7f, H69-10f, H69-20f). The prisoners were crammed into the holds of the ships "Cap Arcona", "Thielbek" and "Athen" in subhuman conditions, without food, water or adequate ventilation (H69-7f, H69-10f).

On 3 May 1945, RAF bombers attacked the fleet in the Bay of Lübeck, mistakenly believing it was carrying German troops retreating to Norway (H69-7f, H69-8f, H69-10f). The bombing led to the ships sinking and the deaths of an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people, most of them concentration camp prisoners (H69-7f, H69-9f, H69-10f). The SS had planned to sink the ships with the prisoners in them to hide evidence of their crimes, and prisoners who survived the sinking and tried to reach shore were sometimes shot by German forces (H69-7f, H69-9f).

Key figures:

Victims and survivors:

• Yitzhak Gal-Galkin: A survivor of the Stutthof camp who provided detailed testimony about the "death flotilla" and the moments of the sinking of the "Cap Arkona" (H69-2f).
• Dr. Gill teaches: A survivor who survived the inferno and shared his memories of the harsh conditions and the massacre that occurred on the beach (H69-11f, H69-15f, H69-19f).
• David Kiwoniks: A Jewish prisoner from Riga whose story of persecution is documented in the International Tracing Service documents (H69-17f).
• Concentration camp prisoners: Victims from over 24 different nationalities were imprisoned on the ships (H69-7f, H69-10f).

Nazis and command figures:

• Heinrich Himmler: The head of the SS, who gave the explicit order that no prisoner would fall into enemy hands alive (H69-7f).
• Karl Kaufmann: The Gauleiter of Hamburg, who was involved in the confiscation of ships for the purpose of concentrating prisoners on them (H69-7f, H69-10f).
• Captain Bertram: The captain of the "Cap Arkona", who abandoned the burning ship and the prisoners (H69-9f).
• Heinrich Schmidt: A German commander in Neustadt who prevented the prisoners from being rescued from the water (H69-9f).

Additional characters:

• Count Bernadotte and Dr. Arnoldson: Representatives of the Swedish Red Cross who tried to rescue prisoners (H69-7f).
• Wilhelm Lange: Historian and director of the "Cap Arcona" Museum, who researched and documented the circumstances of the tragedy (H69-12f, H69-13f).

Today, there are many memorial sites to the victims (H69-6f). In 2003, an anti-Semitic incident of desecration of the Jewish cemetery in Neustadt occurred, an act that provoked public protest and shock in the community (H69-12f, H69-14f). Over the years, annual memorial ceremonies have been held to mark the tragedy (H69-3f, H69-11f).

List of sources

• H69-1f : Map depicting the evacuation of the labor camps and ghettos towards the Stutthof camp in 1944.
• H69-2f : Testimony of Yitzhak Gal-Galkin about his experiences in the Stutthof camp and the sinking of the "Cap Arkona".
• H69-3f : A letter dealing with the memorial to the victims of the tragedy and the findings related to them.
• H69-5f : Information on the maritime evacuation of Stutthof camp prisoners in April 1945.
• H69-6f : Brochure on the memorial sites, museums and cemeteries related to the "Cap Arcona" tragedy.
• H69-7f : A comprehensive historical overview by Wilhelm Lange of the sequence of events on May 3, 1945.
• H69-8f : An article from the magazine "Schiff und Zeit" discussing the myths and historical reality of the event.
• H69-9f : A historical summary of the sinking of the "Cap Arkona", the "Tilbeck" and the "Athens".
• H69-10f : Information page about the ship and its bombing by the British Royal Air Force.
• H69-11f : Information about the annual memorial ceremonies at the Jewish cemetery in Neustadt and survivor memories.
• H69-12f : A journalistic article about the desecration of the Jewish cemetery in Neustadt in 2003.
• H69-13f : Letter to Wilhelm Lange detailing technical findings on the causes of the ship's sinking.
• H69-14f : Reports and reactions of the community in Neustadt to the desecration of the Jewish monument and cemetery.
• H69-15f : An article about Dr. Gilel Melamed and his memories of the events of May 3, 1945.
• H69-17f : Official document from the International Tracing Service (ITS) regarding prisoner David Kivenix.
• H69-19f : Handwritten notes concerning the testimony of Dr. Gilal Melamed.
• H69-20f : Information on the evacuation of prisoners from the Stutthof camp through the port of Halle towards Neustadt.

 

– H69-1f

– H69-2f

– H69-3f

– H69-5f

– H69-6f

– H69-7f

– H69-8f

– H69-9f

– H69-10f

– H69-11f

– H69-12f

– H69-13f

– H69-14f

– H69-15f

– H69-17f

** end of Stutthof evacuees and the ship Cap-Arcona files **

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