Laconia

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"If any ship will assist the shipwrecked Laconia crew I will not attack her, providing I am not attacked by ship or air force. I picked up 193 men. 4 degrees -52' south. 11 degrees - 26' west." German Submarine. - - Hartenstein

Here is an example of an allied “atrocity” from World War Two [WW2]?

The Laconia Affair.

An incident, in the aftermath of causing the German Admiral Doenitz to issue the infamous “no rescue - - no assistance order”!

The circumstances are pretty clear regarding this purported “atrocity”.

1. British civilian steamship SS Laconia is cruising off the west coast of Africa.

2. Aboard the Laconia are a large number of British and assorted foreign nationals, eighteen hundred [1,800] Italian prisoners-of-war [POW], and about one hundred Polish troops, guarding the Italians.

"There were about 2,700 people on board, including 1,800 Italian POWs, 268 British military personnel, 103 Free Poles who were guarding the Italians, and about 80 women and children."

3. The Laconia is torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat. Passengers, including the Italian POW’s successfully taking to lifeboats.

4. The U-boat surfaces, discovers that among the survivors of the sinking are the contingent of Italian POW’s. Allies of the German during this point in the war.

5. The German U-boat commander [Hartenstein] announces to the world, en clair' [via international radio distress frequencies] that a rescue mission is at hand, persons, primarily those Italian POW's being "fished" out of the water.

6. The German U-boat commander marks his surfaced vessel with a Red Cross banner and commences to tow those lifeboats chock full of Italian POW to safety in Vichy held African territory. [the Vichy French also being favorably disposed toward the German.]

AT THIS POINT, A REPATRIATION MISSION HAS BEGUN!!

7. An American B-24 Liberator Very-Long-Range-Aircraft [VLRA], on an anti-submarine mission, arrives on the scene of the rescue/repatriation mission, spots the Red Cross banner, and departs.

8. Orders are issued for that very same VLRA Liberator to RETURN AND SINK THE GERMAN SUBMARINE!! A GERMAN U-BOAT CLEARLY MARKED WITH RED CROSS BANNER - - AND INVOLVED IN A RESCUE MISSION!!

What then transpires is debatable?

"The senior officer [American] on duty that day, Captain Robert C. Richardson III, replied with the order 'Sink sub.'"

"Harden [the pilot of the B-24] flew back to the scene of the rescue effort and at 12:32pm attacked with bombs and depth charges . . . The submarines dived and escaped."

This action on the part of the Liberator, however, CANNOT BE CLASSIFIED AS A VIOLATION OF THE RULES OF WAR OR AS AN ATROCITY!!??

The moment the German U-boat commander made the decision to repatriate those Italian POW’s to “friendly” territory [Vichy Africa], both the U-boat and the Italian SOLDIERS BECAME LEGITIMATE TARGETS OF WAR!!?? [emphasis here on the word SOLDIERS!!]

The Italian SOLDIERS, being freed from captivity and with the possibility of repatriation, COULD HAVE REJOINED THE WAR EFFORT. In this instance, became no different than a soldier fleeing on the battlefield, A LEGITIMATE TARGET!!?? And that submarine, facilitating the “escape” as it did, also became a LEGITIMATE TARGET, Red Cross banner notwithstanding!!

[a soldier on the battlefield that has laid down his arms, put his hands up, and is not fleeing, cannot be shot. In contrast, a soldier, having thrown down his weapon, BUT ATTEMPTING TO FLEE, CAN BE SHOT!! The reasoning is quite clear! Fleeing soldiers, not surrendering, can later be reconstituted into a military unit!!]

State of mind of the participants is most important here? This “affair” is very similar to that of the Wahoo “incident” in the Pacific theater? The American submarine commander “Mush” Morton giving the order to shoot Japanese SOLDIERS in the water after the sinking of their transport ship!

That American commander issuing the order to the B-24 Liberator - - “return and sink the sub”, was taking into account all the finer points of the rules of warfare and such when he made his decision? Or was he merely following orders to attack and sink as many German submarines as possible, whenever the opportunity presented itself, heedless of the situation or consequences?

[the German submarine, coming under attack as it did, abandoned the rescue mission and departed the area. Lives were undoubtedly lost in the aftermath of the attack on the U-boat, a fair number of persons later being "fished" out of the water, surviving the "affair"!]

"In all, some 1500 passengers survived"

You the reader decide!

coolbert.