The Scuttling of the German Fleet at Scapa Flow

[Lucky13]

Any idea why they shot and killed nine and wounded 16 Germans, while they were in their lifeboats, rowing towards land?

Scuttling of the German fleet at Scapa Flow - Wikipedia

SMS König

 

[Lucky13]

Scapa Flow : Historic Wreck Site

 

[Snautzer01]

I think because they did not commit to the term of surrender by sinking the ships. Who could tell of the germans were not going to do more damage?

 

[The Basket]

Sinking the ships was against the rules.

So the lifeboat....if this actually happened....Wikipedia is not a source....were told to get back to their ships. And stop sinking them in accordance with the armistice.

So Germans disobeyed and in the confusion, men with guns get scared and confused and triggered. Triggered with the trigger and men die. Put a man under stress and fear for his life and it may have been seen as a mutiny and an attempt to take over Scapa or the RN ships there. So chicken dinner every time.

 

[swampyankee]

I think because they did not commit to the term of surrender by sinking the ships. Who could tell of the germans were not going to do more damage?

And they could be considered to be escaping prisoners. The war was not over; scuttling the ships violated the armistice. If they weren't prisoners, they were enemy combatants. Today, they'd be classified as terrorists or insurgents.

Inarguably, scuttling those warships was a blatant violation of the terms of the armistice and conditions of the German surrender. The presumption of the Germans being unarmed was based on their being honest about turning in all weapons, and they had just demonstrated that they were not trustworthy. One would have to assume they were armed, dangerous, and intent on mayhem. These were not people escaping a sinking ship; these were analogous to burglars leaving a building they had just set on fire.