"That oncoming ship... it's... it's us, sir."
"That oncoming ship... it's... it's us, sir."
20 comments
-
-
If I'm not mistaken the Carmania was a civilian ship that the British outfit with weapons to protect convoys and the germans chose the Carmania because it was a civilian ship so it ended up being a battle between two "civilian" ships with hidden cannons.
-
Up until the end of WW2, it was quite common to requisition suitable civilian ships into the navy and outfit them as auxiliary cruisers. (often passenger liners due to their high speeds and long range) It wasn't uncommon for governments to subsidise suitable ships under the condition they were already built with preparations for such a conversion (mostly mounting points for a number of cruiser calibre guns).
Those auxiliary cruisers were then often put to use as convoy escorts and for commerce raiding, (Converted passenger ships being especially attractive in this capacity due to their capability of carrying extra personnel to use as prize crews to take over enemy shipping with useful cargo rather than sinking it) freeing up real warships for other tasks.
-
-
"the British seeing it's own ship coming at it" hurts my brain in so many ways. The wrong "it's". Using "it's" and "it" in relation to a plural formal noun. Could be fixed either by adding the word "navy" and using the correct "its" or by replacing "it's" and "it" with "their" and "them".
-
-
-
If you want to know more the Drachnifel channel on YouTube has a good episode on it.
-
I'm getting Enemy Territory flashbacks...
20 comments
Dressing up as the enemy is actually a war crime.
Not back then it wouldn't be, though, if we take the veracity of the story at face value. The inclusion of perfidy (bad-faith deception, such as dressing up as a civilian or opposing force) as a banned act within the Geneva Conventions was only adopted in 1977, under articles 37 and 39 of Additional Protocol I.
Edit: And even today, Article 39 exempts naval engagements specifically from that provision when it comes to flying the wrong colors with intent to deceive.
What? Committing war crimes? Germany? Preposterous!
WWI was so famous for everyone fighting a calm and reasonable war with no war crimes
war crimes are whatever the dominate military power says it is the other guy is doing
Only if you engage under the enemy's colors. Otherwise it's a ruse of war, and legitimate.
Then thank the British for stopping this potential war crime.
It's war, and when you are being invaded by greedy bastards. There are no war crimes.
I thought the Germans were the greedy bastards?