Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptBones
Although there is a wealth of information in the thread regarding the answering of the second question in the OP...there is one simple and (almost) concise answer to the first question...Prize Regulations are/were a matter of International Law. All nations, even if they were not parties to the various Treaties and Conventions that produced and/or promulgated successive versions of said "Law", were obliged to conform to the Law, and thus Prize Regulations were created to govern the conduct of war at sea by nations and their Navies. In the event of war, all nations were expected to abide by International Law, or risk being branded "outlaw" nations.
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Even with respect to the first question, the answer is not that simple. Why didn't the US face any opprobrium for committing to unrestricted submarine warfare against Japan? And why did Germany fear such opprobrium enough to seriously handicap her submarine force, at least at first? The answers in both cases involve the profit-and-loss calculus of international diplomacy, where there are never any concise answers.
Anyone relying on this thread for an understanding of the issues involved may come away with an opinion, but probably with little real understanding. As Einstein said: "Everything should be made as simple as possible, and not simpler!"