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History Section / The Laconia incident
« on: October 30, 2010, 09:20:05 PM »
For those who don't know This happened after the RMS Laconia was torpedoed by U-156. The ship happened to be carrying about 80 civilians 268 soldiers of the British army 1,800 Italian POWs and 160 polish Soldiers on guard. Only after the ship had been sunk did the captain find out that the ship was carrying POWs. over the next few days two more U-boats U-506 and U-507 and the Italian submarine Comandante Cappellini tied the lifeboats to them and set sail for African coastline and a rendezvous with Vichy French surface warships which had set out from Senegal and Dahomey. Note the captain of the Uboat sent out a message in English telling all ships in the area that he would not attack if they gave assistance.
If any ship will assist the ship-wrecked Laconia crew, I will not attack providing I am not being attacked by ship or air forces. I picked up 193 men. 4, 53 South, 11, 26 West. ― German submarine.
This is the message that the U-boat captain sent.
On september 16th a USAAF from Ascension Island. spotted the four subs with red crosses draped over the gun decks. The rescue was red cross sanctioned but the bomber crew did not know that. The crew was ordered to bomb the subs which it did and the subs forced the survivors that were on board out the subs and dived to avoid the bombing. later a majority of the survivors were picked up. Admiral Karl Dˆnitz gave strict orders after this that the Uboats were not to help survivors of the ships they sunk from that point on. 1,649 most of the lives lost were POWs but Vichy French ships rescued 1,083 persons from the lifeboats and took aboard those picked up by the four submarines. a total of 1,500 passengers survived.
If any ship will assist the ship-wrecked Laconia crew, I will not attack providing I am not being attacked by ship or air forces. I picked up 193 men. 4, 53 South, 11, 26 West. ― German submarine.
This is the message that the U-boat captain sent.
On september 16th a USAAF from Ascension Island. spotted the four subs with red crosses draped over the gun decks. The rescue was red cross sanctioned but the bomber crew did not know that. The crew was ordered to bomb the subs which it did and the subs forced the survivors that were on board out the subs and dived to avoid the bombing. later a majority of the survivors were picked up. Admiral Karl Dˆnitz gave strict orders after this that the Uboats were not to help survivors of the ships they sunk from that point on. 1,649 most of the lives lost were POWs but Vichy French ships rescued 1,083 persons from the lifeboats and took aboard those picked up by the four submarines. a total of 1,500 passengers survived.