1,600 Killed When Germans Sank British Ship Off West Africa

2767

History has a habit of repeating itself and whenever that happens it goes on a rampage. To prevent this we need ample understanding of the past so that the present becomes error free and the future secured. The shipping world isn’t bereft of this phenomenon. Today, we are going to study one such historic story – a tragedy that happened during the gruesome days of World War II, when a German U-boat rummaged into a British Ship off the coast of West Africa, killing at least 1600 soldiers, civilians, and prisoners of war, reports JD News.

Here’s that horrifying tale.

The Dreadful Day

The day was Sept. 12, 1942,

  • A German U-boat off West Africa torpedoed the RMS Laconia, which was carrying Italian prisoners of war, British soldiers and civilians.
  • More than 1,600 people die while some 1,100 survived after the ship sank.
  • The German crew, joined by other U-boats, began rescue operations.
  • On September 16, the rescue effort came to an abrupt halt when the Germans were attacked by a U.S. Army bomber.
  • U-boat commanders were ordered to no longer rescue civilian survivors of the submarine attack.

Did you subscribe for our daily newsletter?

It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!

Source: JD News