Unknown Title

Title:

The Nazi Titanic : the incredible untold story of a doomed ship in World War II / Robert P. Watson.

Author:

Watson, Robert P., 1962- author.

ISBN:

9780306824890

Personal Author:

Watson, Robert P., 1962- author.

Edition:

First Da Capo Press edition.

Physical Description:

xi, 292 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Content Type:

text

Media Type (RDA):

unmediated

Carrier Type:

volume

Contents:

Introduction: history's secrets -- Part I. Opening act: Germany's Titanic -- A bold idea -- The queen of the Atlantic -- An urgent message -- Part II. Starring role: Nazi propaganda film -- Rewriting history -- Hollywood on the Rhine -- Raising the Titanic -- The celebrated Selpin -- A new star -- The sinking of the Titanic -- Part III. Third role: evacuation ship -- The tide of war changes -- Evacuation -- Neuengamme -- A cruel race -- Swedish savior -- Part IV. Final role: floating concentration camp -- Exodus -- Floating concentration camps -- In the bunker -- Operation Rainbow -- Death from above -- Waves -- Part V, Curtain call -- Final act -- Aftermath.

Corporate Subject:

Cap Arcona (Ship)

Subject Term:

Ocean liners -- Germany -- History -- 20th century.

World War, 1939-1945 -- Aerial operations, British.

Shipwrecks -- Germany -- Lübeck Bay -- History -- 20th century.

Format:

Books

Available:*

Library	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... LeRoy - Woodward Memorial Library	0549063	940.54 WATS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... North Tonawanda Public Library	34120005997594	940.5421 WATS	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

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.

Author Notes

Robert P. Watson, PhD , has published three dozen nonfiction books, two encyclopedia sets, three novels, and hundreds of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, and reference essays on topics in politics and history. A frequent media commentator, Watson has been interviewed by outlets throughout the United States and internationally and serves as the political analyst for WPTV 5 (NBC) in Florida. For many years he was also a Sunday columnist with the Sun-Sentinel newspaper. An award-winning author, Watson's recent books include The Presidents' Wives; Affairs of the State ; and America's First Crisis , which received the 2014 Gold Medal in History from the Independent Publishers' Association (IPPY). He is a Distinguished Professor of American History at Lynn University.

Reviews (1)

Library Journal Review

In his latest work, historian Watson (America's First Crisis: The War of 1812) probes the tumultuous history of the SS Cap Arcona, a German luxury liner launched in 1927 that regularly ferried cargo between Hamburg and Buenos Aires. The vessel was referred to as the Nazi Titanic, since it functioned as a prison ship during its later years, including when it was sunk by the British Royal Air Force in 1945, killing thousands formerly incarcerated in Nazi concentration camps. Through an in-depth investigation of the ship's many journeys, Watson delves into the social and military history of the Third Reich and the intrigue surrounding the German film industry. The author's meticulous research draws on archival sources and oral history interviews; the book further benefits from endnotes. VERDICT This work has much to offer both scholars and casual readers. Anyone interested in the maritime history of the Third Reich will enjoy. Film lovers will find this account complements our knowledge of motion pictures for propaganda during the Nazi occupation.-Felicia J. Williamson, Dallas Holocaust Museum © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.