Ruta Sepetys · 2016 · survival

Ruta Sepetys's 2016 historical novel braids together four young refugees fleeing across East Prussia in the final winter of the Second World War. Their separate flights converge on the port of Gotenhafen and the Wilhelm Gustloff, the overcrowded ship whose torpedoing in the icy Baltic killed some nine thousand people, the deadliest disaster in maritime history, and one the world has largely forgotten.

1. 1
   East Prussia

   In the bitter winter of 1945, refugees flee west on foot ahead of the advancing Red Army.

2. 2
   The Vistula Delta

   South around the great frozen lagoon toward the sea.

3. 3
   Gotenhafen

   To the crowded port, and a place aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff.

4. 4
   The Wilhelm Gustloff

   The overloaded ship sails into the Baltic and is struck by Soviet torpedoes, going down with thousands aboard.