The most important effect of all this was to leave the determination as to which ships were to be spared, which to be sunk, to the discretion of individual U-boat commanders. Thus a lone submarine captain, typically a young man in his twenties or thirties, ambitious, driven to accumulate as much sunk tonnage as possible, far from his base and unable to make wireless contact with superiors, his vision limited to the small and distant view afforded by a periscope, now held the power to make a mistake that could change the outcome of the entire war. As
This passage discusses the significant impact of U-boat commanders' discretion during World War I, particularly in the sinking of ships. These young submarine captains, often in their twenties or thirties, had the autonomy to decide which vessels would be spared and which would face destruction. Without direct communication with their superiors and restricted to their periscope's limited view, their choices carried enormous weight, influencing the war's trajectory.
By highlighting the individual decision-making power of these U-boat captains, the text underscores the precarious nature of warfare at sea, where one person's judgment could potentially alter the course of historical events. Their pursuit of accolades, marked by destroyed tonnage, could lead to critical mistakes that had far-reaching consequences for all involved.
