Direct Examination of Doenitz

The case of Karl Doenitz, commander of the Submarine Arm of the Navy and Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, was conducted by his Counsel, Dr. Otto Kranzbuehler. Early testimony in German developed the fact that Doenitz had perfected the “wolf pack tactics” for U-boats. Doentz agreed the labeling U-boats as an aggressive weapon but stated that it does not mean that it was a weapon for an aggressive war. The tactics were received from Admiral Raeder. He also tried to explain his order to his German submarine commanders: “Do not rescue any men; do not take them along; and do not take care of any boats of the ships…. Concern yourself only with the safety of your own boat and with efforts to achieve success as soon as possible. We must be hard in this war.” This segment was from testimony on May 8, 1946.

Produced by US Army Signal Corps 1945-1956, housed in National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Digitized and provided by The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive.

The case of Karl Doenitz, commander of the Submarine Arm of the Navy and Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, was conducted by his Counsel, Dr. Otto Kranzbuehler. Early testimony in German developed the fact that Doenitz had perfected the "wolf pack tactics" for U-boats. Doentz agreed the labeling U-boats as an aggressive weapon but stated that it does not mean that it was a weapon for an aggressive war. The tactics were received from Admiral Raeder. He also tried to explain his order to his German submarine commanders: "Do not rescue any men; do not take them along; and do not take care of any boats of the ships.... Concern yourself only with the safety of your own boat and with efforts to achieve success as soon as possible. We must be hard in this war." This segment was from testimony on May 8, 1946.

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