[muawiyah]

Comparisons with the German Navy in WWII are risky. 90% of the members of their submarine service (which did virtually all of the damage to allied shipping, and which killed thousands of merchant seamen) DIED IN THE WAR.

The Japanese Navy simply had more survivors than did the Germans.

To the degree any of these guys are still walking around, it won't be long and they'll all be dead.

[bobby.223]

and when these bastards do die I hope to hell they go slowly and painfully. somehow. somewhere.

[padre35]

True justice never slumbers nor sleeps muawiyah, the Japanese behaved shamefully in WW2, from the ghosts of Battan to the murdered via bayonet in Nanking, some never forget what they did in WW2.

Now they are backing away from even supporting the War in Iraq, and want us to leave Okinawa.

Tough nokkie, there is a reason why MacArthur stipulated that the Japanese Command staff et al had to dispose of their swords in Tokyo Bay....

[Scotsman will be Free]

I haven’t found any info on routine German Navy atrocities. Do you have any info?

[nkycincinnatikid]

Interesting muawiyah. Give us additional information about German Naval personel beating to death and beheading belligerent merchantmen and sailors. This is the first time I’ve heard about it.

[PzLdr]

Yeah. But the U-boat Captain who machine gunned sailors in the water was emphatic that Doenitz hadn't issued orders for such acts, and that he did it on his own authority [despite pressure from Allied interrogators to have him throw Doenitz under the bus]. Aside from that U-boat Captain, the only German Naval officer to be tried for war crimes was the CO of one of the raiders [PINGUIN or THOR?], who also murdered helpless sailors. The Kriegsmarine ran a pretty clean war.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Well, if they are still walking around, then it isn’t too late to try them for war crimes and execute them.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I couldn't disagree more emphatically. The Kriegsmarine, including the U-Boots (sic) conducted themselves in a manner consistent with the laws of naval warfare. As a matter of policy, German U-Boots didn't do anything that American submarines didn't do to the Japanese.

There are far more instances of German naval chivalry, than brutality. There was at least one instance, early in the War, where a U-Boot was sunk after stopping to render assistance to crew of a sinking victim. In other instances U-Boots barely escaped after offering what assistance they could to survivors.

I think the record speaks well for the ethic, the culture and the men of the Kriegsmarine

The one documented instance of a war crime committed by a U-Boot occured shortly after Doenitz issued an order forbidding U-Boots from rendering assistance to the crews of ships they had sunk, because of the dangers to the U-Boots themselves. U.S. Naval commanders apparently never felt the need to issue such orders to U.S. boats operating in the Pacific.

Apparently, the Captain of the U-Boot involved read the order as encouragement or a veiled order to murder survivors.

The Japanese order in the article above read:

"Do not stop at the sinking of enemy ships and cargoes. At the same time carry out the complete destruction of the crews."(Empathsis added.)

Clearly murdering survivors of sinkings was Japanese policy.

[FreeAtlanta]

Our Hero Col. Tibbets - pilot of the first atomic strike on Japan - died this week. May he rest in peace. He did well.

[ArmyTeach]

Story from my Dad, A WW II sub commander. When they sank a Japanese ship (and he sank a few - 2 Navy Crosses) they would pull the surviving Japanese out of the sea and line them up on deck. The Japanese would do their bow thing, then make a quick run and jump off the sub back into the ocean.