towns and villages in East Prussia now being liberated from German control by the Red Army proved the warnings were more than empty threats The only chance for Germans or anyone who had supported them was to get out of the way Hundreds of Operation Barbarossa thousands of panic stricken people had fled west ahead of the Russian onslaught which was rapidly closing In June 1941 Germany invaded the Soviet Union in a massive military attack Hitler around them like the jaws of a massive vice By the end called Operation Barbarossa German of January 1945 vast numbers of refugees were trapped divisions seized huge tracts of land and on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea If the remnants unleashed unspeakable suffering on the Soviet people Millions were deliberately of the German navy could not muster enough ships to starved to death or fell victim to other come and rescue them the result might be the death of brutal German atrocities More than 3 million Soviet prisoners of war died in vast numbers of people German prison camps alone and more That is why as the Wilhelm Gustloff left the Bay of than 1 million Soviet Jews were killed Ultimately Barbarossa was a disaster Danzig and turned west on the stormy wind whipped for the German army which suffered Baltic Sea passengers began to feel things most of huge losses of soldiers weapons and machinery It also drove the Soviets to the them had not felt in weeks In spite of the cold and the extreme acts of retaliation they exacted scasickness and the cramped smelly accommodations against East Prussia in 1945
people began to feel relief and even a little hope Perhaps their ordeal was nearly over Lone Wolf on the Prowl The Soviet submarine captained by Commander Alexander Marinesko had the official designation S 13 In late 1944 the sub was stationed at a base in Turku Finland The powerful German air force kept Soviet subs penned there and at other bases unable to operate By the time the Allies finally regained air and sea superiority in 1944 Soviet sub commanders could not wait to get to sea and attack anything and everything flying the German flag In January 1945 Marinesko and his 46 man crew were relieved to finally be in action cruising the Baltic Sea searching for German ships For a while S 13 joined a group of subs that hunted and attacked together But Marinesko had never liked taking orders from others Weapons of Undersea Warfare in World War II Torpedoes were a submarine's most effective and deadly weapons To combat them many vessels had sonar which allowed them to hear subs approaching underwater That allowed ships to launch depth charges bombs that exploded automatically at the depths where subs cruised Ships and subs both had to deal with mines These stationary bombs floated unseen beneath the surface until something came close or bumped them An estimated 80 000 marine mines were scattered in the Baltic Sea during the war Specially equipped boats called minesweepers could safely explode or remove some mines but not all Many mines from the World War II era are still in the Baltic today more than 70 years after the conflict ended
J Alexander Marinesko bis mmander E pended MJEKCARAP JAPVHECKO
He also didn't like the idea of sharing credit for sinking ships either He craved honor and glory for himself and his crew His sub was loaded with 12 powerful torpedoes self propelled underwater missiles that sub crews could fire while submerged or while cruising on the surface Marinesko was eager to use them In late January Marinesko had received news of the German navy's massive evacuation of refugees and military personnel from East Prussia Large numbers of ships would be coming and going in the Gulf of Danzig That's where the best hunting would be so that's where he took S 13 S 13 searched the area for more than three weeks without spotting any targets The sub often sat stationary on the sea bottom during the day to avoid detection It surfaced at night to watch for passing ships Marinesko was particularly skilled at maneuvering stealthily until he was in a position to fire his torpedoes But first he had to find a worthy target Marinesko steered S 13 to a position known as the Stolpe Bank where a 24 mile long 38 6 km and ten mile wide 16 km underwater shoal of gravel extended out into the Baltic The water there was relatively shallow so ships avoided it preferring to swing out into the deeper channel It was not a safe place for a sub to launch an attack either but Marinesko
