An Operational Necessity

By Griffin, Gwyn
1999, Harvill Press
ISBN 186046596X
Paperback, 416 pages
The book is a fiction

Descripton: This book deals with the subject of the U-852 (U-996 in the book) which sank a ship and then fired on the wreckage killing many of the ship's crew. The book covers this incident, the later sinking of the U-boat, and the war crimes trial but in novel form with fictional crew members. The title comes from the claim that destroying the wreckage was an "operational necessity" to avoid Allied aircraft. Originally published 1967.

- This book has been translated into other languages.

From the uboat.net review: This is a fictionalized account of the Peleus Affair, the only documented case in World War II in which a U-boat machine-gunned survivors in the water. The strength of this novel lies in its harshly realistic depic ...
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