In the closing days of World War II a crisis was emerging for German civilians trapped on the Eastern Front by the Red Army. Many lived between the Soviet advance and the Wehrmacht defense of Nazi Germany. They were fearful of Soviet retribution for the millions of Russians that had been murdered by the Nazis in the early years of the war. Since all land routes had been cut off, an evacuation by sea was the only way to provide escape for the civilians back to Germany. Such an escape was fraught with many dangers. Soviet submarines prowled the Baltic Sea where the ships would sail and the Red air force bombed the ports and ships at sea. Most of the available ports were under siege by the Red Army and civilians who tried to reach the ports were often killed or died in the winter weather. To save the civilians and some of the German soldiers, the German Navy developed a plan for the evacuation called Operation Hannibal in early 1945. This history tells the story of this flight from its start in January 1945 until it concluded the day after the end of World War II.
About the Author: Michael A. Eggleston is an author who has published books and articles about America's wars including several about the war in Vietnam where he served two tours of duty in the 1960s and seventies. His previous books include 10th Minnesota Volunteers; President Lincoln's Recruiter, General Lorenzo Thomas and the United States Colored Troops in the Civil War; Exiting Vietnam, The Era of Vietnamization and American Withdrawal Revealed in First-Person Accounts; The 5th Marine Devil Dogs in World War I; Dak To and the Border Battles of Vietnam and One Man's Traitor is Another's Patriot, George Washington and Robert Rogers. He was born and raised in Minnesota and lived in Germany for several years while serving in the U. S. Army. He is a 1961 graduate of the U. S. Military Academy (USMA) at West Point. Eggleston has thirty year's service in the U.S. Army and twenty years' experience in industry retiring as a Senior Director. He is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Association of Graduates, USMA, and the Minnesota Historical Society. Mr. Eggleston and his wife of 45 years, the former Margaret Rogers reside in Nokesville, Virginia.