The U-Boat That Tried to Help Its Victims

It’s Saturday, September 12th, 1942. Captain Werner Hartenstein, commanding the U-boat U-156 on its fourth patrol off the coast of Africa, happens to notice dark smoke on the horizon; it can only come from one source, a steamship at speed. He and his crew decide to keep an eye on the vessel and they follow her for several hours at a distance. Hartenstein waits until nightfall, gets a firing solution and then issues the order to fire a spread of two torpedoes. The torpedoes meet their mark. Fires quickly light up the night sky, explosions are heard as fuel ignites, the ship lists violently. The U-boat closes in on Laconia, hoping to capture the ship’s senior officers as they abandon ship. However, as they draw nearer, it’s quickly apparent that something isn’t right. In between explosions, a sound can be heard. Screams. The screams of women, children, and malnourished prisoners of war. Hartenstein realizes the gravity of the situation quickly - what he had just torpedoed is a passenger vessel, carrying 2700 men, women, and children, many of whom are civilians and prisoners of war. Hartenstein watches the chaos unfold as the sea begins to swallow the steamship before his eyes - her name is Laconia. In the same moment, he realizes he has to make a decision, and fast. Hundreds of lives are in his hands. This was the series of events that led up to one of the most bizarre and utterly tragic tales of the Second World War. Hartenstein, a U-Boat commander, defied orders to try to rescue hundreds of people risking his boat and the lives of his men to try to coordinate a humanitarian effort with the enemy. Flying the flag of the red cross he hoped the Allies would come to his aid and take off the victims of the tragic sinking - only, thanks to a series of mistakes and blunders, it wasn’t to be. Warship Designs - the sister-channel to Oceanliner Designs - explores the design, construction, engineering and operation of history’s greatest machines and vessels– from battleships like Bismarck and HMS King George V to aircraft carriers like USS Gerald R. Ford and IJN Akagi. Join researcher Mike Brady as he tells the stories behind some of history's most famous machines! Oceanliner Designs:    / oceanlinerdesigns   Airliner Designs:    / airlinerdesignschannel   Support me on Patreon! :   / oceanlinerdesigns