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Originally Posted by Ducimus
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An intresting note. I guess you could call it the "apologists" rational, but i read one article claiming his intent was to sink the tell tail wreckage. Not the people persay. It was dark and he coulndnt see. I think he acutally left the area and then came back after brooding on it. Weather or not thats the acutal case is up to debate.
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It's covered well in the book "Silent Hunters: German U-Boat Commanders of WW2". Eck was apparently concerned about the amount of wreckage and how it would be spotted by aircraft patrols from Freetown or Ascension. He didn't think his big IXD2 stood much of a chance against air attack.
Before Eck left port he talked to an old classmate, Adalbert Schnee. Schnee told him to be careful in that area and that traces of wreckage from a torpedoed ship could be recognised from the air for the "next few days". So he tried to sink the rafts of the ship he'd hit.
I'd recommend the book if you want to know more. It covers his actions and his trial, with direct quotes from the trial itself. It also has the pic you mention.