The fifth transport of internees from England to overseas did not take more than 2,000 interned Jews and Nazi opponents as well as 200 Italian and 250 German survivors of the Arandora Star to Canada as announced. They were deported to Australia on the HMT Dunera. We want to trace the terrible history of this unjustified mass deportation in several first-hand articles. These pages will therefore document, among other things, the detailed reports of the internees – possibly for the first time in German and in full -, supplemented by excerpts from newspaper articles, eyewitness and court reports, parliamentary debates and other official documents. A detailed discussion is devoted to the legend that a German submarine protected the Germans on the Dunera from attacks by the German navy. Also documented are statements by the commander of the watch crews and an article about the military doctor on board.
Peter Dehn, February 2024
57 days of sheer horror – on the HMT Dunera to Australia
Out of fear of a German invasion, which was fueled by right-wing media campaigns, Britain’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the rapid deportation of as many of the up to 70,000 Germans and Austrians and ethnic Germans in the country as possible, and later also the Italians and prisoners of war from both countries. More than 10,000 internees and prisoners of war were deported overseas on five transports within just 16 days. Contrary to official statements, only up to 2,500 of them are said to have been dangerous Nazis or their sympathizers. However, even this number, which seems small in the overall context, must be called into question – simply because of proven misclassifications.
For 57 days – from July 10 to September 6, 1940 – the 2,500 prisoners on the completely (and unacceptably) overcrowded Dunera were held in rooms almost entirely without daylight. The sanitary and hygienic conditions were terrible, the meals inadequate. The men were systematically robbed and personal documents were destroyed. There were anti-Semitic attacks. Everything took place under observation, cover and with the complicity of officers of the guards. A torpedo attack had to be survived. It was only when arrival in Australia was imminent that any underwear and shaving kit (which several men had to share) were issued for the first time.
The Dunera was put into service by the British India Steam Navigation Company in 1937. The 157 meter long 11,161 GRT cruise steamer reached a top speed of 16 knots (approx. 30 km/h). 290 crew members catered for 104 first-class, 100 second-class and 164 third-class passengers. From 1939, it was registered as a troop carrier for 1,157 passengers. After the Second World War, the ship served the British Navy until 1960. In 1961, the Dunera was converted for educational trips for 834 children and scrapped in 1967. The photo was taken in 1940. Source: Australian War Museum No. 303219, Public Domain.
An extensive analysis deals with the claim that a German submarine accompanied or otherwise protected the Dunera in some way. The article also investigates the astonishing origin of this legend.
Shortly after the 2,000 Jewish and anti-fascist internees had settled in two camps near the town of Hay in the Australian state of News South Wales – 700 kilometers by road west of Sydney – they summarized their travel experiences in separate reports. A British court martial did not convene until 1941, but was not interested in the victims’ statements. There were two “severe reprimands” and a discharge from military service [British regret], which could be interpreted as a free pass for surviving the world war.
The mass deportations [mass deportations] were stopped after the events surrounding the Arandora Star and the Dunera became known surprisingly quickly. Churchill’s deportation policy was heavily criticized by the British public and in Parliament. The Dunera had not yet reached Australia when the British government was forced to end its rigid deportation policy [British regret] and misled the public with false claims, among other things. For example, it was officially stated that there were no refugees on board the sunken Arandora Star.
It took about two years before the men interned in Australia were taken to Great Britain or a country of their choice or released. Those who wanted to stay in Australia could earn this right by serving in a work unit of the Australian military.
