Hallo Georg

Ein Ausschnitt aus dem Historischen Museum von Kreta zur Stellungsnahme zum Abschuss.


The patrol report of submarine Vivid says that at 02:31 hr, on 9 June, a merchant vessel assumed to be Tanais
was sighted close to the patrol position.
– At 03:12 hr, in the moonlight and from periscope depth, the submarine fired four torpedoes and then dived
to 300 feet.
– At 03:14 hr, two explosions were heard, and four more in the next 45 minutes. There were also sounds
suggesting that the escort vessels were picking up survivors. There was no counter-attack.
– From 15:00 to 17:30 hr wreckage was sighted-15 floating pieces of wood of various shapes and sizes and
twelve 40-gallon oil drums, probably fuel.
– At 01:05 on 10 June, a brief report of the incident was passed to the Captain of the First Submarine Flotilla,
who commented that the target, undoubtedly the Tanais, was considered sunk. It was known to have left
Heraklion by 9 June and has not since been located.
For several years, debate surrounded what caused the Tanais to sink. Many people believed that the Germans
had sunk the ship themselves, so as to exterminate the Jewish hostages; the truth of the matter is that the
hostages were to be transported to concentration camps. For obvious reasons, the Germans always kept the
cargo of their convoys a closely guarded secret. On the other hand, as part of military operations the Allied
Command made indiscriminate attacks on all German and Italian convoys.
On the ultimate responsibility for the death of those on board there can be no doubt however. It was Germans
who put them out to sea in circumstances so hazardous that they were virtually certain to perish before they
reached their intended destinations.

Vielleicht hilft das weiter

gruss Peter