U-Boot war crimes

[Chris Boonzaier]

About the only U-boot war criminal i find for WW1 is the Skipper of the U-55.

So far just this...

As commander of U-55, after sinking the armed 5,597 ton steamer "Torrington" on 8 April 1917, he submerged with 34 survivors on deck, taking only the ship's master POW back to Germany--to bear postwar witness against him.

Werner then did the same thing with crew members of the torpedoed armed 3,066 ton steamer "Toro" on 12 April 1917, murdering 14 crewmembers in the same way, while carrying the Master and ship's gunner back to Germany as prisoners-- and witnesses.

Werner also torpedoed the fully lit and legally identified (but luckily, apparently empty of any but the crew) hospital ship "Rewa" on 4 January 1918, sinking it with a loss of only 4 dead. In what had become an evil pattern of homicidal and deliberately criminal behavior, AGAIN torpedoed a fully lit hospital ship, the "Guilford Castle" on 10 March 1918-- which did not sink only because one torpedo was a dud and the other he fired missed.

Does any one know if there is a photograph of Werner online, or more info about him and his crew?

Thanks

Chris

[jim_davies]

Chris,

Don't know much about Werner, but apparently Helmut Patzig was alleged to have machine gunned survivors of one of the ships he sunk. It was impossible to track him down after the war, although two of his officers Dithmar and Boldt were later charged.

There is a chap on the uboat.net website WW1 Forum who appears to be researching the U-55 and Werner.

Jim