“Submarines get mighty cold in the North Atlantic. Anything that provides insulation is a benefit.”
Your response, while technically true, seems a bit nonchalant and insensitive, considering that the German sailors were using socks made from the hair shorn of the soon-to-be exterminated. I doubt that the sailors knew this, I think they would have been shocked to know this.
The Germans weren’t as ignorant about what was going on as you may think. The German Army certainly wasn’t.
My guess is that if they went to submariners it was because there would never be any evidence if they lost an engagement with the Allies. Socks of this nature would have been much more obvious had they been worn by the Army—who were being captured by the tens of thousands.
Just a thought.