A Brief History
On October 19, 1943, Allied aircraft sank the German ship, MS Sinfra, killing about 2,000 Italian soldiers that had surrendered to the Germans on Crete when Italy changed sides during World War II.
Digging Deeper
The Italians that had served alongside the Germans had the choice of continuing to fight alongside the Germans or to become POWs. Many of the Italians on Crete chose to surrender. An additional 250 surviving Italians were executed after being rescued, for “undisciplined behavior” during the sinking. Many Italians were gunned down by Germans when the prisoners broke out of their holds during the Allied attack.
Prisoners being killed by their own side, massacred by guards, or horrible treatment and death in POW camps can make surrender a mistake. Surrender caused by overestimating an enemy can also be a blunder, such as the surrender of Detroit in 1812, the 7th US Infantry in 1861, and the British at Singapore in 1942.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Would you surrender during a war?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Mant, Gilbert. The Singapore surrender. Kangaroo Press, 1992.
Patel, Daniel. Italy in World War II. Scribl, 2023.
