General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
RE: Homosexuality--any criteria?
Posted by:
Torlef
()
Date: November 23, 2000 09:48AM
<HTML>Hi all,
as a German I can only speak from my point of view. At the time of WWII and many years after that, any homosexual behavior in the Navy or in the Merchant Navy was a NO NO.
Even in civil life it was punishable according to the paragraph 175 of the \"Strafgesetz Buch\". (I don\'t know the translation).
It took a long time for the German Government to change these laws, so it comes to no surprise that it was strictly outlawed in the German Kriegsmarine. In addition to this came the humiliation and embarrasment from your crew mates and fellow officers. So it is understandable that before you go to be court martialled you better commit suicide.It was a trend of the time and fortunally people are more open to sexual orientation than at the time of WWII.
Regards, Torlef
</HTML>
as a German I can only speak from my point of view. At the time of WWII and many years after that, any homosexual behavior in the Navy or in the Merchant Navy was a NO NO.
Even in civil life it was punishable according to the paragraph 175 of the \"Strafgesetz Buch\". (I don\'t know the translation).
It took a long time for the German Government to change these laws, so it comes to no surprise that it was strictly outlawed in the German Kriegsmarine. In addition to this came the humiliation and embarrasment from your crew mates and fellow officers. So it is understandable that before you go to be court martialled you better commit suicide.It was a trend of the time and fortunally people are more open to sexual orientation than at the time of WWII.
Regards, Torlef
</HTML>