MS Gotenland

MS " Gotenland " was a German cargo ship used during World War II. The ship is known in Norway for being used in the deportation of 158 Norwegian Jews to Germany in 1943.

MS Gotenland

"Gotenland" sailed for the shipping company Norddeutscher Lloyd, and was led by Captain Heinz Vollmers. Sources vary somewhat around the ship's gross tonnage, which is stated between approx. 5300 and 5600 brt.[1]

The deportation of Norwegian Jews in 1943

Detained Jews in Norway had already been sent to camps in German-occupied Poland with the ships "Danube" and "Monte Rosa". Gotenland became the third ship known for its role in the deportation of Norwegian Jews.

On February 24, 1943, a total of 158 Jewish prisoners were transferred from Bredtveit and Grini to Gotenland, which was located in the port of Oslo. Of these, 71 were adult women, 63 adult men and 24 children born in 1924 or later. The loading took all day, so that the ship did not leave Oslo until the morning after five o'clock. The Gestapo officer Klaus Grossmann led the German guard force on board the Gotenland during the transport. [1][2]

The voyage's destination was Szczecin in Germany (today Szczecin in Poland), where the ship docked on the morning of 27 February. The prisoners were housed in freight cars and sent to Berlin, where they were forced to sign that they transferred their fortunes to the German state. The next day they were sent on to Auschwitz. [1]

Upon arrival in Auschwitz, all men under 18 and over approx. 45-50 years and almost all women were separated from the group, they were immediately executed in the gas chamber. 26-28 Norwegians survived the first day, they were forced to work in Monowitz-Buna.[1] Only six or seven of the prisoners sent with Gotenland survived the war. [2]

References

Mendelsohn, Oskar (1987). The History of the Jews in Norway. Oso: Universitetsforl. pp. 146–152. ISBN 8200025241.
Ottosen, Kristian (1995). Bak lås og slå : historen om norske kvinner og menn i Hitlers fengsler og tukthus ([Ny utg.] ed.). Oslo: Aschehoug. ISBN 82-03-26079-9. OCLC 478697792.

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[:0-1] Mendelsohn, Oskar (1987). The History of the Jews in Norway. Oso: Universitetsforl. pp. 146–152. ISBN 8200025241.

[:1-2] Ottosen, Kristian (1995). Bak lås og slå : historen om norske kvinner og menn i Hitlers fengsler og tukthus ([Ny utg.] ed.). Oslo: Aschehoug. ISBN 82-03-26079-9. OCLC 478697792.