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Originally Posted by Dau-U-42
The real rules of submarine warfare were quite complicated. There were all these rules and exceptions: you can attack merchants, but only in convoy, when they had no lights on, when they refused to communicate... Then neutral merchants, 'unrestricted submarine warfare'... 
So, I'm asking which ships am I allowed to attack by the REAL standards and rulings of the war. Of course these changed continuously, so I might need some dates.:hmm: |
In the first few months of the war, U-boats operated under the Prize Rules of engagement which were established around 1935. These rules required stoping the merchant ship, inspecting papers and cargo, establishing the safety of the crew and then sinking the ship. These rules were not very good for U-boats so eventually they went by the way-side. Hitler ultimately declared the area around the UK a war zone, so all merchants could be attacked regardless of nationality. However, he did not want to draw the US into the war, so all US ships (including warships) and all passenger ships were to be untouchable.
That said, Lemp in (I think) U-30 sunk the passenger ship Athenia on the first day of the war without any warning. Lemp made a mistake thinkng the Athenia was an armed merchant ship.
Your best bet for accurate information would be to read a few good books on the
Battle of the Atlantic and Clay Blair's book,
Hitler's U-boat War 1939 - 1942 - The Hunters.