The Nazi Titanic: The Incredible Untold Story of a Doomed Ship in World War II

by Robert P. Watson

Built in 1927, the German ocean liner SS Cap Arcona was the greatest ship since the RMS Titanic and one of the most celebrated luxury liners in the world. When the Nazis seized control in Germany, she was stripped down for use as a floating barracks and troop transport. Later, during the war, Hitler's minister, Joseph Goebbels, cast her as the "star" in his epic propaganda film about the sinking of the legendary Titanic .

Following the film's enormous failure, the German navy used the Cap Arcona to transport German soldiers and civilians across the Baltic, away from the Red Army's advance. In the Third Reich's final days, the ill-fated ship was packed with thousands of concentration camp prisoners. Without adequate water, food, or sanitary facilities, the prisoners suffered as they waited for the end of the war. Just days before Germany surrendered, the Cap Arcona was mistakenly bombed by the British Royal Air Force, and nearly all of the prisoners were killed in the last major tragedy of the Holocaust and one of history's worst maritime disasters.

Although the British government sealed many documents pertaining to the ship's sinking, Robert P. Watson has unearthed forgotten records, conducted many interviews, and used over 100 sources, including diaries and oral histories, to expose this story. As a result, The Nazi Titanic is a riveting and astonishing account of an enigmatic ship that played a devastating role in World War II and the Holocaust.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Holocaust, Germany, Maritime, War

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 26, 2016

Reviews

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A difficult but necessary read

Dr Watson's incredibly fact filled accounts of the birth and death of the once glorious Cap Arcona left me sad and angry. Sad because of the continued atrocities of innocent people and angry because the truth seemed to be hidden simply to protect those who, although clearly did not know what they were doing, still did it.
Thank you Dr Watson. This is a must read

[Zach Koenig · Rating 3 out of 5]

From looking at the cover/title of this book, one would suspect that the entire experience would be devoted to the subject depicted…the ship Cap Arcana, or “Nazi Titanic”. For maybe the first third-to-half of this book that is how things play out, but after that it expands into a much larger WWII tale of concentration camps, propaganda, and even inside Hitler’s bunker during the final days of his life and the Nazi regime.

I think that the problem this book runs into is that it is difficult to tell a story about an inanimate object…in this case a ship. It starts off with good intentions, but as the narratives unfold they inevitably shift towards the people involved in such activities. Ironically enough, those “people stories” end up being the most exciting and interesting parts of the whole book! It just makes for a bit of a confusing read in that it seems for awhile to be focused squarely on the ship’s fate, but steadily moves further and further from that thesis as the pages turn. Because of this lack of focus, I can’t really give “Nazi Titanic” more than three stars here.

All of that being said, there are many interesting points in this book…you just have to realize that those parts will kind of pop up randomly and not necessarily fit into the story of the Cap Arcana directly. Author Robert P. Watson is masterful at telling the stories of the Nazi propaganda machine, the cruelty of the concentration camps/officers, and the final days of the Nazis as the entire regime came crashing down. Those passages in “Nazi Titanic” were as interesting and exciting as any narrative nonfiction I’ve ever read.

So, overall I have to say that reading “Nazi Titanic” was a rather strange experience for me. While I was “supposed” to be learning about the usage/fate of the Cap Arcana, I found myself much more interested in Watson’s descriptions of the other aspects of the Nazi regime. Once the narrative would loop back onto the ship again, I found myself skimming through more of those passages; odd considering the goal of the book.

[Robert Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about a famous german ocean liner that was sunk at end of world war II. It was a luxurious liner built after titanic and improved on it's design. WWII germany economic issues and time led to the ship being used for wartime use, but eventually kept at anchor in a harbor to rust. The Nazi proganda minister had a crazy idea to make a movie about the sinking of the titanic making fun of the british. A wacky director was hired and the story of that movie is in the book which was interesting and parts of the movie were shot on this ship.

A section of the book talked about a swedish nobleman who with the red cross rescued some of his countryman and other europeans from concentration camps at risk of his own life. Eventually though, the 2nd & main part of the book was about how at the end of WWII, concentration camp inmates were shipped to northern germany to be taken to norway to hide them from the allies to hide german atrocities. Many of the inmates died on the way in trains or on forced marches in the middle of winter. Only part of the inmates were transported to norway, and most were packed into every available spot in several big ships including this ocean liner and left to starve to death on the ship without food or water.

British planes found the ships and bombed them and sunk all of them killing most of the concentration inmates a few days before WWII ended unfortunately. Only a few survived by jumping of the ship and swimming or getting on lifeboats. But, when they got to land, the german soldiers shot everyone they could find. So, 15-20K inmates died in a day during this attack. Eventually allied soldiers got to the harbor and stopped the germans, but not until many concentration camp inmates died.

This was very sad to hear about and I've never heard of this before. This is a story we all should know about and strive to not repeat.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Expecting descriptions of a ship that had a disastrous ending, I got much more. This book is about the roles the Cap Arcona, the pride of the German passenger ship fleet, played before and during World War II. But that is not all, because much time is devoted to describing the people who influenced the life of this ship from the shipping firm who owned it, to the German Nazis who used it to produce a propaganda film about the Titanic, and the final captain who tried to block its use as a prison ship during the last days of the war. Much of the book revolves around the evacuation of German soldiers and thousands of prisoners in Germany to its northern shores surrounding the Baltic. I did not know much about about the gruesome evacuation of the camps as the German leaders fought desparately to wipe out any evidence of the German prison camps. Like other books about the Nazi behavior during the war many atrocities are revealed here that further show the their inhumanity. The tragic demise of the Cap Arcona, shows the role friendly fire had to play in this war's gruesome nature, as well.

There are many appendices along with notes and a detailed bibliography which I did not read. I was on fact overload by that time. This book does shed light on events that I have not read previously, so I was glad for the author's pursuit of this topic. Actually 3.5 stars, rounded up, for me.

[Dave Hoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book is more than the German's answer to a luxury liner. Hitler wanted his own Hollywood, he certainly could make better movies than Jews. Driving the director endlessly for the perfect propaganda film of the Titanic and then hanging him. The making of the movie like Keystone Kops, the model used for the film sank, but not like the Titanic. Book got very sad when 42,000 prisoners in concentration camps were crowded on to the liners that were no longer seaworthy and with the help of the RAF, accomplished the plan Himmler and the SS had for them. Most were machined gunned, or drowned when the ships were sunk by the RAF.

[Carolye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the historical data that was shared in this book, it was very enlightening. However, there were many parts that seemed to be dragged out too much. Overall a good read though.

[Backoff51 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about the end of WWII and what the Nazis are doing to the prisoners from the concentration camps. The Nazis did not want any of them to be able to tell the world what had been going on in the camps. An old out-of-service German luxury ocean liner was suddenly of importance.
Robert P. Watson is a very talented story teller.

[Cindy]

DNF 37%

[Mike Miketinac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. The Cap Arcona was a luxury liner, troop transport and was used in a movie. Its final use turns into a disaster of epic proportions.
Also a lot of history about WWII in this book. Especially about the final days of the war.
Hitler and the German soldiers were brutal and inhumane.

[Charles Herndon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. I’ve read many volumes of WW2 history. This book brought several things up I had not read elseware.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of the book "The Nazi Titanic" refers to both the infamous 1943 'TITANIC' film (an anti-British propaganda film designed for Nazi audiences), and the fate of the actual ship used as a film set in that production, the steamship CAP ARCONA.

Once one realizes that the story begins before the Nazis rose it power, it is easier to understand the creation of the CAP ARCONA. Prior to WWI (1914-1918) Germany and the United Kingdom were essentially competing for dominance when it came to transatlantic ocean travel. The UK-based giants of White Star Line and Cunard are familiar to many now, but three of Germany's largest contemporaries were the North-German-Lloyd Company, Hamburg-America Line, and the Hamburg-South America Line.

The early 1900s saw what we could consider 'superships' being constructed, either with an emphasis on speed or luxury (and many times both) in mind during the construction phase. The Cunard Line's MAURETANIA, LUSITANIA & AQUITANIA, along with White Star Line's OLYMPIC & TITANIC (and planned BRITANNIC) were designed to help the UK compete with the many German based passenger and shipping lines. Each company sought to outdo the other when possible, or at the very least provide a competitive alternative. The Germans although having fewer ports, had many large liners, some of which were the KAISER WILHELM der GROSSE, KRONPRINZ WILHELM, KAISER WILHELM II, KRONPRINZESSIN CECILE, GEORGE WASHINGTON, VATERLAND, COLUMBUS CAP TRAFALGAR & many others.

When the First World War broke out in 1914, several German ocean liners sailed for neutral ports, where they were more or less stuck. However both the UK and Germans decided to act on prewar plans, arming ocean liners and converting them into auxiliary warships. They were not intended to be employed against purpose built warships, but to prey on unescorted shipping, preventing supplies from reaching the opposing side. The Germans had some success with this tactic, but eventually the UK wised up to it and Germany's luck began to run out. Several of the 'raiders' (as they were called) were sunk or so damaged that they were abandoned and scuttled by their own crews. The most famous incident was when RMS CARMANIA (of the Cunard Line) encountered the CAP TRAFALGAR (of the German-South America Line) off South America. Ironically the CAP TRAFALGAR had been disguised as the RMS CARMANIA, so that unsuspecting vessels would assume they were a British ship. The real RMS CARMANIA prevailed in the battle that ensued, with CAP TRAFALGAR sinking from damage.

The United States, having remained neutral (officially) finally entered the war on the side of the Allies on 6 April, 1917. When this happened, orders went out to seize all German vessels in US ports and intern their crews as prisoners. Some of the German crews sabotaged their ships, rending severe damage to them. The US Navy took over many of the ships, and operated them as troop and supply transports or the remainder of the war, usually renaming them to something less Germanic.

When the armistice went into effect at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month of 1918, Germany's armed resistance ceased. When the Peace treaty was signed at Versailles France, all sorts of conditions had been made. Germany agreed to give up many of the few surviving vessels (most of which had either not been completed prior to 1914 -the war halting all work on them- or had been seized and operated by the US) as reparations to various international competitors, to replace vessels those countries had lost to German aggression.

With the war over, and the peace terms settled, it was time to either give up or rebuild for Germany's maritime consortiums. The German-South America Line had been heavily impacted by the war, and had lost every vessel they had by the time it was finally over.

The book discusses how the German-South America Line began to rebuild, ingeniously by hiring vessels owned by other lines. This wasn't cheap, but it allowed the company to rebuild it's finances, and in time, to outright buy ships, and start ordering ships constructed for it's own. It was also pretty successful, despite the shattered European economy.

In time they planned for the largest German vessel since before the war, it was to be a large ocean liner with a capacity of over one-thousand passengers, not to mention cargo. CAP ARCONA embarked on her maiden voyage in October 1927, on the Germany to Argentina route. Things were not looking bad for the company, although competition was gradually growing, while a decline in passengers made it a tough market.

Unfortunately for CAP ARCONA (Germany, and the world), the rise of the Nazis led to the Second World War. The German Navy (Kriegsmarine) seized the ship, and used it as a floating barracks. German propaganda minister (the inept but effective Goebbels) wanted a Hollywood style propaganda extravaganza. Never mind that a war was raging, or that the tide was turning against Germany even by 1942. He envisioned a spectacle that would surely distract the increasingly weary German population, while empowering them with anti-British sentiment. If all this doesn't sound incredibly bizarre already (even for the Nazis), he hired one of the few German directors left (who had not been thrown into a concentration camp or fled to avoid one) Herbert Selpin.

The story chosen was that of the RMS TITANIC, the famed and ill-fated British ocean liner than sank after striking an iceberg in 1912. Over 1,000 people lost their lives in the tragedy, Goebbels wanted to exploit it. The film would rewrite history to place as much blame for the tragedy on the British as possible, even inventing a fictional German officer who tries to warn his British counterparts to the dangers they so ignorantly ignore. The British were to be portrayed as ruthless cowards, heartless capitalists, and any other trope that could be shoe horned in. It was clear the German officer, the heart of the story, provided the human compassion and reason the British characters lacked. Typical propaganda.

Rather than build a set made to resemble the real life RMS TITANIC, it was decided that the CAP ARCONA would be used instead. Nevermind that the ship was being used as a barracks ship, had been painted a drab grey by the navy, and was in a deteriorating state of condition. Selpin would have his hands full during the production. The story of the TITANIC required extensive nighttime filming - something which is ill-advised during a war!

Selpin also ran into issues with the military. Accusations of German soldiers harassing actresses reportedly infuriated Selpin, who was already not impressed by the behavior of the extras (many of which were active duty soldiers and sailors). More and more issues came up, hurdle after hurdle. The production was lagging. Goebbels wanted this as a pet project to show that his professional ability to spin propaganda remained intact - mostly so he would not fall out of favor and risk replacement as is common in fascist societies.

Selpin was summoned to explain himself. Suddenly an anonymous informant made accusations against Selpin, claiming he was speaking out against the military (whose antics -besides the war itself- were wreaking havoc on his film set). Selpin was encouraged to denounce the accusations he'd made, he refused. Selpin was arrested, and was 'found' to have hung himself in his cell. Another victim of the Nazi regime.

Selpin was replaced by Karl Werner Klingler, who completed the film. TITANIC was released in November 1943 - but it was released in Paris, not Berlin on its premiere. Goebbels's pet project was no longer considered appropriate for audiences in Germany - with the war going badly against them and Allied bombing raids now hitting German cities regularly, the idea of a movie centered around a depressing real life disaster at sea was no longer desirable.

The final and most tragic chapter in CAP ARCONA's strange life would come on the eve of Germany's defeat. Eager to hide evidence of their crimes against humanity, the Nazis began forced marches 'evacuating' concentration camps - ostensibly for the safety of the prisoners, or even under the guise they would be released- as the Soviet army ground westward towards Germany.

Several thousand 'inmates' of the camps were assembled at Lubeck in northern Germany, on the Baltic Sea. Several old (and mostly immobile) ships had been anchored in the Bay of Lubeck. The prisoners were transferred to the ships, where they were locked into the cargo holds. The German soldiers destroyed the rotting lifeboats, and locked the life preservers away. The ships were not marked as to their contents, and despite intelligence reports, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) launched a series of anti-shipping attacks on the anchored ships. To make matters worse, the RAF planes were armed with missiles.

CAP TRAFALGAR was hit numerous times, set ablaze, and began sinking. While there were survivors (a miracle) of the attack who'd been able to escape the ship, many died in the cold waters or were shot by SS guards. Some however made it ashore. The RAF planes also strafed anyone in the water, the pilots not aware that who they were targeting. The book explains that many in the Allied command feared that the Nazis would retreat into the mountains of southern Germany, while other feared they would escape on ships to occupied Norway where they would hide out and hold out. The RAF strike on the ships was made under the assumption (tragically grossly mistaken) that it was retreating Nazi officials and soldiers going crossing the Baltic to Norway to make a final fanatical stand.

The book interviews survivors of the sinking, and recounts a particularly diabolical plan by the Nazis - that the plan was to leave them on the ships in deep water, then sink the ships, concealing the evidence of their crimes under the Baltic Sea.

Although the subject matter is not pleasant, one should look beyond the title of 'NAZI TITANIC' and focus on the fact that the book allows the survivors -already having survived life in concentration camps- of the CAP ARCONA's sinking to tell their stories.

The book was well written, the only constructive criticism I can offer is that I wished there was more information on the movie production (in the form of first person accounts), and more extensive first-person accounts of the survivors of the sinking. However it has been nearly 80 years since those events, and it is understandable that the author would not have a large number of living survivors to consult, and that some might not want to think about the horrors they lived through. So overall the author did a good job with the material he had.

[Rochelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories about last days of WWII. Slow read. Too much detail on ships.

[thewanderingjew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Nazi Titanic: The Incredible Untold Story of a Doomed Ship in World War II, Roert P. Watson, author, Tom Perkins, narrator
I thought I knew pretty much all of the gory details of the Holocaust, but this book proved to me that there is always a new horror to discover. There seems to be no end to the grotesque behavior that was recorded about that time. Watson has opened my eyes to another incident of brutality committed by Hitler and his followers, brutality that I thought was beyond the imagination of normal people.
The Nazis wanted to create a propaganda film to mock the British. They decided to use the sinking of the Titanic to make the English look inept. The German shipbuilding industry was successful and well-known for their dedication to precision, record-keeping and excellence. For the movie, that was pushed insanely and not abandoned by Joseph Goebbels, obsessed with its production, in defiance of common sense, they used a cruise ship that previously set sail in 1927, the S.S. Cap Arcona built by the company Blohm+Voss. It was called back into service, after being allowed to rust when the war broke out, and was repaired and refurbished. It had once been a magnificent ocean liner. This same company also built the famed ship, the Bismarck, the terror of the seas during the war. The movie went over budget, abused the actors, ignored the rules normally followed during wartime and blackouts, had catastrophic results for the director, and eventually failed. The ship was later used as a German transport for troops and citizens escaping the danger. Then, defying imagination, it was finally called into service, with other cruise ships, to become floating concentration camps with the supposed intent of murdering those on board at sea.
Although the book is ostensibly about the ship and its history and purpose, Dr. Watson also tells the story of the Holocaust. He illustrates the hate, the maniacal behavior and the eventual reckoning that came to pass with the establishment of the State of Israel. He introduces another concentration camp that has not been widely publicized; he introduces different commandants and kapos, and illustrates broadly, the capacity for man to be inhumane toward man.
In the book, he also opened my eyes to what we are witnessing today, in real time, regarding the invasion of Israel, on October 7th, 2023. Although he does not mention it, it was impossible for me not to see the comparison of the events, then and now, and also impossible for me to understand that the world watched them with glee, as the people of Gaza, who follow Hamas, committed murder with abandon, tortured and raped innocent people with joy, and then cheered them. The support was for the Palestinians, Arabs who were descended from those who supported the Holocaust, those who were actually carrying out another Holocaust, instead of defending the Israelis as they fought for their very continued existence after being attacked by barbarians.
How the times have changed since the aftermath of the Holocaust, when the entire world condemned the antisemitic behavior of the Nazis. Today, though, there are still Jews who are willing to “lie down with their enemy; that is why they come up wounded.” They have not learned to believe the threats against them, and instead keep hoping for a miracle that will make them acceptable to the rest of the world. They hope to inspire the miracle with their behavior, but it fails every time. The dream of peace and acceptance became a nightmare on October 7th. This book actually predicts and foreshadows those heinous events, because even after the Holocaust, the Jews were attacked, robbed of their heritage and belongings, abused and expelled from their homes, as their enemies sought to advantage themselves. Nothing really changed.
In this book, Watson has made the incomprehensible, comprehensible, though not acceptable. The barbarism is writ large with his descriptions of the abuses and torture of the prisoners in the concentration camps, with his focus on the efforts of those who tried to rescue those in the crosshairs and those who tried to prevent the effort. Not only Jews needed to be rescued. Yet the very same world that vowed not to forget, has been forced to remember and witness, once again, human beings who have gone mad with mass hysteria, supporting evil rather than virtue, supporting criminals rather than their victims. The world was collectively deranged when it supported Hitler, and is now, once again, deranged as it supports the terrorists from Hamas, most of whom do live in the Gaza Strip, adjacent to Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people. It is the very homeland they wish to destroy, from the river to the sea, and thus make the Jews extinct.
That Jews and others can support this heinous behavior toward the Jews, before the Holocaust and now, that they try to understand their own behavior instead of condemning that of others who harm them, defies common sense. It proves there is a delusion that is still alive and well. To think that you can make your enemy your friend, that if you set a good example, others will follow, is a delusion, an impossible dream. The only thing that will change minds is wiping out the pandemic of hate by removing the enemy, not trying to understand or placate it. It seems to be incurable.
History has shown us how duplicitous humans can be. The Japanese were at the negotiating table with the United States at the same time they bombed Pearl Harbor. The Jews and heads of countries negotiated with the Germans as they were experimenting upon and murdering the innocent, the Jews in Israel were working with the Gazans when they invaded and committed atrocious crimes against them, and during WWII, the British may have known they were murdering prisoners as they bombed the ships trying to destroy the maritime industry of Germany. Will this book help us to learn that we have to fight and destroy evil, not try to ameliorate it?
When dreams turn into nightmares, will the world and the Jews wake up? Watson names people and places I had never heard of like the Neuengamme Concentration Camp and its commandant, Max Pauly, like the director of the film, Herbert Selpin, or Folke Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg, of Sweden, who rescued so many Scandinavians and also thousands of non-Jewish prisoners from Theresienstadt Concentration Camp. However, he was explicitly forbidden from rescuing Jewish prisoners, and therefore did not, so as not to jeopardize his mission.
I had never heard of the ships, *S.S. Cap Arcona, Thielbeck or Athen, the floating concentration camps that were to be used to evacuate and murder the thousands of largely Russian and Jewish prisoners from the Neuengamme, Mittelbau-Dora and Stutthof concentration camps, to hide the evidence of Hitler’s atrocities. After the carnage, when the ships were bombed by the Brits, perhaps without the pilots knowing who were the passengers in them, few were allowed to actually help the victims of the bombing of these ships, just because so many were Jews.
Watson introduces new villains and new heroes, new grotesque behavior, like using human flesh to make soup that is then sold to others as meat based; he highlights the atrocities committed but also highlights those who tried to stop them. Some hateful names were familiar, like Himler and Goebbels, but I had never heard of many, though I have read about the Holocaust widely. Watson takes us from the Holocaust to Truman who made America the first country to recognize Israel and then he goes beyond to reveal how some of the people he highlights survived
People do not face their heinous behavior unless forced to, as the world was when WWII ended. Then they came to their senses, but not because they became more virtuous, but because they had to face their shame and guilt in public, deal with their revolting behavior and monstrous acquiescence to barbarism. I could never have imagined that any human could have the base instincts of the masses in Germany, but I could never have imagined October 7th either. Watson opened my eyes to more horror than I could have dreamt in a nightmare. The author has authentically captured the times and described the actions and the grotesque behavior so that it reads like a novel, since what sane person could imagine such barbarism? Today, we are more adept at hiding evidence, even as technology makes it possible to expose it. The madness did exist then, as it does now, and yet, so many are still blind to it as they let their prejudices guide them instead of their “better angels”.
Perhaps those who read this will open their eyes to the truth, will wake up and find their moral compass once again. Otherwise, we are all doomed, in the end, because as Pastor Martin Niemöller said, “when they came for me, there was no one left to care”. Will we wait for that moment to awaken, when it is too late, or stop the mass hysteria spreading throughout the world, whipped up by the least able to see the light of love and peace, by those who thrive on chaos and worship death, instead.

[Andrew Tweedie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The German ship, Cap Arcona, was originally a luxurious passenger liner but it was also the Nazi Titanic. Its life as a luxurious passenger vessel for the German wealthy was relatively short lived with the start of WW2 curtailing this. As the Nazis surged to power in Germany vessels like the Cap Arcona were seized and used for various war purposes such as troop transport and barracks. However Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's ruthless loyal deputy and tragic propaganda minister, had another use for Cap Arcona. It was meant to be Goebbels star feature in his planned epic propaganda film directed against the British and the sinking of the Titanic. The film which took huge money to make was an abysmal failure which Goebbels never ever really got over. As WW2 advanced Cap Arcona was moved from being the central part of a film set to become a means of attempting to transport thousands of concentration camp prisoners. Cap Arcona had thousands more on board than the safe two and a half thousand and the conditions were horrific. As the end of WW2 approached Himmler ordered all vessels holding concentration prisoners were to be scuttled with the prisoners on board. This included Cap Arcona. However before this happened Cap Arcona and other vessels were unmercifully bombed by the RAF who had thought the prisoners were Germans. Thousands were killed in the most terrible of circumstances and the Cap Arcona was destroyed. This book is graphic in the description of the horrors suffered by those onboard. They make for grim and disturbing reading. Some survived the horror of numerous concentration camps, forced marches and the sinking of Cap Arcona. The stories of these exceedingly brave and courageous men made for compelling reading. One can only marvel at their fortitude in circumstances one finds hard to believe that one set of humans can inflict on another.
This book is much more than the story of Cap Arcona as the author in exposing the history of this ship delved deeply into the Holocaust. This book tells an untold story of what was called the Nazi Titanic.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is a little known story of a ship, originally the most famous German ocean liner, the Cap Arcona. The story is also a tale of the Nazi history as it affected the ship in World War II. From Germany's beautiful and best, modeled after Britain's Titanic but with improvements so it would not sink, the Cap Arcona began life on the Germany to South American run. But as Hitler tensions developed and Germany over took countries one by one, the Cap Arcona would rust a while, get outfitted as a war ship, get re-outfitted as an ocean liner again in order to have Hitler's minister, Joseph Goebbles make a propaganda movie, rust again and be sent to Norway while not properly repaired, then become a dormitory for troops. Because the ship had access to the Baltic where Germany could send prisoners to Norway, it was loaded with prisoners in the last two weeks of World War Il just before Victory in Europe would bring in British and American soldiers. Unfortunately the Cap Arcona was bombed and sank as did other ships in those final days, killing thousands of prisoners because the allies did not know prisoners were aboard.
Although I lived during this time, I was too sheltered to know much of what was going on at the time but was aware that my father who worked with U.S.Lines shipping was alert every day with American and other shipping disasters. This ship was bombed May 3, 1945. I christened the SS. American Clipper Dec 6,1945. 2,751 Liberty Ships were produced; the SS American Clipper was too late for war but not too late to bring people and items home to the US.

[Steven Howes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many works of historical non-fiction, this book is not exactly a page turner. It is, however a well-researched and annotated account of an astonishing, little known story of World War II. While interesting, it was a bit of a slog to get through this book, especially given its level of detail and often extremely disturbing subject matter.

This book is the life story of the "Cap Arcona", one of the finest passenger ships ever built in Germany. In a nutshell, the ship evolved over time from a luxury liner to a derelict used by the Nazis as a naval training center, to a prop in a propaganda film about the sinking of the Titanic, and finally to a floating concentration camp. Events leading to the final destruction of the Cap Arcona by British bomber pilots in the final days of World War II were very complex and truly reflected the horrors of war. A fact I found particularly disturbing was the willingness of the Nazis to keep on torturing and killing political prisoners even though they knew the war was lost.

One reason these events became somewhat lost to history was that by the final days the war, many people were weary of bad news and were eager to hear something uplifting and positive. Germany's surrender and V-E Day ended up overshadowing the story. I kept waiting to read the "happy ending" but, while a few good things happened, this is basically a tragic story. However, the victims should not be forgotten and this book is an excellent tribute to them.

[Elynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this book 4 stars except I didn't really like some of the writing style, but the story was very intriguing. It chronicles events at the end of WWII that I had never heard of before. The book is nearly 2 different stories as it follows the unlikely history of a German luxury liner throughout the war. It gives an interesting glimpse into the Natzi propaganda initiatives in cinematography, and then the forced closure of concentration camps at the very end of the war (both stories tied together by the unlikely ship). It culminates in a maritime disaster to rival the Titanic. I felt the story put a face on human nature: even people who do horrible things can have moments of compassion, and good people in desperation can literally walk over others in need. Stories like this remind me that there is always another story to learn.

While the story was good, the author had a tendency to repeat things over and over . Especially at the beginnings of each chapter. It was like a mini series where they give a brief recap at the beginning of each episode. This made the story feel drawn out. I listened to this in audio book and I think it was easier to listen to than if I had been reading the book.

[Richard Jespers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even as a child, I was a sucker for disaster reads, particularly those taking place at sea: Titanic, Andrea Doria, and others. Watson seizes upon the fame of the Titanic to make a case for his story about the German ship, Cap Arcona (German for Cape Arcona). Without the "Titanic" reference in the title, the book might not have much shelf appeal. I’m not sure that there are too many real parallels between the two ships except that they both sank.

Nevertheless, Watson’s book is a fascinating one about the extraordinary history of a German luxury liner that services travelers from the Baltic to South America from 1927 until 1939. At that time the Nazis expropriate the ship and transform it for war purposes. Its most important history comes at the end of its life, in 1945, and I’m not going to spoil the read by giving away the ending. Suffice it to say that the Cap Arcona story is one that has been overlooked, and we have Robert Watson to thank for keeping it and its historical significance alive.

[Shell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells the fascinating story of the SS Cap Arcona. At the beginning we get a wonderful description of the luxury of the liner and find out which celebrities sailed on her. Then we move on to how she was used during the war as a floating concentration camp and at one point was tidied up to be used in a film. Later we hear the terrible story of how she was sunk by the British RAF who believed she was carrying German soldiers, when, in fact, she was carrying German prisoners. It's a very harrowing book but full of facts about many of the prisoners who both died and survived the sinking of the ship. There are lots of interesting facts about hitler and the prison camps too. It never gets bogged down in 2 many facts and is really easy to read. I'm very glad I picked it up and learned a lot.

[Sheri · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really tried to read this book. Finally at page 80 decided to give it up. Yes there were some interesting tidbits about Hitler's and Joseph Goebbels relationship. Love of movies for one. The book just goes into a painful unnecessary minute by minute account of some of the propaganda films Goebbels had a passion to make or have made in relation to WWII and the Jewish population.

I kept reading as I thought it would just have to take off and draw me in and maybe if I had stuck with it would have. Definitely do not recommend this book.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book due to my ongoing interest in narrative non-fiction about disasters, both natural and man-made. This book tells the story of the Cap Arcona, a German ocean-liner that was considered upper, upper class between the World Wars. What I learned is another tragic story to illustrate the madness, depravity, and horror of Nazism. I didn't need a reminder myself, but, lately, I have come to realize that some do. I'm writing this one week after the new Nazi disaster in Charlottesville, VA.

[Darcie Saunier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read many books on WWII, but I never knew of the activities on the Baltic at the close of the war. An amazing and violent end to an already amazing and violent war. This book had a lot of information. So much information that at times I thought it was going off topic, but it then came back around. The final chapters involving the mass evacuations of the concentration camp prisoners to the Baltic was incredible and are a must read for anyone interested in WWII.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I heard the author speak on this topic and wanted to read the book. I rarely get annoyed with bad writing, but this book annoyed me. It is full of information about the last days of WWII in Germany, but there are repetitions and the accounts are poorly organized. Watson badly needed an editor. Watson is an academic--and this writing would not get a C. It's an interesting and little known story, but how I wish it had been better written.

[Melvin Hulkower · Rating 1 out of 5]

Inept communication By RAF Bomber Command

This tragedy was allowed to happen by the inept communication of the RAF intelligence department during The April 1945 action.
The 100 year sealing of the tragic documents lead the reader to believe that there was collusion by thr British Government.

[Gail · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a big disappointment. It started out good and then completely flopped. It needs a good editor and a proofreader. There's so many errors with missing words, spelling, misplaced punctuation, etc. Several facts were repeated over and over again in the same chapter and then elsewhere in the book. Much of what was written was filler.

[The Jewish Book Council]

"The story of a forgotten ship and its final passengers is a stark reminder that even the good intentions of the Allies could sometimes to lead inadvertent tragedy." Review by Michael N. Dobkowski for the Jewish Book Council.

[Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't really say I "liked" this book just because of the difficult and depressing subject matter. I did, however, find it interesting to learn more about this story. So much suffering and sadness. It's difficult to imagine how anyone survived through such incredible hardships.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

The movie mentioned in this book may be available in your public library. It is a fairly good movie with good special effects for the time. However, it is a propaganda piece, painting the British in a bad light.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit slow and tedious to start, otherwise this would get a higher review.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very matter of fact book about a part of WWII I had never heard about.