U 852

[cappy]

While recently reading of the shooting in the water of merchant seamen by u boat 852 on the orders of its commander ....over a 5 hour period.... in which i believe 2 or 3 still survived i was more than shocked to read that a royal navy commander ...and also a US naval commander ...were also guilty of similar charges during the war ....in fact the british commander was later awarded the victoria cross for bravery i believe in the med .....the german commander and two others i believe were hanged ..non of the allied commanders were punished i am led to believe .....well my mind finds this hard to understand.....perhaps we gave mitigating circumstances to our guys but not there guys .....cappy

[Doc Vernon]

Thanks cappy just to add a link so other mat read it all as well.
Cheers

Heinz-Wilhelm Eck - Wikipedia

[Mark Keever]

More insight from Kenneth Wynn's " U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Volume 2 " copyright 1998 by the author and the Naval Institute Press of Annapolis, Maryland. Hope it opens OK. Click to enlarge ?

[Keith at Tregenna]

U-Boat Massacre - The Case of U-852

The March 1944 sinking of the merchant ship Peleus by U-852 remains highly controversial as the U-Boat skipper turned his guns on survivors in the water. Was this kind of action policy in the Kriegsmarine and what was the outcome for the German captain and his crew?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9LeA7V77E0

[j.sabourn]

#1... Cappy that’s the price one pays for being on the losing side . If the war had gone the other way, those being hung would of been members of the allied forces. Such has been the answer to any war from the beginning of time. It is seen as retribution but is a means of getting rid of unnecessary problems later.. There is very little if any space between good and bad in any war. Politicians try and give it other names such as Police Action ( Korean War) or regime change ,but invasion of a foreign country is just that an invasion. JS.

[happy daze john in oz]

The other part of this is the history.

It is the victor that writes the history so it will be their account, and not always the exact facts, that will come though.

There have been over the years a few written form the other sides, but few get a look in.

A pity really because to assess the truth one needs to see both sides of the story.

[j.sabourn]

The whole point of the U-boat war was to deprive the Uk of munitions and food . The sinking of ships was the obvious way to do this. However it was not happening quick enough for the Nazis as ships were being built at a never before seen rate, this with the apparent return to sea to man these vessels by survivors of the lost shipping was another success story for the allies. I would imagine it was standard orders in rough terms that it was desirable to have no survivors. I think that the odd U-boat commander was obeying orders , whereas others turned a blind eye to indiscriminate murder. Put yourself in the same position. JS

[Fouro]

Thought this a good story to go along with your post #7 John.

Why I did it, by U-boat Captain

Regards from,
Fouro.

[j.sabourn]

Thanks fouro the author the U-boat captain sounds like a good man and does not fit the made up villain of the usual made up scenario. My experiences of a tragedy there are always the doers and those who like to spectate , it is always the spectators who have the most to say. I will not pull the scabs off the wounds that I experienced as would only open those wounds once again. Suffice to say if you had heard my language about others and their lack of judgement it would only cause further distress. There are good and bad in all walks of life , it just remains to make the right choices . Cheers JS......

[happy daze john in oz]

I often wonder just how many soldiers, sailors and airmen would not have done what they did given a choice.

War is a dirty business, and now that is just what it is for many, and the men involved often had no choice.
Conscripted they had to follow orders, worse inWW1 where they could, and some were, be shot for refusing to follow orders no matter how bad they may have been.

For some of the very young it may well have been a situation when facing the enemy it is you or me.