𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹: Text replacement - "Category:WWII operations" to "Category:WWAC"

2024-03-25T19:28:19Z

Text replacement - "Category:WWII operations" to "Category:WWAC"

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:28, 25 March 2024
Line 59:		Line 59:
	{{reflist\|2}}		{{reflist\|2}}
	[[Category:WWAC]]		[[Category:WWAC]]
	[[Category:~~WWII operations~~]]		[[Category:WWAC]]
	[[Category:Kriegsmarine]]		[[Category:Kriegsmarine]]
	[[Category:ships]]		[[Category:ships]]

𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹: Text replacement - "\[\[[a-z][a-z]\:(.*)\]\]" to ""

2024-02-29T07:18:20Z

Text replacement - "\[\[[a-z][a-z]\:(.*)\]\]" to ""

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:18, 28 February 2024
Line 65:		Line 65:
	[[Category:history]]		[[Category:history]]
	[[Category:Allied atrocities]]		[[Category:Allied atrocities]]
	~~[[de:Unternehmen „Hannibal“]]~~

𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹: Text replacement - ".jpg|" to ".png|"

2024-02-22T23:12:29Z

Text replacement - ".jpg|" to ".png|"

𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹: Text replacement - "Category:German " to "Category:"

2024-02-09T13:28:13Z

Text replacement - "Category:German " to "Category:"

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:28, 9 February 2024
Line 59:		Line 59:
	{{reflist\|2}}		{{reflist\|2}}
	[[Category:WWAC]]		[[Category:WWAC]]
	[[Category:~~German~~ WWII operations]]		[[Category:WWII operations]]
	[[Category:Kriegsmarine]]		[[Category:Kriegsmarine]]
	[[Category:~~German~~ ships]]		[[Category:ships]]
	[[Category:Baltic]]		[[Category:Baltic]]
	[[Category:~~German~~ history]]		[[Category:history]]
	[[Category:Allied atrocities]]		[[Category:Allied atrocities]]
	[[de:Unternehmen „Hannibal“]]		[[de:Unternehmen „Hannibal“]]

𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹: Text replacement - "Category:World War II" to "Category:WWAC"

2024-02-08T14:24:55Z

Text replacement - "Category:World War II" to "Category:WWAC"

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:24, 8 February 2024
Line 58:		Line 58:
	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist\|2}}		{{reflist\|2}}
	[[Category:~~World War II~~]]		[[Category:WWAC]]
	[[Category:German WWII operations]]		[[Category:German WWII operations]]
	[[Category:Kriegsmarine]]		[[Category:Kriegsmarine]]

𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹: Text replacement - "{{reflist}}" to "{{reflist|2}}"

2024-02-07T09:14:10Z

Text replacement - "{{reflist}}" to "{{reflist|2}}"

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:14, 7 February 2024
Line 57:		Line 57:
	* [https://web.archive.org/web/20221019222244/https://www.historyextra.com/period/second-world-war/operation-hannibal-germany-dunkirk-what-happened-rescue-mission-soviet-troops-what-was-how-many-died/ Operation Hannibal 1945: the Germany evacuation that dwarfed the 'miracle of Dunkirk']		* [https://web.archive.org/web/20221019222244/https://www.historyextra.com/period/second-world-war/operation-hannibal-germany-dunkirk-what-happened-rescue-mission-soviet-troops-what-was-how-many-died/ Operation Hannibal 1945: the Germany evacuation that dwarfed the 'miracle of Dunkirk']
	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist\|2}}
	[[Category:World War II]]		[[Category:World War II]]
	[[Category:German WWII operations]]		[[Category:German WWII operations]]

𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹: 1 revision imported

2024-02-06T21:40:52Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 12:40, 6 February 2024
(No difference)

en>Crusader at 19:10, 17 November 2023

2023-11-17T19:10:39Z

Show changes

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:12, 22 February 2024
Line 1:		Line 1:
	[[File:Operation Hannibal, Flucht aus Ostpreußen mit KFKs der Kriegsmarine.~~jpg~~\|thumb\|360px\|''KFKs'' or ''Kriegsfischkutter'', small auxiliary war fishing boats, overloaded with civilians. In the largest seaborne evacuation operation in history, approximately two and a half million people were evacuated from the war zone by the [[Kriegsmarine]] in 1,081 ships. Around 33,000 refugees (other sources state c. 40,000), around 1.3 percent of the evacuees, were killed as a result of ship losses. Between January and May 1945, 672 merchant ships and 409 warships took part in the action. The steamer [[SS Deutschland (1923)\|"Deutschland"]] (21,046 GRT) alone brought almost 70,000 people west on seven trips. More than half of the war refugees were taken on board in the four Baltic Sea ports of Hela (Hel), Pillau (Baltijsk), Gotenhafen (Gdynia) and [[Danzig]] (Gdansk). In April 1945, the valiant "Deutschland" was converted into a hospital ship. On 3 May 1945, she was sunk in Lübeck Bay off Neustadt by the same British air raid that sunk "Cap Arcona" and "Thielbek". A total of 23 ships were sunk and 115 damaged in the attacks by the [[Royal Air Force]] on this day, although they posed no threat of war, only used as rescue ships. The "Cap Arcona" was attacked in four waves by British Air Force fighter-bombers and set on fire. Attacks by 198 Squadron threw [[SS Cap Arcona\|"Cap Arcona"]] and [[SS Thielbek (1940)\|"Thielbek"]] out of control around 15:00 GMT. The Thielbek sank after 15 minutes. The Cap Arcona lay on its side; but did not sink due to the shallow water depth. Around 7,700 of the approximately 8,000 POW and concentration camp inmates on "Cap Arcona" and "Thielbek", who had been also evacuated by the Germans and destined for Sweden, burned to death, drowned or were shot. Since the water temperature was only 8 °C that day, most of the prisoners could not swim to the shore because their strength had failed. The [[British]] pilots also attacked the floating survivors with shipboard weapons.]]		[[File:Operation Hannibal, Flucht aus Ostpreußen mit KFKs der Kriegsmarine.png\|thumb\|360px\|''KFKs'' or ''Kriegsfischkutter'', small auxiliary war fishing boats, overloaded with civilians. In the largest seaborne evacuation operation in history, approximately two and a half million people were evacuated from the war zone by the [[Kriegsmarine]] in 1,081 ships. Around 33,000 refugees (other sources state c. 40,000), around 1.3 percent of the evacuees, were killed as a result of ship losses. Between January and May 1945, 672 merchant ships and 409 warships took part in the action. The steamer [[SS Deutschland (1923)\|"Deutschland"]] (21,046 GRT) alone brought almost 70,000 people west on seven trips. More than half of the war refugees were taken on board in the four Baltic Sea ports of Hela (Hel), Pillau (Baltijsk), Gotenhafen (Gdynia) and [[Danzig]] (Gdansk). In April 1945, the valiant "Deutschland" was converted into a hospital ship. On 3 May 1945, she was sunk in Lübeck Bay off Neustadt by the same British air raid that sunk "Cap Arcona" and "Thielbek". A total of 23 ships were sunk and 115 damaged in the attacks by the [[Royal Air Force]] on this day, although they posed no threat of war, only used as rescue ships. The "Cap Arcona" was attacked in four waves by British Air Force fighter-bombers and set on fire. Attacks by 198 Squadron threw [[SS Cap Arcona\|"Cap Arcona"]] and [[SS Thielbek (1940)\|"Thielbek"]] out of control around 15:00 GMT. The Thielbek sank after 15 minutes. The Cap Arcona lay on its side; but did not sink due to the shallow water depth. Around 7,700 of the approximately 8,000 POW and concentration camp inmates on "Cap Arcona" and "Thielbek", who had been also evacuated by the Germans and destined for Sweden, burned to death, drowned or were shot. Since the water temperature was only 8 °C that day, most of the prisoners could not swim to the shore because their strength had failed. The [[British]] pilots also attacked the floating survivors with shipboard weapons.]]
	The '''Operation "Hannibal"''' ({{lang-de\|Unternehmen „Hannibal“}}) was, by any measure, the largest emergency resue and evacuation mission by sea of logged history, dwarfing the c. 338,000 escapees evacuated from Dunkirk during [[Operation Dynamo]] over nine days in 1940, although western historiography rarely mentions the scale and heroic feat of Operation "Hannibal" from its start on 23 January 1945 until it concluded the day after the end of [[World War II]] on 9 May 1945. It must not be confused with the Operation "Hannibal" 1941, the [[Fallschirmjäger\|German airborne]] operation to seize the bridge over the Corinth Canal on 26 April 1941 during [https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Balkanfeldzug_(1941) ''Unternehmen „Marita“''].		The '''Operation "Hannibal"''' ({{lang-de\|Unternehmen „Hannibal“}}) was, by any measure, the largest emergency resue and evacuation mission by sea of logged history, dwarfing the c. 338,000 escapees evacuated from Dunkirk during [[Operation Dynamo]] over nine days in 1940, although western historiography rarely mentions the scale and heroic feat of Operation "Hannibal" from its start on 23 January 1945 until it concluded the day after the end of [[World War II]] on 9 May 1945. It must not be confused with the Operation "Hannibal" 1941, the [[Fallschirmjäger\|German airborne]] operation to seize the bridge over the Corinth Canal on 26 April 1941 during [https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Balkanfeldzug_(1941) ''Unternehmen „Marita“''].

	==History==		==History==
	[[File:Operation Hannibal evacuees arrive at a western harbour that had already been occupied by British troops.~~jpg~~\|thumb\|360px\|Evacuees arrive at a western harbour that had already been occupied by British troops]]		[[File:Operation Hannibal evacuees arrive at a western harbour that had already been occupied by British troops.png\|thumb\|360px\|Evacuees arrive at a western harbour that had already been occupied by British troops]]
	[[File:Operation Hannibal III.~~jpg~~\|thumb\|360px\|German wounded are carried from the [[Wilhelm Gustloff (ship)\|"Wilhelm Gustloff"]]; The crew of the ships were advised to write letters to their loved ones, the risk of not surviving was great. One captain of a smaller ship wrote in his last letter to his wife: <br/><br/>''"We're leaving soon and the letter has to go out. My crew members are either over 50 or between the ages of 18 and 19. They all know what it's about. Not a single one called in sick or even deserted, everyone assembled punctually for the rescue operation. So much sacrifice and heroism in such a dark time brings tears to my eyes. It's my duty to bring them all home safely, but if we fall, it's my honor to die with these men. Goodbye, dearest wife, I kiss and love you all."''<ref>Original text: ''Wir fahren gleich ab, und der Brief muß noch raus. Meine Besatzungsmitglieder sind entweder über 50 oder zwischen 18 und 19 Jahren. Sie wissen alle, um was es geht. Kein einziger meldete sich krank oder desertierte gar, alle traten pünktlich zur Rettungsaktion an. So viel Aufopferungsbereitschaft und Heldenmut in einer solchen dunklen Zeit treibt mir die Tränen in die Augen. Es ist meine Pflicht, sie alle wieder heil nach Hause zu bringen, sollten wir aber fallen, dann ist es mir eine Ehre, mit diesen Männern gemeinsam zu sterben. Auf Wiedersehen, liebste Frau, ich küsse und liebe Euch alle.''</ref>]]		[[File:Operation Hannibal III.png\|thumb\|360px\|German wounded are carried from the [[Wilhelm Gustloff (ship)\|"Wilhelm Gustloff"]]; The crew of the ships were advised to write letters to their loved ones, the risk of not surviving was great. One captain of a smaller ship wrote in his last letter to his wife: <br/><br/>''"We're leaving soon and the letter has to go out. My crew members are either over 50 or between the ages of 18 and 19. They all know what it's about. Not a single one called in sick or even deserted, everyone assembled punctually for the rescue operation. So much sacrifice and heroism in such a dark time brings tears to my eyes. It's my duty to bring them all home safely, but if we fall, it's my honor to die with these men. Goodbye, dearest wife, I kiss and love you all."''<ref>Original text: ''Wir fahren gleich ab, und der Brief muß noch raus. Meine Besatzungsmitglieder sind entweder über 50 oder zwischen 18 und 19 Jahren. Sie wissen alle, um was es geht. Kein einziger meldete sich krank oder desertierte gar, alle traten pünktlich zur Rettungsaktion an. So viel Aufopferungsbereitschaft und Heldenmut in einer solchen dunklen Zeit treibt mir die Tränen in die Augen. Es ist meine Pflicht, sie alle wieder heil nach Hause zu bringen, sollten wir aber fallen, dann ist es mir eine Ehre, mit diesen Männern gemeinsam zu sterben. Auf Wiedersehen, liebste Frau, ich küsse und liebe Euch alle.''</ref>]]
	===Prelude===		===Prelude===
	[[File:Operation Hannibal II.~~jpg~~\|thumb\|360px\|At the end of March 1945, the [https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Panzer-Grenadier-Division_%E2%80%9EGro%C3%9Fdeutschland%E2%80%9C ''Großdeutschland'' division], which was threatened with final destruction by the advancing Soviet troops, was evacuated from the Balga peninsula. In the evacuation participated amphibious flotillas, sappers, [[Fallschirmjäger]], Generalmajor Karl Henke ({{KIA}} 27 April 1945), transports from Pillau. But this was not enough and, leaving all the equipment and heavy weapons on the peninsula, the remnants of the division were shipped across the bay on homemade rafts, old boats and empty barrels. Future German ''Bundespräsident'' [https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Weizs%C3%A4cker,_Richard_von Richard von Weizsäcker] was amongst the military personnel on the final boats from Balga.]]		[[File:Operation Hannibal II.png\|thumb\|360px\|At the end of March 1945, the [https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Panzer-Grenadier-Division_%E2%80%9EGro%C3%9Fdeutschland%E2%80%9C ''Großdeutschland'' division], which was threatened with final destruction by the advancing Soviet troops, was evacuated from the Balga peninsula. In the evacuation participated amphibious flotillas, sappers, [[Fallschirmjäger]], Generalmajor Karl Henke ({{KIA}} 27 April 1945), transports from Pillau. But this was not enough and, leaving all the equipment and heavy weapons on the peninsula, the remnants of the division were shipped across the bay on homemade rafts, old boats and empty barrels. Future German ''Bundespräsident'' [https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Weizs%C3%A4cker,_Richard_von Richard von Weizsäcker] was amongst the military personnel on the final boats from Balga.]]
	[[File:Operation Hannibal, German soldiers protected the evacuation harbours as long as they could.~~jpg~~\|thumb\|360px\|[[German soldiers]] protected the evacuation harbours as long as they could]]		[[File:Operation Hannibal, German soldiers protected the evacuation harbours as long as they could.png\|thumb\|360px\|[[German soldiers]] protected the evacuation harbours as long as they could]]
	The stage for German defeat was set in June 1944, when Moscow launched Operation Bagration to coincide with the opening of the [[Western Front (WWII)\|Western Front]] in [[France]]. It pushed the Germans back from Leningrad all the way to Latvia and liberated Belarus. By August it had obliterated Army Group Center, cut off Army Group North, and was driving toward the Baltic. The Germans retreated into a defensive pocket ([https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Kurland-Kessel ''Kurland-Kessel'']) on the Courland Peninsula (Latvia), where 200,000 Germans and Latvians, 33 divisions in all, fought with their backs to the sea against 1.7 million Soviet troops. By October 1944, they were surrounded and cut off from all resupply except by sea. Not even the [[Luftwaffe (Wehrmacht)\|Luftwaffe]] could help the [[Heer (Wehrmacht)\|Heer]], as it was concentrated in the west to defend against the [[Bombing of Germany during World War II\|British and American bombing campaign]].		The stage for German defeat was set in June 1944, when Moscow launched Operation Bagration to coincide with the opening of the [[Western Front (WWII)\|Western Front]] in [[France]]. It pushed the Germans back from Leningrad all the way to Latvia and liberated Belarus. By August it had obliterated Army Group Center, cut off Army Group North, and was driving toward the Baltic. The Germans retreated into a defensive pocket ([https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Kurland-Kessel ''Kurland-Kessel'']) on the Courland Peninsula (Latvia), where 200,000 Germans and Latvians, 33 divisions in all, fought with their backs to the sea against 1.7 million Soviet troops. By October 1944, they were surrounded and cut off from all resupply except by sea. Not even the [[Luftwaffe (Wehrmacht)\|Luftwaffe]] could help the [[Heer (Wehrmacht)\|Heer]], as it was concentrated in the west to defend against the [[Bombing of Germany during World War II\|British and American bombing campaign]].

Line 45:		Line 45:

	In total, c. 2.5 million Germans were estimated to have been evacuated from the east during Operation "Hannibal", over three-quarters of them civilians and the rest military personnel. The figure does not include [[concentration camp]] prisoners, for whom figures are largely absent.		In total, c. 2.5 million Germans were estimated to have been evacuated from the east during Operation "Hannibal", over three-quarters of them civilians and the rest military personnel. The figure does not include [[concentration camp]] prisoners, for whom figures are largely absent.
	[[File:Rettungsmedaille Ostsee 1945, gestiftet 1987 von Heinz Schön.~~jpg~~\|thumb\|270px\|Rescue Medal "Baltic Sea 1945"]]		[[File:Rettungsmedaille Ostsee 1945, gestiftet 1987 von Heinz Schön.png\|thumb\|270px\|Rescue Medal "Baltic Sea 1945"]]
	==Rescue Medal "Baltic Sea 1945"==		==Rescue Medal "Baltic Sea 1945"==
	The Rescue Medal "Baltic Sea 1945" (''Rettungsmedaille „Ostsee 1945“'') for the largest rescue operation in maritime history was donated by Heinz Schön (1926–2013) in 1987 "as a token of gratitude and recognition of all those rescued across the Baltic Sea" and jointly awarded by the "Kuratorium memorial site Albatros - Rescue over See e. V." (''„Kuratorium Erinnerungsstätte Albatros – Rettung über See e. V."'') and the "Baltic Sea Archive Heinz Schön" (''„Ostsee-Archiv Heinz Schön"'').		The Rescue Medal "Baltic Sea 1945" (''Rettungsmedaille „Ostsee 1945“'') for the largest rescue operation in maritime history was donated by Heinz Schön (1926–2013) in 1987 "as a token of gratitude and recognition of all those rescued across the Baltic Sea" and jointly awarded by the "Kuratorium memorial site Albatros - Rescue over See e. V." (''„Kuratorium Erinnerungsstätte Albatros – Rettung über See e. V."'') and the "Baltic Sea Archive Heinz Schön" (''„Ostsee-Archiv Heinz Schön"'').

Operation Hannibal - Revision history