The Sinking of the Struma, February 1942

Out of the Foxholes Questions
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Indy and the Crew,

The sinking of the Jewish refugee ship MV Struma (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Struma) and (https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/voyage-of-the-struma) by a Soviet submarine in February 1942 is an often overlooked but emblematic example of the culpability of multiple nations in directly and indirectly helping the Nazi cause in killing Jews.

Nazi Germany set things in motion, and then Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Great Britain, Palestinians, and eventually the USSR all aided directly or indirectly in the fate of those aboard The Struma.

Even if it is not covered in Out of the Foxholes or, more especially, in the War Against Humanity presentations, I recommend everyone read the defining book on the subject, which covers blow by blow the sad and tragic details of events. Events as tragic as it was, ended up being overshadowed by American entry into the war. The book is “Death on the Black Sea: The Untold Story of the ‘Struma’ and World War II’s Holocaust at Sea”.

Go and read it.

my best
Ray Bottorff Jr

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December 24, 1941, the HV Struma and its 700+ Jewish Refugees sit inside the converted former yacht with the broken engine outside of Istanbul. Not allowed to leave. The last of their valuables used to pay to repair the engine once before, they are running out of food and sanitary conditions continue to deteriorate. Meanwhile Turkey and Great Britain slow walk conversations on who should take on the ship, its crew, and passengers. Neither side agreeing on what to do with the refugees due to their own geo-political considerations.

All the while, Soviet submarine Shch-213, patrols the Black Sea looking for targets of opportunity…

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24 February 1942. MV Struma is torpedoed by the Soviet submarine Shch-213 in the Black Sea, killing 781 Jewish refugees and 10 crew members, after it was towed out of the Istanbul harbor by Turkish authorities the previous day.

It is the largest civilian only naval disaster of the Second World War.

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