A German U-boat sunk a British troop ship, the Laconia, killing
more than 1,400 men on September 12, 1942. The commander
of the German sub, Capt. Werner Hartenstein, realizing that
Italians POWs were among the passengers, strove to aid in
their rescue.

The Laconia, a former Cunard White Star ship put to use to
transport troops, including prisoners of war, was in the South
Atlantic bound for England when it encountered U-156, a
German sub (below). It was under the command of Captain
Rudolph Sharp.

Werner Hartenstein
(27 February 1908 – 8 March 1943)