Is the Laconia a true story?

Dramatisation of the true story of the sinking of the liner Laconia by a German U-boat in 1942 through the eyes of six survivors.

What happened to the survivors of the Laconia?

The B-24 killed dozens of Laconia’s survivors with bombs and strafing attacks, forcing U-156 to cast into the sea the remaining survivors that she had rescued, and to crash dive to avoid being destroyed. Rescue operations were continued by other vessels.

How many Laconia survivors are there?

Just over 1,000 survived the sinking of the Laconia; of these, only 415 were Italians. None of the three German U-boat captains involved in the humanitarian rescue effort survived the war, as their submarines were all sunk by attacks by Allied aircraft.

When was the Laconia sunk?

September 12, 1942
A German U-boat sinks a British troop ship, the Laconia, killing more than 1,400 men on September 12, 1942. The commander of the German sub, Capt. Werner Hartenstein, realizing that Italians POWs were among the passengers, strove to aid in their rescue.

Are there any surviving ww2 submarines?

Former Navy chief boatswain’s mate of the submarine Tang, William “Bill” Leibold, is the only remaining World War II survivor of the sub that sunk in 1944. Leibold was one of nine survivors of a crew of 87 on the Navy submarine, USS Tang.

What happened to the crew of U 534?

U-534 had aboard a crew of 52 men; all escaped the sub, 49 survived to be rescued. Five were trapped in the torpedo room as she began to sink, but they managed to escape through the torpedo loading hatch once the boat had settled on the sea bed.

Did German U-boats shoot survivors?

There was only one proven case of a U-boat intentionally machine-gunning survivors during the whole war. It was never the policy of the U-boat service to shoot men in the water or in lifeboats.

Did German U boats pick up survivors?

There were cases where Uboats picked up survivors and were then bombed by American planes. Donitz later claimed the war called for “the destruction of men as well as boats”.

Why was U-534 cut up?

Museum ship On 27 June 2007, the Merseytravel transit authority announced that it had acquired the submarine to display at the Woodside Ferry Terminal. For technical reasons and to facilitate economical transportation to its new site, the vessel was cut into five sections, two of which were subsequently re-joined.