Comments by "Ben Wilson" (@benwilson6145) on "The Drydock - Episode 150" video.
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Albert Felsen Name one British Q Ship of World War 2.
The Nazis started unrestricted submarine from the first day of WW2 with the sinking of the Athenia,
Now lets look at Nazi Doenitz and his orders towards survivors.
Early in 1940, Standing Order 154 went to U-boats:
“Do not pick up survivors and take them with you. Do not worry about the merchant ship’s boats. Weather conditions and the distance to land play no part. Have a care only for your own ship and think only to attain your next success as soon as possible. We must be harsh in this war. The enemy began the war in order to destroy us, so nothing else matters. [Signed] DOENITZ.”
The records show that on 3 January 1942, Hitler discussed merchant shipping with the Japanese ambassador:
“Merchant ships would be sunk without warning with the intention of killing as many of the crew as possible… We are fighting for our existence and our attitude cannot be ruled by humane feelings. For this reason he must give the order…that U-boats were to surface after torpedoing and shoot up the lifeboats. Ambassador Oshima heartily agreed… and said that the Japanese, too, are forced to follow similar methods…”
The order of 17 September 1942 reads:
“To all commanding officers:
“1. No. attempt of any kind must be made at rescuing members of ships sunk, and this includes the picking up of persons in the water and putting them in lifeboats, righting capsized lifeboats, and handing over food and water. Rescue runs counter to the rudimentary demands of warfare for the destruction of enemy ships and crews.
“2. Orders for bringing in captains and chief engineers still apply.
“3. Rescue the shipwrecked only if their statements will be of importance to your boat.
“4. Be harsh, having in mind that the enemy takes no regard for women and children in his bombing attacks on German cities.”
On the same date this order is recorded in the war diary of the flag officer submarines:
“The attention of commanding officers is again drawn to the fact that all efforts to rescue members of crews of ships which have been sunk contradict the most primitive demands for the conduct of warfare by annihilating enemy ships and their crews. Orders concerning the bringing in of captains and engineers still stand.”
The prosecution asked the reason for the statements “rescue runs counter to the rudimentary demands of warfare for the destruction of enemy ships and crews,” and “be harsh, having in mind that the enemy takes no regard of women and children.” Neither Doenitz nor is witness could answer these questions specifically. Though no admission of guilt could be wrung from Doenitz, the prosecution introduced testimony to show that at least one high-placed submarine officer did interpret this as an order to shoot survivors.
Captain Moehle of submarine headquarters Kiel, whose duty it was to brief submarine skippers on current orders before their departure on patrol, testified that he himself was in doubt as to the admiral’s meaning, and when next in Paris asked clarification from the admiral’s staff. There he was told the story of an outward-bound U-boat which sighted British airmen on a raft in the Bay of Biscay. Unable to take them aboard for lack for time, the submarine avoided them and continued on her mission. Her skipper so reported to Admiral Doenitz on his return. He was told that he had acted wrongly. If he could not capture the flyers he should have killed them on the raft to prevent their rescue and return to duty to fight against German submarines. Capt Moehle testified he repeated this story to submarine skippers who asked whether the order of 17 September meant to kill survivors.
Now for his guilt in murdering captured military personnel.
Hitler, on 18 October 1942, signed a directive known throughout the service as the “Fuehrer’s Order”:
“All enemies on so-called commando missions. . . challenged by German troops, even if . . . in uniform . . . are to be slaughtered to the last man . . . even . . . if . . . they are prepared to surrender.
Individual commandos captured separately were to be “handed over to the SD” (security police). That, Doenitz admitted, meant they would be shot.
This fact casts doubt on his subsequent denial, and the denial of Admiral Doenitz, that the shared the guilt for the execution of the crew of MTB 345. In July 1943 the British Motor Torpedo Boat 345 left the Shetlands on a mission to destroy German shipping and to lay mines in Norwegian waters. Attacked by superior German naval forces while hidden at the island of Apso, near Bergen, her captain destroyed his ship and surrendered himself and his crew as prisoners of war. They were interrogated by German naval intelligence officers, and, despite the recommendation of their naval interrogators that they be accorded prisoner-of-war treatment, they were turned over by the navy to the Security Police, on the suggestion, if not the insistence, of the naval commander in Norway, Admiral Schrader.
The British sailor, Paul Robert Evans, who was one of the crew of a two-man torpedo fired against the Tirpitz in December 1942, was captured in uniform. He was executed a few weeks before Doenitz became commander in chief. Doenitz disclaimed knowledge and responsibility.
Doenitz was found guilty on two charges, namely Crimes Against the Peace (i.e., waging was that are illegal under International Law) and War Crimes (i.e., contravention of rules governing the conduct of warfare).
I suggest that the Nazis were capable of there own thoughts of murder, after all the murdered over 30 million people.
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