When a German U-Boat Saved British Civilians In World War II- The Laconia Incident
A German U-Boat torpedoed the RMS Laconia. The U boat tried to save the passengers. A US Army Air Force intervention ended the operation as a disaster
A German U-Boat carried survivors of the passenger ship it sank two days back.
The submarine towed few lifeboats with passengers in it. The survivors included Italian POWs, British and Polish army personnel, women, and children.
A US aircraft flew towards the U-Boat. The U-Boat captain flew a Red Cross flag on the vessel’s gun and indicated that the sub is not on a combat mission. Among the passengers was a British Army soldier who contacted the US aircraft pilot and informed the situation.
The US aircraft didn’t heed to it and dropped a depth charge on the U-Boat. The U-Boat captain asked the passengers to leave the submarine and took a deep dive to avoid another attack.
It is the Laconia incident where German U-Boats tried to save passengers while the US Army Air Force attacked it. The event came up as an embarrassment to the US during the Nuremberg Trials.
