No one aboard the fishing boat was surprised that submarines might be operating in the Baltic. This means of escape was a calculated risk. The two torpedoes they had seen shortly after leaving Tallinn confirmed what the captain had feared.
The boat was crowded with refugees. People stood wherever they could find room, holding onto railings, console frames, support pillars and gunwales as the vessel moved into open water. Some prayed. One woman began crying uncontrollably while her husband tried to calm her. Ralph watched the water. Nothing happened.
Working his way toward the captain he nearly collided with the first mate coming up from below.
“Where are we going?” Ralph asked.
The first mate shrugged. “Don't know. We'll follow the coast.”
“Stockholm isn't that far.”
“The captain doesn't want to lose his boat. If the weather turns, we don't want to be caught in the open sea.”
Ralph was disappointed. Sweden was where he wanted to go. Instead, they continued south along the Baltic coast.
As the hours passed and no submarines appeared, people began talking among themselves. Ralph listened. One man spoke about a Jewish housekeeper who had been taken away during the German occupation. Others talked about the German soldiers and how young many of them were. Ralph said little. He was wondering what had happened to his mother. And he thought about Karl.
By evening the temperature had dropped. Families huddled together for warmth. Ralph was traveling alone. His pants and socks were wet, and he began to shiver.
“We've passed the Gulf of Riga,” he heard someone say.
They were continuing south. Poland? Germany?
Ralph found a place against a wall and eventually fell asleep.
Voices woke him. It was still dark. Ralph stood and saw lights along the coast. Then he noticed another vessel approaching. A spotlight suddenly illuminated the fishing boat.
Someone aboard the other vessel called out in German and ordered the captain to identify himself. The captain went forward and tried to see past the light. The Germans requested permission to board.
An officer and two armed soldiers came aboard. The captain explained that his passengers were Estonian refugees and allowed the Germans to inspect the vessel.
The inspection did not take long. The refugees were told they were near Danzig (now Gdańsk).
The German patrol boat escorted the fishing boat into the harbor. This was where the passengers would get off.
German soldiers ordered the Estonians into groups and told them to wait for transportation. After a time, three vehicles arrived.
Dawn was beginning to break when Ralph and the other passengers were taken to a temporary camp. Rows of buildings stood along muddy paths. The entire compound was enclosed by two fences topped with barbed wire.
A German officer addressed the new arrivals. “These are temporary quarters. You will be given food and a place to sleep until we can process your identification.”
Ralph looked at the fences. He had left Estonia because he wanted to be free. He had no intention of staying here.
CONTINUED HERE
RELATED
UPROOTED: Intro and Part One
UPROOTED: Part Two
UPROOTED: Part Three
UPROOTED: Part Four
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