The film depicts the first month of 1945 when the Russian Red Army broke into the eastern part of Germany and forced millions of civilians to flee in the coldest of winter. While the Russians invaded Ostpreussen hundred of thousands of civilians were evacuated by ships. Gotenhafen was the last open port and ships left the town almost by the minute, overloaded by refugees. One of the last ships to leave Gotenhafen was the 'Wilhelm Gustloff', a former 'Kraft durch Freude' pleasure cruiser designed for 1000 passengers. Until today it is unknown how many people were on board but it is said to be around 10.000. The ship sunk without a trace and only a handful of people survived this hellish nightmare.
Credits
Darkness Fell on Gotenhafen Cast
| Name |
Character |
|
Mady Rahl
She was 43, 94 years old when she died
|
as Edith Marquardt |
|
Erik Schumann
He was 34, 82 years old when he died
|
as Hans Schott |
|
Dietmar Schönherr
He was 32, 88 years old when he died
|
as Gaston |
|
Günter Pfitzmann
He was 34, 79 years old when he died
|
as Oberleutnant Dankel |
|
Willy Maertens
He was 65, 74 years old when he died
|
as Vater Reiser |
|
Brigitte Horney
She was 47, 77 years old when she died
|
as Generalin von Reuss |
|
Wolfgang Preiss
He was 48, 92 years old when he died
|
as Dr. Beck |
|
Gunnar Möller
He was 31, 89 years old when he died
|
as Kurt Reiser |
|
Günther Ungeheuer
He was 33, 63 years old when he died
|
as Arzt |
|
Sonja Ziemann
She was 32, now 98 years old
|
as Maria Reiser |
|
Tatjana Bokan
She was 29, now 36 years old
|
as Dienstmädchen Marta |
|
Carl Lange
He was 124, 164 years old when he died
|
as Kapitän Zahn |
|
Erich Dunskus
He was 68, 77 years old when he died
|
as Vater Marquardt |
|
Carla Hagen
She was 27, now 92 years old
|
as Monika |
Darkness Fell on Gotenhafen Crew
| Name |
Department |
|
Frank Wisbar as Director. He was 59 (67) years old when He died
|
Directing |
|
Frank Wisbar as Writer. He was 59 (67) years old when He died
|
Writing |
