Laconia Incident

[TopTorp '92]

Interesting to read:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laconia_incident

[Chock]

Yup, it's a well known incident and illustrates that not all U-Boat commanders behaved like heartless Nazis 24 hours a day. It's also not what one might describe as one of the United States' finest hours, then again, that's what happens in wartime.

I think perhaps the US Bomber pilots might have shown a little better judgement, there are some pictures in existence of the U-Boat with people on deck, with what are clearly lifeboats under tow, visibility is good too, so it's fairly apparent what is going on. Still, who can say what they would do under the circumstances? It's easy to be judgemental when sat in a nice warm house at a computer fifty years later.

Chock

[Marcantilan]

The 2007 Submarine Almanac has a superb article about the subject: "Origin of the Laconia order", by M. Maurer

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Chock

Still, who can say what they would do under the circumstances? It's easy to be judgemental when sat in a nice warm house at a computer fifty years later.
Chock

Exactly. Conversely, other aspects of history tend to be looked upon with rose tinted classes from said nice warm houses fifty years later. :rotfl:

[Letum]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Exactly. Conversely, other aspects of history tend to be looked upon with rose tinted classes from said nice warm houses fifty years later. :rotfl:

Thats a little like saying that in some situations people make mistakes by mistake.

[Ducimus]

Acutally i had that post about the unrepentant nazi living in spain, or history revisionsits in general in mind when i said that.

[Letum]

Ohhh! I see! I missed the "Conversely". My mistake. I'm still recovering from the season's festivities. I say "recovering". I would do anything for a stomach pump.