A story to be told

A story to be told…

Throughout all our lifes we discover so many different things; facts about food, people and places. We learn and we teach, we read and we write. They say you learn throughout your life and yet you die stupid.

         Even though over 70 years have passed since the Second World War there’s still so many untold stories, heroes undiscovered and mysteries unsolved. I’ve recently read a book, which by the way I highly recommend (it is called Lo Que Mueve el Mundo) and I found a very moving story that I had never heard before and I thought I would like to share it with you.

            As most of you probably know the Second World War finished on 8th May 1945. It was the most dramatic military battle that a human being fought in terms of lifes that were taken. Statistics say that over 60 millions were killed. The death is inevitable but war changes the meaning of death ...

         On the 3rd of May one of the worst shipping catastrophes of all times happened; where almost 5000 people died. The ship was called Cap Arcona and it was a German ocean liner that was used for exclusive trips from Germany to South America before the Second World War began. Later on, German soldiers and civilians were being constantly transported on board of Cap Arcona while escaping from the Red Army. Finally, it became a prison ship where people from the Nazi concentration camps were held.

 The end of the war was in the air when British Royal Air Forces threatened German militaries on the ship and told them if they didn’t leave the Lubeck Bay on the Baltic Sea they will start the attack and bombard their ships. Unfortunately, they didn’t listen and the RAF began the attack. 

 Couple of hours before the attack The Red Cross found out that there were almost 5000 prisoners from concentrations camps held on the ship and although they sent an SOS message to the RAF it didn’t make it on time and it was too late.

Around 1000 prisoners managed to escape from the burning ship, they managed to survive many atrocities such as the Holocaust along with hunger, cold and other attacks only to later be killed by hundreds of Nazi soldiers waiting for them on the land. Only 300 survived from that terrifying ordeal.


  

             It is only one of many stories that the war brought us and I believe that somehow we owe those people who died at least our thoughts and memories.