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September 12th, 1942. Korvettenkapitän Werner Hartenstein, commander of U-156, sinks the British armed merchant cruiser RMS Laconia. Unbeknownst to him, the ship is loaded with civilians and Italian prisoners of war. As survivors struggle amidst the wreckage, the German captain declares a temporary truce and moves in to rescue them. But everything goes wrong when an American B-24 Liberator emerges from the clouds. What began as a mission of mercy collapses into a deadly fight to survive.
Sources:
Primary:
McLoughlin, Jim, David Gibb, and Chris Bullock. “A Laconia Survivor’s Memoir.” ABC Listen, May 11, 2006.
McLoughlin, Jim, and David Gibb. One Common Enemy: The Laconia Incident: A Survivor’s Memoir (Large Print 16pt). ReadHowYouWant, 2012.
U-156. “Kriegstagebuch: 4. Unternehmung” [War Diary: 4th Patrol]. August 20, 1942–November 16, 1942. Record Group 242, National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD.
Secondary:
Hood, Jean. Wreck: Extraordinary True Stories of Disaster and Heroism at Sea. Conway, 2008.
Peillard, Léonce. The Laconia Affair. Bantam Books, 1983.
Peillard, Léonce. U-Boats to the Rescue: The Laconia Incident. Coronet Books, 1976.
Tougias, Michael J., and Alison O’Leary. Abandon Ship!: A True World War II Story of Disaster and Survival. Christy Ottaviano Books-Little Brown and Hachette, 2023.
IWM. “Bawden, Edward (Oral History).” Imperial War Museums. Accessed January 28, 2026.
IWM. “Interview with Tadeusz Walczak.” Imperial War Museums. Accessed January 28, 2026.
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00:00: U-156 Stalks British Cruiser
00:54: Torpedoes Sink RMS Laconia
02:44: Survivors Swim for Life
03:54: Italian Prisoners Discovered
05:12: Korvettenkapitän Werner Hartenstein Launches Rescue
08:30: Lt. James D. Harden spots Red Cross Flag
10:13: B-24 Liberator Attacks U-boat
12:02: Lifeboats Cut Loose
14:04: Survivors Drift To Land
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It's true what they say:
"If the British air force attacks, the Germans duck. If the German air force attacks, the British duck. If the American air force attacks, everybody ducks!"
Ughh nasty business beginning to end
Love how you fail to mention this was later to be recognized as a War Crime. Donitz was trialed at Nuremberg for his Laconia order and had to serve 10 years. Meanwhile the Allies did the exact same thing in the Pacific, refusing to allow submarines to help stranded survivors of their attacks. Donitz war right in his Laconia Order, Legally and Morally.
Funny how, in US schools, we are taught that the Allies did absolutely nothing wrong ever, including the Soviets, and that the Germans were all evil and each individual person had a hand in war crimes. I can’t believe that blatant propaganda is still being taught and convincing our population that the Germans did everything wrong and we did nothing wrong. The fact that they don’t even mention the Soviets SCORES of atrocities before and after the war too is just disgusting. There were good and bad men on all sides.
The only thing we should take away from any of these events is that governments will ALWAYS serve themselves and their coffers, never caring about what the right or just thing to do is
Meine Hochachtung für kptl Hartenstein. Wieder ein Zeichen das die deutsche U. Boot Waffe steht's nach geltendes Kriegsrecht kämpften. Ich verneige mich vor 36.000 gefallenen Soldaten der deutschen U. Boot Waffe.
Это правда?
People need to realize (in regards to the bombers receiving medals) that medals are not just about rewarding bravery but are also used as a political statement from the government. If someone received a medal for a particular action then how can that action be wrong in any way? It also forces the recipient to become a willing parter in said action whether they agreed with the orders or not.
Tremenda historia…bravo gracias por compartir
you would of thought the pilot would of made his own judgement plonker
モールス信号がわからんって能力低すぎだろ。
should have not made this, american are our heroes!
Дейви Джонс ждёт тебя
Иронично
Davy WHOOOO??
Это всё что нужно знать про американцев.
This is one of the tragic examples of how war can turn even an act of humanity into a disaster. Hartenstein’s decision to rescue the survivors shows that compassion can exist in the middle of war while the later attack shows how fear and misunderstanding can have devastating consequences.
Crímenes de guerra de USA sin condena número 1 Millón caso aislado -_- pura patraña es requisito en esa época Saver morse puro horrores estúpidos como para justificarce como cuando bombardearon un hospital de médico sin frontera completamente identificado
Американские властители они такие…
انسان شريف
اما تحالف لا رحمه في قلوبهم
This is the kind of content YouTube needs more of. Informative and fascinating.
Esto EXACTAMENTE le ocurrió al TITANIC… N O. fué un ICEBERG !!!!!