Our Good Friends

allenlondon | 13:40 Mon 07th Dec 2020 | History

49 Answers

Looking for something else, came across this amazing story of a very good German.

In 1940, there was a naval battle between the British destroyer Glowworm, and the German battleship Admiral Von Hipper. The British ship was outgunned and far smaller, and ended up ramming the Von Hipper in an attempt to sink her.

It was the Glowworm that sank, but the Admiral Von Hipper stood by and dropped ropes over the side so that the British seamen could clamber aboard out of the icy, oily sea. They managed to save many of the British sailors, and then continued on their voyage, after holding position for over an hour, all the time under threat of another British battleship finding them.

The captain of the German ship, Helmuth Heye, sent a message to the British Admiralty (through the Red Cross) praising the gallantry of the Glowworm and her crew, and recommending them for the Victoria Cross.

Here is an account of this incredible action:

https://www.quora.com/Whats-the-most-honorable-act-in-the-history-of-war

I have long known that there were many honorable Germans, from the White Rose students upwards. All the way up to the level of Battleship Captains, apparently.

Unsere guten Freunde.

Dambusters

The Wapping Dispute

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murraymints

I used to visit Germany regularly as a WAG... ex BF played for Eintracht.... and there were places I went where I was told not to speak in English as the feelings ran very deep still....the people in Germany were fed propaganda too and to this day the older that survive still..... do not think or believe the holocaust happened... the ordinary person suffered as much as we did...there were many acts of humility and kindness and sheer bravery as man tried to help man..alas depravity and power seeking megalomaniacs are every where...

rowanwitch

Children of a Fatherland obey it maybe culturally imbedded. There has been so much research on why large groups/populations are easy to control, give them a common grievance etc. There are good people,and there are bad peoplebut it takes a very strong individual to stand against the herd. The lone wildebeeste gets picked off, the local he voice gets silenced. It's why oppressive regimes take out the individuals before they become a multitude. it removes dissent and frightens the rest back into line.

allenlondon

Question Author

All true.

So explain Captain Helmuth Heye!

Explain, too, his crew, some of whom stripped off their clothes to keep the British sailors warm!

Explain, too, those of his crew who massaged the frozen limbs of the British seamen!

A person and their prejudices are not easily parted.

naomi24

//A person and their prejudices are not easily parted.//

How true - and when we’ve all finished happily making daisy chains and dancing around maypoles together I’d hazard a guess that the blank spaces here resulted from your prejudices.