General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
RE: Werner Henke, shooting survivors - war crimes
Posted by:
John Griffiths
()
Date: March 11, 2001 10:25AM
<HTML>What a subject!
There is proof that atrocities are committed by most warring parties in every conflict that has been and - no doubt - will come. I would suggest Mei Lei for the US, as an example.
Rumours also get around. There is a strong one amongst those of us who were involved in the Falklands that Colonel H. Jones of the Parachute Regiment was shot in the back by a 7.62mm round. Now, we had the SLR, which is 7.62mm and the Argies had the Belgian FN/FAL 7.62mm - both guns basically the same. Was it a UK round or was it an Argie one?
Is it rumour? Who knows - I wasn\'t at Goose Green! If it isn\'t, it is unlikely that the UK Government would ever admit to such a thing and anyway, besmirches the name of a very brave man. It could be scuttlebutt - like the indiscriminate killing of Argentinian troops that had already surrendered....or like the story put about by the Argies that the Gurkhas eat people....and a rumour started by the media that said US Mercenaries were fighting on the Argie side...
The \'war is hell\' business is right enough - as are the command decisions of any CO who puts the life and safety of his crew above all. Mistakes are made, experience has to be earned - and stories get bent a little out of kilter.
Whatever happened in the USS Roper incident, you can be sure there will always be two sides to every story.
Aye,
John
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There is proof that atrocities are committed by most warring parties in every conflict that has been and - no doubt - will come. I would suggest Mei Lei for the US, as an example.
Rumours also get around. There is a strong one amongst those of us who were involved in the Falklands that Colonel H. Jones of the Parachute Regiment was shot in the back by a 7.62mm round. Now, we had the SLR, which is 7.62mm and the Argies had the Belgian FN/FAL 7.62mm - both guns basically the same. Was it a UK round or was it an Argie one?
Is it rumour? Who knows - I wasn\'t at Goose Green! If it isn\'t, it is unlikely that the UK Government would ever admit to such a thing and anyway, besmirches the name of a very brave man. It could be scuttlebutt - like the indiscriminate killing of Argentinian troops that had already surrendered....or like the story put about by the Argies that the Gurkhas eat people....and a rumour started by the media that said US Mercenaries were fighting on the Argie side...
The \'war is hell\' business is right enough - as are the command decisions of any CO who puts the life and safety of his crew above all. Mistakes are made, experience has to be earned - and stories get bent a little out of kilter.
Whatever happened in the USS Roper incident, you can be sure there will always be two sides to every story.
Aye,
John
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