Part 1

Humanity In Wartime: A Remarkable WWII Story Gets A Terrific International Interpretation
The infamous WWII incident involving the British cruise liner Laconia is a one-of-a-kind tale that is almost too fantastic to believe. The ship, which had been conscripted into service, was traveling from Egypt to Liverpool and had a passenger list consisting largely of civilians and Italian prisoners. When a German U-boat had the opportunity to torpedo the enemy, they took it and the ship was sunk. But when the survivors were discovered to be non-combatants, the German captain attempted to aid where he could. In an unusual tale of humanity in the time of adversity, this truce became a beacon of hope for the future. But as the aftermath of this decision unfolded, the results were both shocking and disappointing. If you don't know much about the event, I highly recommend the first rate production of "The Sinking of the Laconia." This two part TV movie was a British and German co-production and is taken from true accounts of the survivors.

Part One introduces a large cast of...

I think this is a great movie
The Laconia was sank during WWII and the captain of the U-boat, seeing that there were survivors, tried to take as many aboard as possible. He actually did his best, regardless of some of the mishaps of the allies. Many of those survived to tell the tale. Admiral Donitz who was in charge of all naval operations agreed with the captain to help the survivors but latter because of pressure, he ordered that this would never be allowed in the future. Those that survived gave the Captain of the U-boat high praise. Admiral Donitz wanted the captain to join him as part of his staff but the Captain refused to leave his men. He went back out to sea and died as his U-boat was sunk during the remainder of the war.



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