A German U-Boat commander's gallant decision – Few weapons challenge the concept of chivalry as do submarines. They rely on stealth and can prey upon defenseless ships. But Werner Hartenstein, a German U-Boat commander, was more than a submerged assassin. On September 12, 1942, his sub sank what he thought was a troop transport ship. But it was actually the RMS Laconia, filled with captured troops and civilians. When Hartenstein's sub surfaced, he saw thousands of civilians struggling for life in the water. He disregarded standing orders from Hitler to ignore survivors and directed his crew to organize a flotilla of rafts. He broadcast an appeal for more rescue ships on an international frequency and promised safe passage for any Allied ships. He was killed a year later when a U.S. plane destroyed his sub.
The Christmas Truce of 1914 – Some acts of chivalry are performed by a solitary soldier. Another act of chivalry seized an entire army. On December 24, 1914, British and German troops faced one other across a line of muddy trenches in France. At midnight, some German troops stopped shooting and started singing Christmas carols. Their enemies joined in. By morning, soldiers on both sides had climbed out of their trenches and were playing soccer and exchanging gifts and cigarettes. The truce ended when Christmas ended, and World War I would slog on for another four years. But the memory of the Christmas truce would live on in books and films.