Destroying a boat after surrender could jeopardize a crew's prospects of release because the vessel was now Allied property. Veterans of the Imperial German Navy drew on First World War experience to urge younger personnel to comply with the surrender terms. Propaganda complicated that decision by making Allied troops seem terrifying. German claims that Canadian formations were drawn from prisons are treated as enemy demonization, not a description of Canadian recruitment. Such stories could deepen the fear of surrender after continued resistance had ceased to offer a useful alternative.
Notable Point · 34:53-39:13
Propaganda, surrender, and U-boat crews
German officers treated intact submarines and orderly surrender as bargaining assets, while years of propaganda made crews fear the Allied forces receiving them.